American Apathy?

[PegLeg45]

A discussion on another thread has had my mind moving a bit.
Solus hit on the point of how no one stepped in to help the teacher who was killed in the attack in Wyoming.... and I commented to the point (in agreement with him) that the nation itself has become more apathetic toward others. It seems like it takes a tragedy like 11 September 2011 to pull folks together, but eventually, the large percentage just goes back to the way it was before. Walking around with blinders on, not wanting to get involved or being too afraid.

That point was hammered home in my mind when I read the story below.....the photo on the front page of the NYT resonating like a fart on an old wooden church pew.

New York Post piles on the horror with front page photo of man about to be killed by subway train

Han Ki Suk, a 58-year-old from Queens, N.Y., was hurled from the 49th Street station platform onto the tracks by "a deranged man" around 12:30 p.m., according to the paper. Han was attempting to calm the down the man, apparently a panhandler, when a scuffle broke out, police say. The man then pushed him onto the tracks.

-----------------------

"Onlookers screamed, shouted and frantically waved their hands and bags in a bid to get the downtown Q train to stop," the Post reported.

R. Umar Abbasi, a freelance photographer, was among those waiting on the platform. He said he tried to alert the train's conductor with his camera. "I just started running, running hoping that the driver could see my flash," Abbasi told the tabloid.

During the chaos, Abbasi managed to snap the photo that the Post splashed on its cover.

In a larger version of Abbasi's photo, people are seen huddled at one end of the platform in apparent fear.
"People were shouting and yelling when it happened," Dr. Laura Kaplan, another witness, said. "But then people ran the other way."

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/nypost-photo-subway-tracks-cover-173659604.html

Why would they huddle in fear or run?
The train ain't gonna come up there and get 'em like a big ol' booger-man.


Heck, I don't know.....maybe I'm making something out of nothing....... just struck me wrong, I guess.

[tombogan03884]

Why would they run away ?
Because they are sheep.

[Timothy]

I skipped over this thread!  I couldn't be bothered...

 

[fatbaldguy]

Along the lines of what TB posted, most people act like herd animals of prey.  Avoidance and flight, hell take the hindmost.  (read weak, old, children, women, lame, sick, not necessarily in that order)  In other words, I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!

A couple of people working in concert could have prevented the senseless death of that man.  By pulling him out of the path of the train, or, by nullifying the threat posed by the deranged individual.

In some ways, the mass of sheeple that will die in the 'civil' unrest that will take place, may not be a horrible thing.

The death of one man is a tragedy.  The death of thousands, is a statistic.  Paraphrase of Joseph Stalin.

[Timothy]

Again, as I've said many, many times...it's NYC!

If you expect humanity to come a knocking, you've fooled yourself into thinking NYC has any!

[Sponsor]

[MikeBjerum]

Trying to alert the driver with his camera and managed to snap the picture 

Yea Riiiiiggggggghhhhht 

This clown saw dollar signs in his future no matter what the outcome was 

Good Samaritan Law:  Do no more and no less than you are qualified and able to do.

Protection from prosecution has also been used to prosecute in cases where people failed to act.  However, this is New York City, and the jerk on the tracks was seen gulping down a 48 oz full sugar soda pop minutes before the assault ... Serves him right!

[tt11758]

Oh no, that man was pushed onto the track!!!  Oh look, it's time for "Dancing With The Stars"!!

[tombogan03884]

Along the lines of what TB posted, most people act like herd animals of prey.  Avoidance and flight, hell take the hindmost.  (read weak, old, children, women, lame, sick, not necessarily in that order)  In other words, I don't have to outrun the bear, I just have to outrun you!

A couple of people working in concert could have prevented the senseless death of that man.  By pulling him out of the path of the train, or, by nullifying the threat posed by the deranged individual.

In some ways, the mass of sheeple that will die in the 'civil' unrest that will take place, may not be a horrible thing.

The death of one man is a tragedy.  The death of thousands, is a statistic.  Paraphrase of Joseph Stalin.

The death of one man is a tragedy.
The deaths of millions is merely flushing the gene pool.

[Frosty]

It's sad most folks don't react but not everyone has that ability to react to the situation - fight or flight, most people will flight.. It happens all the time, look at the Aurora, CO. shootings, Columbine and others. In the theater shootings one guy stated the gunman was practically standing next to him while he laid on the floor. Why didn't he kick the guy in the family jewels? Jump up and knock him off balance? Again, not everyone has the ability to react to the situation.

[tombogan03884]

Americans, since the late 50's early 60's have been trained to be cowardly sheep.
It starts in school, back in those days if you were dealing with a bully you fought him, do that now and the whole school gets trauma counseling, the bully get a therapist and the kid who hit him back faces a SWAT team.