Just read a news story (Good Samaritan left to die)
By kedralynn
@kedralynn (980)
United States
April 27, 2010 3:59pm CST
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_dying_and_ignored
The jist of the story is that a homeless man tried to help a woman who was being attacked. He was stabbed several times and left to die. A security camera shows several people walking by and looking at him as he was dying but no one got him help. One person even lifted him up to see he was bleeding and then left him there anyway. By the time the medics arrived it was too late and died.
Is this how we treat people now a days? Yes ok, it's a homeless person. Yes you don't know he saved a woman's life. Yes he's a stranger. Yes it's someone else's business. But at the same time, it's a human being who is suffering. If it was a dying dog on the side of the road would people have helped? What if it had been a baby? What if it had been someone who wasn't homeless?
And then I wonder... would I have done anything if I had walked by? Would you have done something?
3 people like this
13 responses
@aaaaaggieee (64)
• Philippines
28 Apr 10
in psychology they call it "diffusion of responsibility" no one wants to be responsible for that homeless man. they do not want to be disturbed, they do not want to be blamed either.
@cowboyofhell (3063)
• Philippines
28 Apr 10
you may as well consider it bystander effect:
The bystander effect is a social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases where individuals do not offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. The probability of help has in the past been thought to be inversely proportional to the number of bystanders; in other words, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
29 Apr 10
That's probably because all those bystanders figure someone else will do something. Leave it to someone else. Let someone else do it. I've never been a follower. I act. So hopefully I never become another bystander.
@cowboyofhell (3063)
• Philippines
28 Apr 10
Many deaths and other forms of human violence had already been discussed here at mylot but unfortunately they don't help in curbing the practice of killing people. The more people know about these barbarism the more they do it.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
28 Apr 10
I'm not even talking about his murders... That's a whole different discussion.
@codysmacks (102)
• India
28 Apr 10
Yeah... Its really a shame that people are like this. They will realise their mistake if something like this happens to them or to their relatives, And when no one comes for help... u like the help from some one, but u dont like to giv the same help to others... I guess this is the reason that God is not Showing up these days...
@syankee525 (6261)
• United States
28 Apr 10
yeah that is crazy. the lady who he saved should have done something. this is why so many people dont want to get mix up in things.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
29 Apr 10
Yeah it wasn't really worth it for him to get involved and save her. And I guess I could that being a good reason why people wouldn't want to get involved and save him either. It's a shame. I do wonder what happened to the girl he saved and why she didn't stick around.
@reckon21 (3479)
• Philippines
28 Apr 10
The news really is sad and I think my heart goes out for that dying man who after trying to help the woman he was left to die. I wonder what that woman is doing ...did she not call for an ambulance or something. Did she just leave and forget about the man who risk his life to save her. Where did that woman go...after all she is the best person to help him.
And for those people who just look at the dying man lying in his own pool of blood...are they so busy enough not to even call for an ambulance. This is really sickening...what if that is their father...mother or siblings lying there and nobody wants to help. So sad.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
29 Apr 10
Yep. What if it was someone you knew? Wouldn't you want someone to help them? I wonder what happened to that woman too. He was hurt saving her. She could've returned the favor. It's very sad. I'm sure they had cell phones. Someone could've called for help.
@angelajoy (1825)
• Philippines
28 Apr 10
That's really sad. What are people becoming nowadays? I admit that I would be hesitant to help the man because I would worry about money, but at least I would get others to help him. I would call the emergency hotline or just call people I know who could possibly help him.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
29 Apr 10
I'd probably stop and think about it for a second. I'd be hesitant too. But it wouldn't cost me to call for help. It wouldn't take more than a few minutes either. Ha I'm the girl tho who stops to pick up kittens on the side of the road so I'd for sure do my part to help another human.
@cloud31 (5809)
•
27 Apr 10
This make me so sad, I can't help thinking that one saves others life contribute his own life without even care from others, its a melting heart story I cannot afford to look at someones dying in front of me without doing something.The most sad part of these he save the woman without knowing he will be at his final peace.
