Would you jump to someone else's defence?

[diplomatic_lies]

If someone was getting beaten up, would you help them out?

If so, under what conditions?

For example, would you only do it if there were other people around on the street? What if the attackers were better armed? What if the attack was due to hate (ie. anti-black, anti-gay, neo nazi)?


I saw this black guy (islander black, not american black) getting beaten up on the city street yesterday by a bunch of guys who didn't like his race (they were saying stuff like "go back to your island, faggot!"), and even though there was like a gazillion people walking on the same street, everyone seemed to ignore the event.

I didn't want to help because I was alone (as opposed to about 5 guys with pipes/bricks), but mostly because I didn't see it as my business. I did feel a little guilty though for just walking past.

If you were there, would you have helped?

 

[Coolage]

I would have called the cops.

 

[diplomatic_lies]

Well I would assume in 90% of cases, by the times the cops have arrived, it'd a bit late to really do anything...

 

[penkitten]

i would, cause the mom in me comes out...

 

[Giovanni Casanova]

Originally posted by penkitten
i would, cause the mom in me comes out...

I would, because the "Power-Trippin' Morally Right Vigilante" in me comes out.

 

[Coolage]

well what would you do? other than call the cops. can you really handle 5 people>

 

[Giovanni Casanova]

Originally posted by Coolage
well what would you do? other than call the cops. can you really handle 5 people>

I like 2 against 5 better than I like 1 against 5. I also like to think that if one person steps up, it really makes it more likely that others will to, although there's no guarantees of that.

I'm a decent-sized guy with a martial arts background. There's no guarantee of success but the odds are better that they will break it off if someone else intervenes. One person intervening makes it more likely that others will too. It also makes it more likely that the attack will stop, because cowards like that tend only to attack when they have an overwhelming numbers advantage. 2:5 might not look as overwhelming as 1:5 did.

And if everything goes to hell and everyone else chickens out and the two of us couldn't hold off five guys long enough for help to arrive, then it's certainly possible we'd get beaten. I'd rather get beaten than to allow someone else too.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
- Edmund Burke

 

[MindOverMatter]

I'm a decent-sized guy with a martial arts background.

 

[whistler]

There's a classic finding in psychology called the "bystander effect" (a variation of it is also called "social loafing").

Basically, a crowd will watch in disbelief yet do nothing when they suddenly see a violent crime being committed. They would of course help out if they had prior warning.

It's like people get paralyzed. Point is, don't blame yourself or others too much if you fail to spring to action.

 

[Giovanni Casanova]

Originally posted by whistler
There's a classic finding in psychology called the "bystander effect" (a variation of it is also called "social loafing").

Basically, a crowd will watch in disbelief yet do nothing when they suddenly see a violent crime being committed. They would of course help out if they had prior warning.

It's like people get paralyzed. Point is, don't blame yourself or others too much if you fail to spring to action.

This is true. It is often counteracted if one person intervenes. This often prompts or shames other people in following suit.

 

[Giovanni Casanova]

Originally posted by MindOverMatter

:kick:

I'd be careful if I were you, all that wimpy passive-aggressive behavior is gonna give you a heart attack before you're old enough to move out of your mom's basement.

 

[MindOverMatter]

Originally posted by Giovanni Casanova
:kick:

I'd be careful if I were you, all that wimpy passive-aggressive behavior is gonna give you a heart attack before you're old enough to move out of your mom's basement.

That's a sad attempt at flame-baiting. If you think I'm gonna lose my cool, flame you and give you an easy excuse to get me banned like you got PRL/P_S banned, I'm sorry to disappoint.

I would appreciate it if you actually attacked 5 guys with your decent-sized martial art background powers.

 

[Centaurion]

I didn't know that there were black people in Island....

heh but, if I saw someone getting his ass kicked for no aperant reason, I would have called the cops asap. If it were 2vs1 I would have stepped in. But trying to step when there are 5 neo-nazis beating the sh!t out of someone, will only put you on a highway to a world of hurt, even if you have a 'martial-arts background' as our Power-Trippin' Morally Right Vigilante" friend over here has.

 

[ghostin]

I would jump in and fight, cuz i am a MAN and i can take em all on!!!

Cuz i am that bad ass!!





Oh...i got a big penis too!!!!





hehe j/k

 

[Fatality]

You should break up a fight if somebody is obviosuly getting the crap beat out of them. It's funny how most people just stand there as some guy gets beaten within an inch of his life. Some even cheer it on. Those people should be arrested too. Kind of like the Good Samariten law on the final Seinfeld episode.

 

[MindOverMatter]

First I'm gonna break up Gio and Mind.

There is no fight, I'm being passive aggressive in order to avoid Gio's decent sized, e-black belt wrath . I don't believe in fighting, I'm the Gandhi of sosuave.

 

[Page]

Even 5 on 2 is pretty tough odds, especially if the 5 guys are using weapons.

 

[Julian]

It really depends. I like to talk sh1t about what id do in any given situation but the fact remains that i cant really say how id react unless whatever the situation is(in this case a guy getting STOMPED) actually occurs in front of me.

But for the sake of speculation ill say that first thing id do is call the police from my cell phone as i quickly evaluated the situation.

Alot of variables would factor in my decision and id like to think id run and drop kick the nearest assailant in the back and start pulling some more ninja sh1t in an attempt at heroism.

More then likely id get the jump on 1 guy and then get swarmed, hopefully by that time my viscious attack will have recruited some random people to help join the assault and start gorilla stompin some fools into the pavement until the proper authorities arrived to arrest the suspects and have them destroyed or disposed of like the scum they are.

 

[WesCottII]

Originally posted by MindOverMatter
There is no fight, I'm being passive aggressive in order to avoid Gio's decent sized, e-black belt wrath . I don't believe in fighting, I'm the Gandhi of sosuave.

Hahahaha. Funny stuff.

 

[ThreeStorms]

I would look out for the biggest, most badass looking guys around and tell them we cannot let this happen. If this nazi scum sees a few big guys with a grim look on their faces approaching, chance is they will run away.
However, if there are only wussies standing around, I would come up with someting else