The Genovese Syndrome, or commonly referred to as the Bystander Effect is a major problem that needs to come to an end but not in the way of a law.
In a nutshell, the Bystander Effect is the diffusion of responsibility. That means once a person joins a group, they follow the herd and are more likely to not act in a situation where they should due simply to the fact that the rest of the group is not acting. No one wants to feel like an outsider or stray from the path, because humans instinctively want to be included.
There is no part of that that is false or untrue, I just believe a law forcing pedestrians to help others in need is almost completely unnecessary. First of all, a law pressing the everyday public minding their own business to
Her and her kids are on their way to school walking their usual route. One day there happens to be a man who was laying in the dirt just off the sidewalk.
The man seemed hurt but he also might’ve been a homeless man who was sleeping there for the night. The mother and her kids are about to be late to school so quickly walk past the man on the ground.
Two days go by and then the mother gets a unusual letter in the mail stating that she had a fine of $500. She ends up not having enough money to pay rent or serve dinner to her family.
If we were in that mother’s shoes that would definitely prompt us to not be bystanders but it very well could have ruined our life and our children’s lives. My point is, a Bystander Law could very well hurt more than help.
“Law and justice are not always the same”(Gloria Steinem). There are other ways to settle an issue than getting tangled up in the law. Justice can be met without taking legal action. Gloria Steinem’s wonderful quote helps me greatly to explain that there are other ways of resolving the issue of innocent bystanders. A law is unnecessary and I am against the proposal of one. I believe if the law gets passed the way it is now, it will cause more problems than it will
The bystander effect refers to the tendency for an observer of an emergency to withhold aid if the:
3). The law claims to be fair, impartial and concerned with neutrality and equality. (Hulbert, 2010). It is concerned with justice, but in reality seems to be discriminatory. Justice is a lot more than solving a situation that seems problematic but is also constituted by considerations of substantive justice. (Hulbert, 2010). The law, in theory, is objective and without bias but in practice can be opaque and discriminatory. Abdirahman Abdi 37-year old man is one of many to experience the cruel reality of the law and its practices. On Sunday, July 24th at 9:30 am the police received multiple calls about a disturbance at a coffee shop in Ottawa. The police arrived, pursued Abdirahman Abdi and arrested him 250 meters from his apartment building. Witnesses say that Abdirahman was beaten with a baton and pepper sprayed. A very graphic video showed Abdirahman on the ground handcuffed with blood surrounding him while the officer held him to the ground with a knee. One of the eyewitnesses Zainab Abdallah tried to intervene, she pleaded with the officers telling them that Abdi has a mental illness, but that did not deter them. Abdirahman was dead 45 minutes before receiving medical attention. What has been questioned by black lives matter
The bystander effect is a the phenomenon in which the more people are are around the less likely someone will step-in or help in a given situation. THe most prominent example of this is the tragic death of Kitty Genovese. In march of 1964 Kitty genovese was murdered in the alley outside of her apartment. That night numerous people reported hearing the desperate cries for help made by Kitty Genovese who was stabbed to death. Her screams ripped through the night and yet people walked idly by her murder. No one intervened and not even a measly phone call to the police was made.
Bystander’s are everywhere that you go. Some you don’t really notice and some you look at and think why didn’t you do something? Being a bystander can affect you in many ways. In the book The Kite Runner, written by Khaled Hosseini, the main character Amir watches his best friend, Hassan, that he grew up with get raped and beat and does nothing, “I’ll let you keep it so it will always remind you of what I’m about to do.”(73) The effects it had on him are described throughout the book, and they aren’t for the better. Even though Amir stood by and watched those horrible things, later in his life he changed himself and did what was needed to be done to regain his honor within
In Dick Wolf’s television show Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode entitled “Home Invasions” the writer conveys the message that people cannot take the law into their own hand. In the episode the detectives from the New York police department’s special victim’s unit investigate the homicide of a gay rights activist and her husband as well as the attempted homicide of their young daughter. As the investigation progressed throughout the show it is discovered that the father was sexually assaulting his daughter. As a result of this abuse the daughter confided in her housekeeper and the housekeepers brother. The daughter conspired with the housekeeper and the housekeeper’s brother to arrange the homicide of her parents. I agree with
... so is sacrificial to one’s rights, it puts them in an undesirable position where they may be harmed as well, and success at being an upstander is not guaranteed. Perpetrators tyrannize those who are unable to stand up for themselves; like how predators seek out the vulnerable preys. Hence, instead of having bystanders to stand up for the victim, the victim should stand up for him/herself. In addition, unlike what Lehrman believes, bystanders are not the most dangerous to the victim; the perpetrator is. Saying that bystanders are the most dangerous is is like saying that if one witnesses something, then he/she is a criminal. Consequently, saying that bystanders should stand up for victims against perpetrators is illogical and naive. Concisely, it is not another’s responsibility to ensure one’s safety and wellness; instead, it is one’s responsibility to do so.
