Willingness to help others - or lack of.

[StevieP]

It probably doesn't help that some people are afraid of getting sued if they do something wrong that makes things worse!

I think London is probably the worst place for it though, my wife used to live there and every time I visited her I got the distinct impression that the majority wouldn't give you the steam off their ****!!

Good on you stopping and helping, I certainly like to think I'd have done the same!

 

[-westy-]

to be fair half the time to try to show a bit of compassion towards someone else all you get is a mouthful of abuse in return!

Bearing in mind of course, that if you attempt First Aid you could be done for assault, regardless of whether you saved their life or not..

 

[4T5]

From the evidence presented I deduce that she must have been a right minger if that many people walked past her without helping.

 

[Burnsy2023]

Bearing in mind of course, that if you attempt First Aid you could be done for assault, regardless of whether you saved their life or not..

Bearing in mind of course that this is utter BS, you should help as much as you can.

First aid training has been drilled into me enough for me to help anyone I see in the OP's scenario.

 

[Anox]

As I live in the northern regions, very close to the countryside, I find most people here are very helpful and nice. The second I get near seven sisters, it's like a whole new world.

I mean, I had such an example at, ooh it mustve been when I just finished my day (Bout 3:00 for me as I get let off early) and a very frail woman was having trouble on the escalators at kings cross. 15 people just waltzed right by her without a second thought. She could ave been having a heart attack in her state. Good thing I came to help, she was diabetic and was experiencing symptoms of a hypo. I would say five people just stood there and gawked as I had to holler at someone to go and alert the station staff.

Disgusting.

 

[StriderX]

The most pertinent question would be.


How much would it cost the country for people to be late to their jobs due to "helping others"?


This is the cost of the devaluation of human resource, media desensitisation and to an odd respect higher IQ's mean a higher curiosity...why help when you can observe?

There is also another cost, more a based instinct than anything, enhanced by capitalistic ideology, the desire for material wealth has replaced our desire for survival...in some ways to survive in the west is to have that wealth, another person means less money for you and so why not just let them disappear?

It is quite sad.

 

[Derek W]

to be fair me and a mate had a weird situation when we were at uni. We were walking back to my mates flat and there was a big built guy walking our way with scars and tattoos visible, typically looking like someone you would want to avoid (stereotyping i know) but just as he was approaching he fell flat on his face into the pavement. we helped him up thinking he may have been drunk but he suffered from a type of narcolepsy where he would just black out completely. He was grateful for the help and when we asked if he was ok he said it was fine and happened all the time but he was off to meet some friends. he was lucky as well since the lights had changed at a junction oncoming traffic could have hit him.

 

[Anox]

The most pertinent question would be.


How much would it cost the country for people to be late to their jobs due to "helping others"?

Not only that, if however many people are watching, surely more than one, then one can spare the time becuase he/she is early for work. Even if one shall be late, a good deed is supposed to be helping to achieve the 'summum bonum' in a person's mind.

 

[Rroff]

Strangely enough Waterloo station is also the place where I've seen some of the most callous behavior by members of the public I've yet to witness (not one specific event - I used to travel through their frequently when I lived in Bromley) and likewise found the rail guards utterly useless and completely disinterested in being of assistance whether it was me asking for general directions or a life threatening situation unfolding infront of their eyes.

 

[Domo]

Bearing in mind of course that this is utter BS, you should help as much as you can.

First aid training has been drilled into me enough for me to help anyone I see in the OP's scenario.

Today's encounter has provided me with a desire to undertake some form of first aid training. While waiting for the medics to arrive I felt utterly useless but I like to think just being there helped. There was another guy who ran off to buy a bottle of water (though where he went goodness knows, but he eventually returned), so between the two of us we managed the situation as best we could.

I'm puzzled by some of the replies here. Some of the articles RE bystander effect etc are fascinating but you'd think some sense of empathy or compassion might take hold? I always believed we as humans demonstrate these characteristics instinctively on demand. Obviously not. Goes to show how naive I am.

 

[Deleted member 651465]

I think your twisted bias is more towards commuters than Londoners but lets get this N vs S crap flowing now and save some time.

As Derek says half the time you just get grief anyway. Example.. It gets very icy and slippery around my local bus stop. I watched an elderly lady (must have been in her 80s) start sliding and gathering the silly kind of momentum you get when you are tripping forwards and go into that kinda falling forward run.
As she came into my range i scooped her up and stopped her, letting her bounce into me. I thought it was very skillful, i added a cheesy "ooh nearly, saved you there!" comment. It was met by a torrent of abuse and an evil stare like i had tried to sexually assault her. I genuinely wish i had watched her go Flying and break her hips and face on the pavement. I think i even muttered some stuff under my breath i was so shocked at her reaction...

So yeah i think twice before helping people, but to tar an entire cities population is "silly"

You think twice about helping because of that 1 incident?

People may not want your help, and she probably thought she didn't need it (judging by what you say her reaction was), but at least you did the right thing. How guilty would you have felt if she did smash her face on the pavement, knowing you could have stopped her?

In a similar incident.. I had just driven home and had seen one of my neighbours out of the corner of my eye walking down an icy path at the end of the street. As I got out of the car I looked back up and he was hanging on to the anti-cyclist gate thing on the path clearly in need of a hand.

He probably could have pulled himself up, but given his age (late 80s), I thought I'd go pick him up. He was grateful, but then he could easily have been offended and taken it the wrong way; self sufficiency and all that.

