All he heard was an earsplitting bang. He couldn't move because of the deep pain that was burying itself into his hip. All he could hear was a ringing sound, and he couldn't see anything. Consciousness was gradually slipping away from his grasp. But all he could think was, "It is my fault; I should have told someone." Four out of five shootings and other incidents like it are known about before they happen. Therefore, at least one person is given the choice to tell or not to tell. Although some readers of “To Tell or Not to Tell” by Mary Kate Frank may argue that they should not tell in the case of a life-threatening incident because it could get them in trouble with the law or with their friend, further examination proves that it is more …show more content…
One, they may think it could them in a predicament with the law. However, that is not the case in some states because these states have laws that say if one calls 911 in an emergency and stay to give information, he or she will not be in trouble. Also, it could risk someone’s life if he or she does not call. Second, one might think that if the friend survives that he or she will be livid at them, but as stated by Sarah Moon, it is usually momentary. Next, people might not tell because they are minding their own business. Kids are taught not to be a tattletale because people don’t like them. However, there are certain times when someone should be told. One general rule for when to tell is to tell if it is life threatening. If that rule is followed, then a abundance of calamities could be interrupted. Last, people may think that someone else will tell about the accident. According to “To Tell or Not to Tell”, “The behavior is so common that psychologists have even given it names: They call it ‘diffusion of responsibility’ or ‘the bystander effect’.” People do this because they do not want to be annoying by having everyone telling the same person, so they keep to themselves. However, something should always be done just because one can never know if anyone was
According to the poet Stephen Dobyns, “Actions have consequences. Ignorance about the nature of those actions does not free a person from responsibility for the consequences.” The fact that someone is unaware about what could happen to them, does not excuse them from what they have done. People should think before they act, especially actions that could harm themselves and other people or things. In most cases, people are aware that what they are doing is wrong, and should know there will be consequences for their actions. In “Sound of Thunder,” by Ray Bradbury, Eckels does
According to the FBI, more than 75 percent of all murder victims are women, and more than 50 percent of the women are between the ages of 14 and 29 years old. A part of that statistic is Kitty Genovese,a murder victim who is the focus of an editorial, “The Dying Girl that No One Helped,” written by Loudon Wainwright. Kitty was a 28 year old woman who was brutally stabbed to death while on her way home from work. The woman, named Kitty Genovese, lived in a pleasant, welcoming, residential area, in New York. There was at least 38 witnesses that came forward, and they all heard her cries for help, but no one came to her aid. Wainwright effectively demonstrates how society has started turning a “blind-eye” toward problems that can endanger someone's
Kitty Genovese case led to the development of the 911 emergency call system and inspired a long line of research led by psychologists Bibb Latané and John Darley around the time of 1970 into what circumstances lead bystanders to help someone in need. They discovered that, the more people available to help, the less likely any individual person would help—a phenomenon they called the “bystander effect.” If you are the only one around when an elderly person stumbles and falls, the responsibility to help is yours alone, but, with more people present, your obligation is less clear. Latané and Darley called this the “diffusion of responsibility” (CSI). A more recent case of the bystander effect was when assault victim Marques Gains laid motionless in the street due to by a hit-and-run; traffic whizzed past along with a few people stopped and seemed to stand over Gaines, who was crumpled near the curb on North State Street. No one tried to lift him from the pavement or block traffic. The lack of action by passers-by cost the hotel cocktail server his life after a cab turned the corner and drove over him. Experts says that a traumatic or odd event occurring in a public setting triggers an array of social and cultural cues and, combined with human nature, often leads to the lack of action by witnesses
Subjects overheard an epileptic seizure. The subjects either believed they were alone of they were part of a group with one to four other unseen individuals. Darley and Latane predicted that the presence of bystanders would reduce the feelings of personal responsibility resulting in a lowered speed of reporting. There no significant difference in speed between men and women. Personality and background did not play a role is reporting. This experiment suggests that inaction is influenced more by bystander’s response to other observers rather than indifference to the victim.
It was stated that whether or not people help depends on a series of interconnected events and decisions. They must first notice what’s happening, understand that it is an emergency and accept personal responsibility. When this fails to happen that is called the bystander effect (Carpenter & Huffman, 2008, p. 422).
In both of Hawthorne’s short stories “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister Black Veil” and in Miller’s The Crucible, jumping to conclusions has ruined people’s lives. Jumping to conclusions without fully understanding the situations allows one to end up going in the wrong direction. If young Goodman Brown had taken the time to think about the meeting, he would have realized it was a dream. If the people had taken the time to ask Mr. Hooper why he was wearing the mask, then Mr. Hooper’s life would not have been so gloomy. Finally if the court had have taken the time to make sure Abigail was not lying, then her victims lives would have been saved. If we as humans can learn to investigate and try to think things through before we act, then in some cases people’s lives may be saved.
