http://prevos.net/humanities/psychology/helping/
This article is focusing on one accident that happened in 1964, Kitty Genovese who was murdered outside of her home in New York, while 38 people were witnessed and did nothing to save her. This incident evoked public outcry and was the catalyst for a considerable amount of research into what causes people to help other people in need or prevents them from helping. The common sense explanation for this seeming lack of comparison are vague concept such as alienation and apathy. These explanations stem from the idea that our moral actions are determined by character traits.
I have always considered this case to be one of the most bizarre cases in homicide history. The fact that people watched a woman get murdered from their apartment windows is absolutely terrifying and infuriating. The "pass the buck " attitude that people have with emergency situations is one that lead to fatal results. People need to hold themselves more accountable for the safety of everyone around them as a duty and not something that "someone else" can just do.
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