I am the mother of two African-American boys. There is a part of me that is terrified that someone has the privilege of causing serious harm or even killing them because they believed them to be something they are not or because they are playing their music too loud at a traffic light . This person could be granted immunity from criminal or civil prucidings or no charges being brought just because a jury might identify with the defender instead of the victim. But the alternative that somewhat eases my mind, is that if someone is attempting to cause serious harm to my sons; they may defend their lives without fear of prosecution…maybe because keep in mind they are African-American.
On March 13th, 1964, a woman named 'Kitty Genovese' was stabbed by a psychopathic stranger on the street near her home in New York City. While she was being murdered brutally for 35 minutes, 38 neighbors were witnessing the crime scene. In spite of her desperate cry for help, none of them had offered any help. Even after the criminal had left, only one neighbor called police, but by the time police had arrived, she was already dead. This incident is well-known as 'Genovese Syndrome', which refers to a social phenomenon where a person is less likely to offer help to another person who is in danger. It is also known as the 'Bystander effect', and it is rising as a serious issue in a modern society where individualism is becoming widespread among people. The Good Samaritan law is legislated in order to punish bystanders and to protect the members of society. In spite of its good purpose, bystanders should not be punished with this law as it invades principles that are stated in law, puts burden on the society, and is not a fundamental solution.
Although people can fear an outcome of telling the truth or standing up for what they believe is right, being a bystander in a poor situation doesn’t exempt someone from innocence. Whether it involves a murder or telling the truth, if someone knows it is wrong and does nothing to take part in what’s going on they are no better than the ones involved in the conflict. In To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, both stories involve bystanders. A bystander is not innocent when they do nothing about the problem going on around them.
All in all, if we do not stand up then we only affirm the perpetrators, and if there are too many that affirm perpetrators instead of standing up for the victim, bystanders can prove to be more dangerous than the perpetrators.
First off, wow, just wow. I'm very unsure of how to react to this situation. The Samaritan law states if you see someone in trouble, you help. A person can be liable if they ignore someone in danger, understandable. This, however, opens a can of worms I can't wrap my brain around. On one hand, Van Horn did crash into a light pole and then caused permanent spinal to this woman, but she was just trying to help. Van Horn is not a medical professional and was just responding the best way they could have. I feel sympathy for Ms.Torti and what happened to her, but I wish this case was not continuing. This is a tragedy and it just sad on both sides.
While many people appeal this statement, there are some who agree. “Research shows that “Stand Your Ground” laws are associated with as many as 700 additional homicides nationwide each year (Galloway). Jim Galloway’s position is supported by clear evidence. States that who’ve adopted the “Stand Your Ground” laws have shown an increase of homicides and violent crimes. Mayors Against Illegal guns, a group formed by former New York mayor, Michael Bloomberg, research and discovered that there was an additional count of homicides nationwide. With regards to the increase of homicides, “The Stand Your Ground” law is to blame. It provides sufferance for insecure or demented
The bystander effect plays a key role in society today. More and more people ignore a person in distress.
their fellow man in trouble, the majority of Americans seem to be willing to help. Despite several incidents to the contrary, the morals of most people will guide them. These less-talked-about occasions in which people called the police, yelled for help, or even tried to physically stop attackers outweigh the apathetic few. With these facts in mind, this law presents unacceptable violations of the freedom of liberty. Ultimately, then, Good Samaritan laws are both unnecessary and dangerous.
One of the strengths is providing a new insight into bystander effect. The study argued that researchers have previously neglected the potential benefit of bystanders and thus, the study provided a new horizon by proving reversed bystander effect through experiment. This allows us to be aware of the fact that someone may be providing help merely due to impression management. This arouses a doubt on whether the one who provides help is genuinely concerned about the needs of the victims, or one is just motivated by upholding his/her reputation when surrounded by a crowd. Besides, carrying out a manipulation check right after this experiment is beneficial to this study as well....