they thought something bad could be happening, they would talk to that friend and tell
In a study done by both Bibb Latane and John Darley, they measured the amount of time it took individuals to respond and act in a given situation based on the number of people present in the room (Bystander). They found that when individuals were in rooms by themselves and smoke filled the room, there was a 75 percent chance of the person reporting the smoke (Bystander). Whereas, when people were placed in rooms which contained other participants there was only a 38 percent chance of the people reporting the incident (Bystander). This unfortunately is not the only study which comes to a similar conclusion. A social experiment done by teenagers at a local high school shows the same thing. The students went around the school and asked their classmates and teachers if they would help a student that was found passed out in the halls (YouTube). All of those who were interviewed said yes they would. When this situation was tested, it proved the students to be liars. Over 70 (if not more) students walked over the body of the passed out girl (YouTube). Some even took pictures and laughed (YouTube). No one helped the girl because they all believed that it was not their job due to the presence of others. Looking at everyday life it is easy to see how the bystander effect can not only be applied to big situations such as the ones listed above, but also, to small ones. Such as, walking down a hall and walking by a piece if trash someone dropped. Most people (if not all) will continue walking and refuse to pick up the trash because it was not their doing. Perhaps this is a contributing factor to the fact that many people go without help in emergency
This essay will examine truth-telling in terms of patient autonomy verses the physical and psychological harm it could bring, Dealing with a number of key issues that have been identified during my
Case one was in August of 1906 when John asked Polly Hutchison’s parents for permission to ask for Polly’s hand in marriage. They were all very excited about this “and a bit relieved after Jack’s dramatic announcement, that if he wasn’t allowed to marry Polly, he would blow his brains out” (8). People who have a stable mental state do not threaten to commit suicide, especially when it is hardly necessary. In another instance, Simmie mentions Jessie having to hide John’s guns; “she had hidden his service revolver more than once when he threatened to kill himself,” (110). A new wife having to hide her husband’s service revolver to prevent him from committing suicide is not normal and is just another reason Sergeant John Wilson is insane. As well, while John is fantasizing about a life with Jessie he considers how great his life could be if Polly “conveniently died”(56). Luckily for Polly, John decides not to proceed in that direction right away because many people in Regina know Polly, but he never once states murder would be wrong. John having thoughts of harming him or others for personal benefits is not a healthy mentality to
Advocating for diverse patients is important. In this paper I will be discuss a personal ethical dilemma in which I have encountered. I will give an objective interpretation of both my side as well as my patient’s side of the dilemma. Then I will describe the conflicting values and beliefs that I and the patient had. Then I will give the information I was lacking concerning the patient’s culture. Lastly, I will define culturally congruent care.
On March 13, 1964 a woman by the name of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese was coming back to her apartment in Queens, New York at 3:00 a.m. when she was impaled to death by a serial killer. According to the news, the said attack was about 30 minutes long. During the attack, Kitty Genovese screamed for help numerous times. The killer left the scene when the attention of a neighbor was attracted. Ten minutes later, the killer returned to the scene and murdered Genovese. It came to attention that 38 people witnessed the attack and murder, but all thirty-eight failed to report it until after the murder. This ordeal got the attention of many people including scientists and psychologists who wanted to figure out why this occurred. Later, the events that were published by the news were found to be false. It seemed as if the news was experiencing the bystander effect as well, because their information did not contribute to the actual facts. There were not 38 witnesses to the crime, but several had heard the screams and a few calls were made to the police during the attack. But there was still talk about something that affected the minds of people during emergency situations. This phenomenon has become known as the Bystander Effect. There were several cases that are fairly similar to the Genovese one. As well as the Genovese case, these occurrences attracted the attention of many scientists and even the news had something to say about “apathy.” Is the bystander effect real? My hypothesis is that the bystander effect is in fact, a real everyday occurrence that limits the help offered by people. This is due to the number of bystander present during a given situation. The Bystander Effect is the social psychological idea that refers to cases in whi...
Manning, R., Levine, M., & Collins, A. (2007). The Kitty Genovese Murder and the Social Psychology of Helping: The parable of the 38 witnesses. American Psychologist, 62 (6), 555-562.
Everyday an individual could make a choice that could change their life in a certain way. What if I wear the I wear this shirt or should pick a different shirt? Would I rather have a soda or water? These simple decisions are usually made without putting much thought into the decision. This happens because the decisions are not as important as we think they are. When the decision is not easy to make, is when it could be life changing. A person’s conscious is affected by the decision-making process, especially when whistle blowing occurs. In this paper, I explain and evaluate whistle-blowing, when and where it occurs, and the effects and consequences of whistle-blowing.
Secondly, it is okay to be untruthful if you are trying to protect people. In certain situations, it is safer, and more practical for you to tell a lie rather than putting a loved one in jeopardy. To illustrate you may be in a situation where you are in a serious or dangerous situation, and you do not what anyone else involved, to keep them safe. For example, if you are getting held up for ransom, would you tell the truth to a loved one and get them involved, or lie and keep them safe? The obvious answer is to keep them safe at all costs, even if it means lying. Also, you do not want to put someone in harm’s way, so it would be ...