Posted by Steinn Sigurðsson on October 19, 2011 The following is brutal, do not watch if sensitive
Small child hit by car, twice.
Apparently footage from security camera.
Same story on TV news, with followup reporting.
Child survived, obviously severely injured.
This appears to be something that actually happened.
The absolute worst thing that ever happened in my life was watching my 5 year old daughter run into the street and get hit by a car. Thank goodness we live on a side street, the car was going slow enough that a panic stop resulted in my daughter bouncing off the front bumper onto the road. No damage to her head, just some road rash. I gathered her up, covered her, calmed her down and waited for the ambulance. I was the picture of composure during the trip to the hospital and the time in the emergency room.
We got home and settled and my daughter had no long-term problems.
I did not sleep at all for two days. I was afraid something bad would happen while I was not watching over her.
The question is… “What motivates human indifference?” Is it an animal instinct? Like sheep quietly grazing while a member of the flock is being slaughtered close by?
Is overpopulation a factor?
@2
In this case, it’s probably the bystander effect. Studies by psychologists have shown people are less likely to intervene when something bad happens if there’s a lot of people around. Scientists think this is so for two reasons: 1.) You’re not as responsible for what happens because the responsibility is perceived to be divided among the group. 2.) We pick up our behavioral cues from other people. When we don’t see other people intervening, we believe that intervention is unnecessary or even inappropriate.
Plural of anecdote is not data, of course, but:
My seven-year-old son had a similar accident to that reported in comment #1 (hit by car with only minor injuries). I am relieved to report that at least half a dozen people stopped to help immediately. But I don’t ever want to see anyone’s kid flying through the air like that again (I didn’t even try to watch the video).
Sadly, it seems the poor child has now died of her injuries after a week suffering in hospital.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/21/chinese-toddler-dies-hit-and-run
ohh man! this video has made me sad:(
I have not viewed this video, as I have read sufficient details to make me avoid already. On other threads it is claimed that it wasn’t indifference, but rather a fear of being sued that prevents people in China from showing some compassion. Apparently if you help someone, this is an admission that you assume full responsibility for them. There are apparently gangs that use the vulnerable or injured to provoke a response from the compassionate, in order to extort money from them.
@2 – In this case it is the law. In China the law states that anyone who helps an injured person assumes full liability for anything and everything that happens after helping. That means that if you help an injured person you are responsible for all hospital bills and legal bills. In many cases the injured person ends up suing the good samaritan because they don’t have any other way to foot the bills. This is why in China you are likely to be left alone to die in the street if anything bad happens to you.
How can those chinese people ignored the child? This the sadistic thing that I have ever seen!
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