Don't let the fact that some bint snubbed you, stop you helping others. It's commendable imo.

 

[MouthBoy]

Similar situation with me a few months back.

Driving down a main road near where I live and I see a woman lying on the ground. I pull over with hazards on, turn off engine, walk over and see whats going on. The woman was very old and barely breathing. Another woman had stopped just before me and was on the phone to emergency services. I know basic first aid so I started to assess the woman, letting the woman on the phone know what I was doing so she could relay.

It must have been 10mins until the ambulance arrived and in that time people walked around me and other cars just seemed to complain that my car was causing them to slow etc. Not one other person bar the woman on the phone stopped to help. I expected at least one person walking by to offer a hand, or at least ask if there was anything they could do.

When the ambulance arrived the woman very quickly stopped breathing and I was asked to do compressions to help out. Only then did others huddle round to watch.

Bloody disgusted with the lot of them. Soon as there are some flashing blue lights and it seems something is going down people start to stop and stare, but before then they couldn't care less.

 

[d_brennen]

to be fair half the time to try to show a bit of compassion towards someone else all you get is a mouthful of abuse in return!

This sadly. I offered a blind woman (with dog) my end seat on a packed tube train as I was right by the door. She shouted something along the lines of "I'm blind, not a ******* cripple!"

Shocked was not the word. London is a wonderful, scary place

 

[-westy-]

Bearing in mind of course that this is utter BS, you should help as much as you can.

First aid training has been drilled into me enough for me to help anyone I see in the OP's scenario.

The assault thing was mentioned to me at a First Aid course - the emphasis being on being sure that you can offer any kind of help, even if it just amounts to placing them into the recovery position and calling the emergency services.

Of course this doesn't detract from the fact that people should at least ask if someone's ok if they see them in distress.

 

[Angilion]

[..]
I'm puzzled by some of the replies here. Some of the articles RE bystander effect etc are fascinating but you'd think some sense of empathy or compassion might take hold? I always believed we as humans demonstrate these characteristics instinctively on demand. Obviously not. Goes to show how naive I am.

Almost almost humans do...for "us". Not necessarily for "them", and almost everyone is "them". Humans are tribal primates. Empathy and compassion for those not in whatever group has taken the place of the old tribal structure (family, friends, whatever) can often be reduced enough to be overcome by all sorts of things, especially in a crowd. Someone else will deal with it. Not my tribe, not my problem.

 

[Burnsy2023]

The assault thing was mentioned to me at a First Aid course

As long as you're not being completely stupid, like giving someone CPR when they're clearly not in need of it, then you really do not need to be worried about any legal action. It's much better to act, than leave someone who you could help.

 

[CREATIVE!11]

I arrived at Waterloo station this morning, and as usual I was one of the last to leave my carriage by the time I've got myself sorted.

I stepped out onto the platform and noticed a girl clutching her chest with one hand while buckled over, while using the other hand to hold a railing - clearly distressed.

This was rush-hour - 8:20 AM to be precise and everybody ahead of me had already walked right by this girl. I stopped and she was indeed in trouble, unable to breath with tightness in her chest. 10 minutes after I raised the alarm with a less than useless rail guard some medics arrived.

I'm hoping it was nothing more than an anxiety attack, doubt I'll ever find out. But what got to me was the amount of people who did nothing. Some stared, most just walked by. What the hell is it with people? Are they afraid? Just too busy?? I give up.

Sorry - this is a bit of a rant and nothing more.

People are chicken *****,

Really that simple.

 

[Xordium]

It probably doesn't help that some people are afraid of getting sued if they do something wrong that makes things worse!

Just in case people don't know this is an absolutely none starter. It's an urban myth as long as you act within your sphere of expertise of lack of you will never get sued, it has never happened:

If you attempt cardiac compression and do a poor job you are legally safe.
If you feel you can't do cardiac compressions and just call for help you are legally safe.
If you attempt cardiac compressions and break a rib you are legally safe.

Just thought people should know that. And good for you op. The only problem with helping a passer by is if you feel you are putting yourself in danger - in which safety for you first and always. Most countries have a "good samaritan" law where you are in effect expected to help and obliged to in some way - we don't here unfortunately. A great deal of people wouldn't know what to do which is why I'd love proper CPR and basic first aid to be part of everyones education.

 

[olivier renault]

Look out! It's a Jungle Out here!

 

[realBabelfish]

I arrived at Waterloo station this morning, and as usual I was one of the last to leave my carriage by the time I've got myself sorted.

I stepped out onto the platform and noticed a girl clutching her chest with one hand while buckled over, while using the other hand to hold a railing - clearly distressed.

This was rush-hour - 8:20 AM to be precise and everybody ahead of me had already walked right by this girl. I stopped and she was indeed in trouble, unable to breath with tightness in her chest. 10 minutes after I raised the alarm with a less than useless rail guard some medics arrived.

I'm hoping it was nothing more than an anxiety attack, doubt I'll ever find out. But what got to me was the amount of people who did nothing. Some stared, most just walked by. What the hell is it with people? Are they afraid? Just too busy?? I give up.

Sorry - this is a bit of a rant and nothing more.

London.

people around here are always happy to help. you would have 10 people helping her.

its one of the reasons i would never move there to work. so many grumpy, rude people. much friendlier up here.