by Joseph "Joey" ButtsA couple days ago, a documentary entitled The Witness was recommended to me. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is about the 1964 murder of a girl named Kitty Genovese in Kew Gardens, Queens. Kitty’s brother, William, who was 16 at the time, now goes on to explore her controversial death. A reported 37 or 38 witnesses to the murder, yet none of them offered to help, shockingly, or even called the police. This was what the New York Times reported back then. This incident is thought to be the birth of the famous Bystander Effect. The Bystander Effect deals with situations where an individual does not help a victim in a public/populated place. Living in New York, you’ve probably seen and even participated in this effect at some point in the City. For example, if you're walking down an avenue and see a homeless man, asking for money or help, chances are you won’t help him or her. If others in front of you are concerned, being attentive, and acting on it, then maybe you would feel more inclined to act as well. I was raised in a small town with a population of about 2,000 people on the far east of Long Island. Life was much different there than here in the Big Apple. But for the most part back home, everybody knows everybody. If a person was struggling and needed help, the chances of someone seeing it may be lower but if someone does see something, the chances are greater that they will take action. There is more of a sense of community in small towns across America. When the New York Times first covered Kitty’s murder back in 1964 they choose some very particular things to omit in their coverage of the story. The documentary seemed to expose this, but I’m sure that was not their primary goal. It turned out that many people did in fact claim to help. The New York Times seemed to not include names or follow up on many leads at the time, probably because they wanted higher ratings. They were looking for a story to tell; and found a very opportune way to tell it. What captures a big city more than a violent killer on the loose killing women? Maybe that is the problem right there. As a specie, we enjoy excitement and scandal too much. To many journalists and reporters, they are just stories. Another face in the crowd. The documentary showcases the aftermath of Kitty’s death on the Genovese family, especially her brother William; who narrates the story. Her death led William to make drastic decisions in his young life, for example, he enlisted in the military and sadly, during his tour in Vietnam, he lost both legs after stepping on a landmine. For many in the media and the news business, it is just that, a business and a way to make money which requires adding or forgetting a little detail here and there in hopes of getting more readers and viewers. It is a sad and inconvenient truth. The title of the documentary was interesting to me. The Witness. Singular. When there were as many as 38 potential witnesses, why not have the title plural? Maybe because they are grouping all 38 into one? Because they didn’t do anything to have any individual worth? I don’t mean in life, I just mean in this particular situation. The poor coverage by the New York Times makes me question journalism because they play a huge role in many people’s lives. If they are simply skewing information to benefit their personal wealth, how well can they be trusted? It is a tough situation, because journalism is a field I want to pursue. I wouldn’t want to have to change or provide false information on a subject, just so it appeals to a broader audience. The documentary opened my eyes to the Bystander Effect, journalism, and humanity at large. A few months ago I was sitting alone, minding my own business. Suddenly, something happened. A man was screaming. I barely heard it, with my headphones plugged into my ears and my eyes closed. But somehow I did, and I did whatever I could do to help, even if I couldn’t do too much. A woman was choking, and a man was asking for someone to help him while he helped her. I helped but I didn’t feel any gratification from it, it just felt natural, like an instinct. It wasn’t until I had an in depth conversation with a friend and watching The Witness that I understood what these moments are like for some people. Looking back at it, if I had just sat there and ignored the situation like many people had done, then I don’t know what I would think of myself. I would have to try to make conscious decisions and actions to feel better about myself. I’m thankful that I do not have to do that. There are ways in which I do though, try to make myself feel like a better person, but everyone does in their own way as well. People always feel the need to better themselves. But it’s their motives to do so that are in question. People will claim that they help just out of the goodness of their heart, and many people probably do. But there are also many people who just want to appear to be good. It reminds me of a line from the 2006 Scorsese film, The Departed. Martin Sheen’s character says to Leonardo DiCaprio; “Do you want to be a cop, or do you want to appear to be a cop?” People are always so concerned with being, or at least appearing to be, a good person. Yet, situations like this just prove that they won't step out of the comfort zone to do so. Ultimately, how concerned can they be then? Maybe it doesn't matter what they appear to be in front of people they might never see again. This could be especially true in the city of New York with 8.5 million people because chances are, you may never see them again. Unless you are in your neighborhood and even then, the chances are slim. But put people in a room full of people they know and I'm sure the outcome would be different. I don't mean their closest friends and family, but maybe co-workers, classmates or people they see in church. I'm positive their reactions to emergency and high stress situations would be much different. The necessity of many narcissists to feel like they are just as “good” as the man or woman sitting next to them is uncanny. I learned at a young age a very important concept, which I’m sure many have heard before: character is who you are when nobody's watching. This article is acting as a prelude to a bigger, and more in depth project that I have been working on since December. The larger project will be presented at the 1st Annual Anthropology Conference at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, on March 16th, where I will delve into the Bystander Effect. I am looking at people I know and how willing or quick they are to come forth with their actions in situations that maybe aren’t as traumatic or severe as Kitty Genovese, but similar. In New York City, everyday millions are subject to the Bystander Effect. I want to explore why, and what can be done to help this.
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Rina
4/25/2017 06:44:43 pm
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