4 ms·
Paris man stabbed to death in metro as 'onlookers film, post on social media'
- jjgreen 9y agoI couldn't help the guy, I wasn't there. It seems to me that people lost in their phones simply aren't present, generally, so do nothing for the same reason.
- wmeredith 9y agoNah. The bystander effect is well documented and has been around a lot longer than smart phones.
- yakitori 9y agoHas nothing to do with phones or being present. It has to do with the fact that someone has a knife. Unless you are armed with a gun, you also won't do anything against a guy with a knife. Go read about the knife attack on van gogh or any other knife attack. When someone is crazy and wielding a knife, you back away. I forget which world class MMA fighter said it, but he said that if anyone approaches him with a knife, he'd run. That's a world class MMA fighter. There was an interesting podcast on the guy who stabbed a kid on a bus in canada. As the guy was stabbing the kid, everyone on the bus fled. And then 3 guys got together and decided to board the bus and try to save the kid. When the three guys got back on the bus, the guy showed his knife to the 3 men and they all just left and waited for the police like everyone else. Also, what's with a vocal minority on HN blaming anything and everything on smartphones and social media? I swear in the past few months, it feels like every HN story with a smartphone or social media angle is being targeted to push an agenda. Edit: Found the podcast ( sword and scale ep 31 ). Really fascinating podcast and worth a listen if you have the time.
- mannykannot 9y agoI completely agree with you about the feasibility of intervening in a knife attack, but I get the impression that no-one was helping the victim after the attacker had fled. You are right that it is not about phones, it is about people.
- cafard 9y agoIn some courtroom, back in the days before metal detectors, somebody tried to shoot Jimmy Hoffa, and Hoffa charged him and got hold of the gun. Afterwards, he gave his attorney, Edward Bennett Williams, a piece of advice that "might help him live longer": run toward a gun, but from a knife.
- burfog 9y agoPretty much, but there is something to be said for responding with a golf club, baseball bat, barbeque fork, ice ax, tire iron, trench shovel, chainsaw, lawn edger, hammer, table leg, gaff, log...
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- ColinWright 9y agoNever an excuse, but a real psychological "thing": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect
- ryanwaggoner 9y agoIf you’re ever in a situation where you need help from someone in a crowd, pick out a specific person (any person) and ask them for help. Don’t just ask the crowd in general.
- rurban 9y agoThey did good. Defending against an aggressive attacker with a knife is rarely a good idea, but documenting the crime is a good idea. So he will not escape the courts.
- zanedb 9y agoWelcome to White Bear Justice Park.
- joshstrange 9y agoOne of my favorite Black Mirror episodes and the one I always use to introduce people to the show https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Bear_(Black_Mirror) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Bear_(Black_Mirror)
- squozzer 9y agoIt wouldn't surprise me to learn that many populations in the West have become more passive. Especially when tools such as weapons have been taken away. Fatalism and apathy are reasonable responses to enforced helplessness.
- MadcapJake 9y agoA bit ironic that journalists then write articles shaming the "onlookers" for journalism...