I Was An Innocent Bystander..

Does being a bystander make you innocent? In my opinion, the phrase "innocent bystander" is an oxymoron. It's nearly impossible to have a bystander that is innocent. When you witness a crime, whether it's a stabbing, a burglary, or simple bullying, what would you do? Would you go for help? Would you get in the middle and attempt to stop it? Would you pretend you saw nothing and keep your head down? Though many of us would like to exclaim, "Oh, of course I'd help them," often times, that's not what would actually happen. We, as humans, don't know what to do. We'll take a look with the murder of Kitty Genovese..


Kitty Genovese was a young woman who was stabbed to death near her home in Brooklyn, New York. The public reaction was probably the most compelling aspect of this case - the most intriguing. However, because of the way the public reacted, the bystander effect was developed. Thirty-eight people watched and listened to her as her perpetrator knifed her to death though not one of them did anything about it. BUT WHY?? Following are the reasons why people do nothing when someone else is in need. (This is more likely to happen, interestingly enough, if there are more people around).

1. Because there are so many other people around, there is a diffusion of responsibility. Everyone believes that someone else will take care of the problem.
2. People need to behave in socially acceptable ways. When other people fail to react, they take that as a sign that they should also fail to react.

Don't be a bystander. They're not innocent. Be a hero. Beat the wretched bystander effect.