.That's what sometimes people think about people. Prioritize the life of others but others can't see how to value a single breath and single things they did for them.Nice topic.Nice day ahead of you
.That's what sometimes people think about people. Prioritize the life of others but others can't see how to value a single breath and single things they did for them.Nice topic.Nice day ahead of you@kedralynn (980)
• United States
28 Apr 10
It is sad, but it reminds us that life is precious and that we should help each other when in need.
Hope you're feeling better hun :)
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
27 Apr 10
i am so sad whenever i have to read this kind of story... what happen with people nowadays??? they are becoming more and more selfish and only care about themselves... no wonder i had heard people say that this is a I, me and myself society now... very seldom we see people care or help about other people anymore... not like in the past... i feel so sorry for the homeless man... hopefully the culprit will be able to be caught soon and punish accordingly... if i witness something like this, the least i can do is to call the ambulance and stay with the man and give him moral support until the paramedics arrived... take care and have a nice day...
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
28 Apr 10
Hopefully his killer or killers is caught. It's tough because so many homeless are assaulted and murdered and they rarely go noticed. Because they have no families to notice or miss them. Because they don't have the money to pay for lawyers. It's so sad. I'd call for help. Paramedics or cops or something. I don't care if he was homeless or not. He was a human being in pain.
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
27 Apr 10
That makes me sick! It seems like we have gotten desensitized to the plight of others. People are so much more interested in themselves and when it comes to the homeless people the attitude is that they are less than human and are throw-a-ways. My community goes ballistic when it comes to homeless shelters and helping the homeless. It's the mentality of "NOT IN MY COMMUNITY"! Each time they come with a new location for a shelter or assistance building the mighty shout goes up. I got the feeling that they wanted all the homeless gathered up and taken to the desert or someplace where they weren't visible.
As for helping the man, I would have been there post haste and calling for help. It's another HUMAN BEING and somewhere along the line we need to stop putting ourselves first and start helping others, not just neighbors and family but people in dire need like the homeless!
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
28 Apr 10
Thanks for the response.
It's true, so many people treat the homeless like they're less than human. It's sad. I work at a place where we give out day old bread to the homeless and low income families twice a week. Some of the people that come to us are some of the bravest, wisest, most loving people I know.
I'd have done something. And now after reading this I know if I find myself in that situation I will for sure do something to help.
@cupkitties (7421)
• United States
27 Apr 10
I couldn't have done anything but I would have called for help and stayed with him till the ambulance got there. Unfortuntately this is happening all over the place and not just with the homeless but also people with homes and businesses. I watched on tv once where some actors wanted to prove that people don't care anymore so they pretended to be attackers and people getting robbed or attacked in some other form. They showed people just looking at them and walking away. No one picked up a cell phone. Nothing. People have this "Not my problem" attitude for everything.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
28 Apr 10
And with the rise in violence and such just think people would probably be afraid of helping a stranger lying on the side of the road. I'd probably be scared that he would attack me (not knowing that he saved a woman earlier). But I would call the cops. My dad's a cop so he trained me to call them whenever there's trouble :)
@lumenmom (1986)
• United States
14 Jul 10
I know this late but i ran across your article as was searching homeless info. It is so sad that people can be so hardened that they cannot empathize with the suffering of a stranger. A lot of times the homeless are looked down upon just because people think they are better than them. Little do people know many homeless people were successful members of society at one time but somehow became victims of unfortunate circumstances that put them on the streets. I hope I never lose my sensitivity to the point of being able to walk past a wounded person and not offer them some help.
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
27 Apr 10
Stories like these really break my heart. I can't believe someone would see that and just walk away without doing anything to help. Without even calling 911. I would have called 911. I don't know what I could do to help someone who was dying. Maybe just to stay with them because I don't have much medical training.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
28 Apr 10
Yes it is very sad... I would have called 911 too. Maybe not much else cuz I don't know how else I could help, but I'd at least do that much too.
@Happy_ren (1)
• China
28 Apr 10
I am wongdering that why it is so difficult for a person to just give a call?After all,it is a human being who needs our help.Suppose that one day you are lying there and nobody will give you help,what are you thinking?
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
29 Apr 10
Exactly. I mean how long could it possibly take to make a quick phone call?
