Toddler left dying after hit and run..

[turquoise]

It would have happened in any society or culture; eastern, western, US, European, whatever. See the Milgram experiment, where the hypothesis was that something about the German people had been different which allowed the holocaust to occur. The end result was that, no, these sorts of things are universal - products of human nature. This experiment was even more extreme, as it didn't just require the participants to ignore someone in need of help, it demonstrated that they would actively contribute to hurting someone else they already knew to be in serious, life-threatening pain.

Technically the Milgram experiment was about people's willingness to obey authority, so the situations aren't exactly parallel, but regarding the bystander effect, I would hypothesize that part of why it occurs is due to the presence of other people who are not helping either. People take social cues from the group behavior and follow accordingly; i.e. herd mentality. Hence the two are fairly related, as that group behavior acts as a kind of authority in itself.

The really insulting part is that AFTER it happens people make out like it's some kind of huge tragedy, despite the fact that had they been there themselves they most likely would have done the same thing. I think that reflects the same kind of herd mentality as well; the ones who act shocked and appalled just because they're picking up on social cues to be shocked and appalled are the same ones who probably would have just stood by and watched as well. The ones capable of recognizing it with lack of surprise would be more likely to break free of that herd mentality and actually do something, as the one lady finally did in the end.

 

[Trifoilum]

Weeeeeelllllll don't get your panties in a knot because people are being selfish. Don't you INFJs know that already? Obviously if someone is at risk to being blamed and found liable to have caused the injuries that they're trying to help someone with, they're going to be very reluctant to help out. Would it be ideal if people were altruistic towards each other? Sure. But how is this actually a surprise to anyone here that people aren't like that.

Chinese culture is actually very reclusive compared to Western culture. I am Chinese, and I live in an area that's very multi-cultural. I was Canadian born, so I find the attitudes and behaviors of people who are more influenced by traditional Chinese culture to be odd. They always seem to want to just keep to themselves and mind their own business. They don't like getting involved with anything for fear that they'll get in trouble, or inconvenience themselves in some way. I think a lot of that is from what's been programmed into them from living in China. It's like, you say the wrong thing and you're gonna be fucked. No real freedom of speech over there. People are just scared to get involved with anything. Afraid to speak up. If you live in Canada, or the United States, you have the luxury of criticizing that. But you're taking certain freedoms that you've always had for granted, in doing so.

I found it surprising that Chinese people living in Canada still has the tendencies. O_O;
that people have tendencies to be selfish and unhelpful....eh. True, but explanation doesn't mean it's alright. I dunno, seems like I'm running in circles.

 

[Feelings]

that people have tendencies to be selfish and unhelpful..

Yeah but all people are like that. No one's really that nice. Maybe I'm wording things extremely here, but it's about right.

 

[subwayrider]

Now I feel like a jerk face for being abrasive. But still, WTF man. I don't see what the shock or surprise is, after the explanation for why people behaved the way they did.

Awww, your Fe is blossoming.

 

[Feelings]

I think that reflects the same kind of herd mentality as well; the ones who act shocked and appalled just because they're picking up on social cues to be shocked and appalled are the same ones who probably would have just stood by and watched as well. The ones capable of recognizing it with lack of surprise would be more likely to break free of that herd mentality and actually do something, as the one lady finally did in the end.

HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA Oh how delightfully cutting and oh so true. Well not exactly true I guess. I think a lotta people just get this image of an injured 2 year old, and apply that to their own cultural context, and react with shock based on that. Cuz in the States, for example, people would help because they're not subjected to the same sort of threat from helping.

 

[mochi]

Weeeeeelllllll don't get your panties in a knot because people are being selfish. Don't you INFJs know that already? Obviously if someone is at risk to being blamed and found liable to have caused the injuries that they're trying to help someone with, they're going to be very reluctant to help out. Would it be ideal if people were altruistic towards each other? Sure. But how is this actually a surprise to anyone here that people aren't like that.

Chinese culture is actually very reclusive compared to Western culture. I am Chinese, and I live in an area that's very multi-cultural. I was Canadian born, so I find the attitudes and behaviors of people who are more influenced by traditional Chinese culture to be odd. They always seem to want to just keep to themselves and mind their own business. They don't like getting involved with anything for fear that they'll get in trouble, or inconvenience themselves in some way. I think a lot of that is from what's been programmed into them from living in China. It's like, you say the wrong thing and you're gonna be fucked. No real freedom of speech over there. People are just scared to get involved with anything. Afraid to speak up. If you live in Canada, or the United States, you have the luxury of criticizing that. But you're taking certain freedoms that you've always had for granted, in doing so.

I agree with [MENTION=1798]Out To Lunch[/MENTION] ... I think a lot of it has to do with their government and such, how a person acts under a repressed society... This may sound heartless, but there was a point where the girl could no longer be saved. To risk harm to your family at this point would be hard decision, but ultimately I feel leaving would have been better than trying to help in vain. I feel the blame should be placed on the person who actually hit the girl. Also agree with the bystander effect... There's always someone thinking "someone else is taking care of it." If this can happen in the United States with greater freedom, I could see how it could happen more readily in a country with less freedom and very different culture.

 

[acd]

Herd mentality for being shocked and appalled at such callousness?
Don't think so. I think it's quite the opposite, really..

Human brains are wired to bond and feel connections and sympathy with others...
to react otherwise is due to being conditioned.

 

[sheisredeemed]

There is a deep rift in the moral fabric of China. What a disturbing video. The people don't even seem to jump at the sight of her crumpled bloody body, or stoop down to look at her.

 

[AnimeGirl2501]

There is a deep rift in the moral fabric of China. What a disturbing video. The people don't even seem to jump at the sight of her crumpled bloody body, or stoop down to look at her.

I agree, they seem so indifferent, as if it happens everyday and that it's not an unusual occurrence to them. I've never saw people just leave someone lying their dying without them helping and especially a very young child who was clearly in agonising pain.

 

[barbad0s]

I heard about this article last week. I was considering posting it.

summary of my thoughts in point form

- all sorts of horrible crap like this happens all the time all over the world so it's not exactly anything super new
- people have different social conditioning in mainland China. they are poor and have to fend for themselves, with little government and community support. here in the USA it's like 99% vs. 1%. in China, it's more like 99.999999999% vs. 0.0000001%.
- the population of China is massive so obviously there's going to be room for more assholes who are okay with running over kids
- this is the bystander effect and is not particular to Chinese sociology. don't tell me you haven't seen people with severed festering limbs on skateboards in big cities begging for money, with 99.9999% of the people walking right by them.
- people probably took one look at that kid and thought, "they're a goner for sure and nothing's going to be able to save them", or were too busy worrying about their own impoverished families to worry about others.
- with all these things said, non-mainland Chinese people tend to have less respect for "stereotypical" people from mainland China, because of the uncomely ways of behaving that many of them seem to be capable of.

I think @Trifolium used this article appropriately to spark an interesting debate though.

One said that while the footage was heartbreaking he would have been "numb" to Yueyue too. "Would you be willing to throw your entire family's savings into the endless whirlpool of accident compensation? Aren't you afraid of being put into jail as the perpetrator? Have you ever considered that your whole family could lose happiness only because you wanted to be a great soul?" he wrote.