Well we had another case of bystanders' apathy in the recent killing of a Chicago honor student beaten to death by four black youth.Lots of folks gathered around while the beating was going on and no one ventured to help.As the cross-cultural cat on Tips,there are important comparison and contrast from other cases of bystander apathy.And there are certain intebsive cultural contributive factors that may differ from the Eurocentric explanatory paradigm. For examples,the fear of retaliation of anyone who gets involved or call the police is a cloud hanging over black folks.Snithchers can be easily located and severely punished.Breaking up a fight can be perceived as inviting oneself to face danger or even death. White folks,on the other hand,are not easily traced since they may not domicile in the immediate or or proximate environments. I also think that white interventionists may experience guilt if they do not intervene and there is the implicit motivation to be viewed as a hero. And I am speculating that the issue of "familiarity" and "unfamiliarity" and how those constructs influence bystander intervention should be addressed. I would like to put out the idea that in the Chicago case vigilant black folks were so familiar with those type of situations and the implications that they did not interfere.On the other hand,it couild be that unfamiliarity increases the possibility of bystander assistance.Interesting idea,eh? Btw,it is my understanding that the label windy city applied to Chicago had more to do with long winded Chicago politicians and not the meteorological conditions.
Send me something. Michael Sylvester,PhD Daytona Beach,Florida --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
