| Author |
Message |
    
Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 1807
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Monday, August 7, 2006 - 3:44 pm: | 
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Interesting scenario set up in NYC to see how people would react. I'd like to think that I would have been one of the people who responded to the situation.
Watch the whole video -
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/default.cdnx/id/11925653/displaymode/1157 |
mlj
Citizen
Username: Mlj
Post Number: 372
Registered: 6-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 9:53 am: |
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I think the man had a threatening presence which would scare off many people so that they may not approach him directly. Calling the police and not leaving the scene would be the right thing to do until help arrived either from police or passersby .(I would like to think that is what I would do). I am sure there are individuals like the men who finally, bravely confronted the situation. But they may not be in the right place at the right time (thinking of the 14 year old who was dragged away in plain sight). |
greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8903
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 10:27 am: |
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That one honestly stumped me. I always intervene with kids who may be in danger. I've grabbed kids who ran into the street while their parent had their back turned, chatting on a sidewalk. I once grabbed a 3ish y/o who ducked under the turnstile, with mom struggling for her Metrocard, and made a beeline into a crowd near the tracks. I saw a man luring a kid into a car and took the license plate and went to MPD just in case.
For some reason, this video seemed a little different. If I didn't know what was coming, I might have thought that it was a kid melting down on her father and a dad who wasn't particularly handling it well. If I knew it was a problem, yes, I would intervene. I don't know why I was inclined to think it was a temper tantrum.
Maybe because it wouldn't occur to me that something like that could happen with all those people around. Naive, I know. |
LilLB
Citizen
Username: Lillb
Post Number: 2248
Registered: 10-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 12:13 pm: |
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I have to say, after watching the video you posted, I was really unnerved. I had a very emotional reaction to it. Partly because I wondered what I would have done. Hearing the dad say "don't get away from me like that" to the little girl, would make me think she was just a disobedient wandering child, and I really think I would not have done anything. That really made me shudder to think that I would have walked away from that. So, if anything, this made me think twice about that reaction, and if faced with it in real life, I don't think I would let it go so easily now after watching it.
However, if I heard a kid say "you're not my dad" like that girl did, I DO think I would have done something - probably dialed 911 to get the police on their way asap and probably would have shouted at the guy to draw attention to the situation - hopefully getting other people to stop too. I don't think I would have approached him too closely though - you never know what the heck someone is going to do. But, you can take steps to arrest the situation without putting yourself in harms way.
I really hope I would do something to help the situation if it happened for real - I would be incredibly sorrowful if I didn't. |
Just The Aunt
Supporter
Username: Auntof13
Post Number: 5834
Registered: 1-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 1:49 pm: |
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This has been done by PrimeTime, DateLine, 20/20 etc. Many times nobody stops to help. I've stopped to ask if everything was okay when I've seen a child struggling to get away from an adult.
I've also called the police with the license plate of a car when it looked as if a child was being abducted. In this day and age of cellphones there is no reason for someone to at least not call the police. If possible, use your cellphone to take a picture, just in case. |
Rastro
Citizen
Username: Rastro
Post Number: 3709
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 - 11:50 pm: |
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I'm sure I'll get called all kinds of names for this, but I thought it was interesting to note that the people who got involved (what appears to be single black men in their twenties or so) where people I would have thought less likely to do so. |
Tofugrl3
Citizen
Username: Tofugrl3
Post Number: 51
Registered: 12-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 8:11 am: |
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In the beginning of the video, they mentioned that the last video they did was of kids and response to strangers. Does anyone have the link to that one? |
Hoops
Citizen
Username: Hoops
Post Number: 1826
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 9:57 am: |
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Rastro, that is exactly why stereotypes are so harmful. It is one of the reasons I had for posting this.
In my mind younger people in general are more in tune with what is happening around them in human terms then are older, more set in their ways types.
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greenetree
Supporter
Username: Greenetree
Post Number: 8925
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 10:05 am: |
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I agree that stereotyping is useless, but when I used to take public transporation regularly, the people I noticed most often giving up seats, holding doors, etc., were young black men.
I didn't notice who got involved on the video, to tell the truth. I noticed that women did not get involved, which surprised me. |
Ily
Citizen
Username: Ily
Post Number: 255
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, August 9, 2006 - 11:05 am: |
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Children should be taught to yell, "THIS IS NOT MY MOM! THIS IS NOT MY DAD!" in abduction situations. Hearing this girl yell, "YOU'RE NOT MY DAD!" requires a call to the police at the very least.
Here's a link to a child safety DVD produced by the creators of Baby Einstein and John Walsh, the America's Most Wanted guy (The Safe Side - Stranger Safety):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009LS9Y4/sr=1-2/qid=1155134663/ref=pd_bbs_2/1 04-1326607-6743131?ie=UTF8&s=dvd |
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