Thursday, September 2, 2010

Yes, we are having a show!

After taking a week off, Bonnie and I will be back on the air this evening. We plan on discussing, among other assorted things, the bystander effect - made most famous by the 1964 case of Kitty Genovese. Newspapers at the time reported that 38 people witnessed her murder and yet did nothing. This was later proven false, but the fact remains - the more people are present when a person needs emergency help, the less likely any one of them will lend a hand.

The psychology surrounding this phenomenon is fascinating - but what interests me more is the one person who chooses to step out of that crowd and act. What type of person is that, what makes them different than the rest?

Join us tonight on B B & Guns at 7PM eastern!

We're hoping for a lot of caller input on this show, it'd be great to hear from you. I know that calling in can sometimes be a little daunting - everyone tells me, "But I wouldn't know what to say!" - so for a little inspiration, and to get those mental gears turning, I'm giving everyone a bit of preshow homework.

Watch this:

10 comments:

Solus said...

What type of person steps up to help in a situation like that?

I have done so on an occasion or two.

And I remind my self of these two questions often.

1. How many chances will I get to be a hero?

2. Will I be able to look myself in the eye when I shave tomorrow if I don't act? (or brush my teeth if I don't shave)

I remember a story about a fireman who crawled into an accident where a car and a tanker truck had collided. The tanker truck was burning and the fireman had located a 5 year old girl trapped in the car. The call went out for everyone to withdraw because the tanker was going to blow but the fireman said he couldn't leave the terrified 5 year old to face death alone so he crawled close and held her. All the hoses were trained on their location and the tanker exploded but they survived.

I also remember the story of Jeanne Assam who was part of a civilian security team at the New Live Church in Co. A deranged heavily gunman arrived at the church and killed some people in the parking lot and entered the building. Assam heard the gun fire and headed towards it while the congregation fled the other way. She confronted the gun man and advanced on him firing her pistol while he returned rifle fire. She hit him several times and knocked him to the ground, ending his rampage.

I hope, if I am ever faced with a similar situation I account myself as bravely and honorable as these two have.

Weer'd Beard said...

Awesome show! I'm likely going to miss it live, but I'll download it this weekend.

Have fun!

Mike W. said...

You know, I'm watching that video and can't understand why you'd sit there for 20 minutes when there's obviously quite a bit of smoke...

I mean some of it is simple human nature, we want to see how others will act prior to taking action in order to validate our choice.

TheAxe said...

My best friend's birthday is tonight but I'll be there next week.

Chuck said...

Here is what I do to practice as the opportunity pops up all the time.

Anytime you see someone struggling or needing some sort of help. Like. "old lady drops her loaf of bread at the store, or woman trying to get a stroller through a door.." Simple, non dangerous everyday moments..

1) Turn towards the problem.
2) Always, always. Take immediate action. Don't look to see if someone else will help. That someone is you and the time is right now. It's not the act of helping the old lady, it the mental commitment to never hesitate. Imagine doing it now, then do it when you have the chance.

If you do this every time you have a chance you will be surprised how quickly "immediate action" becomes part of your life. It doesn't hurt that you also are a better person for it and your wife will think of you as a darn nice guy that is always first to step up.

Just like every cat is a lion in their heart, you will know that you are really a hard core dude practicing immediate action drills for emergency situations. The old lady is just a training aid ;-)

New Jovian Thunderbolt said...

Pulled a guy out of a burning car a year or two ago. Just a little bit of panic, but I wasn't gonna listen to him scream as he burned to death (or smell that...). I couldn't just drive off.

SpeakerTweaker said...

Great show tonight. I wish I could have called in or even heard it all, but the storm (here) at the beginning of the show followed by the dinner bell ringing before the end meant I only got to hear about 20 or 30 minutes. Still good stuff, though!

See y'all next week!



tweaker

T said...

One of my favorite shows is that ABC News experiment called "What Would You Do?" Various people are placed in various staged situations. It's amazing the reasoning behind why people do or don't do the right thing.

Anonymous said...

I reckon if you aren't part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

As for fires (that don't look like smoke machines) I have a finely tuned reflex to make damned sure I'm not another victim to rescue, although I'd like to think I'd help people out if that scenario presented itself.

Jim

Boyd K said...

"Just like every cat is a lion in their heart, you will know that you are really a hard core dude practicing immediate action drills for emergency situations. The old lady is just a training aid ;-)" Well said 18echo. Like I tell my kids (stepson -and- daughter) you are how you -act-. Or, as a friend likes to say in our NRA instructor classes: "You're actions speak so loudly they cannot hear your words". People judge you by your actions, people -should- judge you by your actions and you should act accordingly.