RE: Woman raped while onlookers did nothing
October 17, 2021 at 12:06 pm
(This post was last modified: October 17, 2021 at 12:07 pm by vulcanlogician.)
It's apathy. I don't think this inaction is in any way excusable, but this shit happened outside Philly. People are hard. They've probably witnessed so much violence it doesn't elicit the same response as it would in one of us. Also, law enforcement is not a dependable "go to for help and help arrives" thing for everybody.
Furthermore, in some urban environments, calling the cops is not a risk-free affair. Shit can come down on you real hard for doing something like that. Minding your own business is a learned and environmentally reinforced behavior.
Again, not excusing it. Just trying to come up with "guesses why"... since "why?" is the question we're asking. I'm just as bothered by this as anyone else. Maybe even more bothered than some (since apathy involving sexual assault has affected me personally). But people already expressed outrage, so I felt no need to re-express it.
Furthermore, in some urban environments, calling the cops is not a risk-free affair. Shit can come down on you real hard for doing something like that. Minding your own business is a learned and environmentally reinforced behavior.
Again, not excusing it. Just trying to come up with "guesses why"... since "why?" is the question we're asking. I'm just as bothered by this as anyone else. Maybe even more bothered than some (since apathy involving sexual assault has affected me personally). But people already expressed outrage, so I felt no need to re-express it.
