Recently in Philadelphia, a pretty heinous crime was committed on a train. I am about to discuss serious and violent crimes, so if this is a trigger for you, please consider skipping this post.
A woman was on a train in Philadelphia, around 9 or 10pm if I recall correctly. And a man was harrassing her. He wouldn’t leave her alone. Apparently there were other passengers on the train witnessing this crime as it unfolded. The man began physically assaulting her and ripping her clothes off, and he ended up raping her. In front of other passengers who did nothing but watch.
Now, let me say that I don’t know every fact, I wasn’t there. My information comes from news reports. But it is highly disturbing to me that the bystanders did not try to stop it. It is also alleged that some were filming it as it happened! It tool a SEPTA employee (SEPTA is the Philadelphia transit name) to call 911. And within 3 minutes, the cops came and arrested the alleged rapist, in the act.
Now why didn’t anyone else call 911? Why didn’t someone grab him, yell at him, throw something at him, run and get a conductor, or do SOMETHING???
Years back, there was a case that is basically the standard for bystander effect. Kitty Genovese was assaulted and brutally murdered in a courtyard where up to 38 people heard her screams for help or saw it happening, and not one called the police or tried to help in any way. Why? Why did so many people fail to help? How could they be so apathetic?
I know there are studies and all that cover this very disturbing type of human behavior. I’m not gonna get into all that here. I’m just gonna say, we have to change! We have to help! We can’t let this kind of behavior be acceptable. I certainly don’t want to live in a society that is so indifferent to pain and suffering that they can casually record it to gain views on social media.
Now don’t get me wrong, the criminal is the alleged rapist and he should be locked up for life! I have no other words for that A-hole! But the bystanders had a responsibility to help that poor woman. If not a legal responsibility, certainly a moral one! Because this kind of indifference will kill our society, at least I think so.
Please do better! We really have to!
Please listen in to episode #032 here: