Cierra Ratliff

March 15th, 2016

Most emergency situations can be tricky. If the emergency takes place in a large crowd, the individual
is less likely to receive help.This is because we look to others to see how they are going to react. If
they keep walking then we are less likely to stop and help for fear of being the first person.

Deadly Chatter by Susan Horsburgh and Johnny Dodd, illustrates a young boy named Brandon
who was involved in a drug related chat room, when he then overdoses on webcam. Brandons
family stated he was a smart kid who had previously used drugs. He had then realized that it
would eventually kill him, this is when he seeked help from a doctor. The family then had
believed he cleaned himself up. On the other hand he had actually been using prescribed pills to
get high. Family hopes it will make people realize whats really going on around us.
I agree with this because everyone in the chat room new what the young man was doing, but not a
single person seeked help for him.
Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didnt Call the Police written by Martin Gansberg and published by
New York Times illustrates 38 citizens who watch the murder of a woman, and did nothing. In the
article Catherine Genovese is on her way home at 3:20 am when a man in the alley way stabs her, then
leaves. As she is screaming for help he returns to stab her on two other occasions. The third time is
fatal. The whole time there were citizens watching from their windows but they did nothing to help
her. Once the body was taken away the people came out and explained they didnt want to get
involved. I think it is terrible that so many people watched from their windows and did nothing at all
to help. Its not like they had to go down into the alley way to help her, a simple phone call could have
saved her life.
Why People Dont Help in a Crisis published in 1968 by John Darley and Bib Lantane is about
people who dont help in a crisis. It had showed two examples of humans who were in an emergency
state, but received no help. We assume that people dont care when they dont help, but bi-standers
simply look around first to see if anyone else is going to help first. As humans we are afraid to look
foolish when stepping out first to help. If I were in a crowd and noticed an emergency I would do my
best to help whoever was in danger. I would rather myself look foolish, than to have someone possibly
die because they could get no one to help them.
It is understandable that there are many things to think of when it comes to a crisis. Sometimes not
everyone knows exactly how to help, so they dont acknowledge that anything is wrong. Then some
people just go on for the simple fact that they dont care for the human who is in an emergency.
Knowing the kind of person I am, I would help the individual. Even if I didnt understand exactly
what needed to be done, I would then try to phone to police. Its not in my nature to watch someone,
and keep walking as if I didnt.
Crisis can be very difficult. We now live in the world, where someone elses opinion could prevent
important actions that need to be taken. Even in large crowds, you would think someone would stop to
help, but if one person doesnt, then it is more likely that everyone else is just going to keep walking.
Just like in the story Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didnt Call the Police 38 citizens watched the
young lady be murdered on her way in. They all either stood and watched, or shut the blinds and went
back to bed. Once everything was over, is when they all came out to talk. It would have only taken one
person to speak up, or to dial the police. Then Miss Genovese would have lived.

Works Cited
Horsburgh, Susan, and Johnny Dodd. Deadly Chatter. People 59.7 (2003):
67. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Feb. 2016
GAnsberg, M. Thirty-eight Who Saw Murder and Didnt Call Police. The New York Times. New
York Times, 27 March 1964. Web. 27 March 2016
Darley, J. M. & Latane, B. Why People Dont Help in a Crisis. Exploring behavior and
experience: readings in general psychology (1971): 321.