(title quote: Bruce Springsteen, Streets of Philadelphia)
“So much attention is paid to the aggressive sins, such as violence and cruelty and greed with all their tragic effects, that too little attention is paid to the passive sins, such as apathy and laziness, which in the long run can have a more devastating and destructive effect upon our society than the others.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
For as long as I can remember, helping other people has just been a part of me. Maybe it's in my blood, some genetic code that urges me to go to the assistance of those in trouble. If that's the case, then my father is also afflicted with this same "Samaritan gene" and has passed it along to me through heredity. Just a quick scan through the little I know about my extended family reveals that this condition is indeed quite prevalent.”We will not walk in fear, one of another. We are not descended from fearful men, not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes which were for the moment unpopular. This is no time . . . to keep silent. “
A large percentage of my extended family have been involved in careers or professions fueled by a desire to serve others. My father and at least two of his brothers served in the military. One of those two uncles of mine participated in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day. The otherparachuted into Europe a few days later. My father spent 25 years as a police officer in Glen Rock, New Jersey. One of my mother's brothers recently retired as Fire Chief in Midland Park, NJ, where he served as a firefighter for many years. His son is also a firefighter, as is another cousin from my father's side of the family. Another of my mother's brothers is a firefighter as well, and my mother worked as a dental assistant for many years and volunteered some of her time to teach reading at my elementary school. She taught me to read at the age of two (I'm serious). One of my cousins also entered the teaching profession and taught in inner city schools for some time.
“It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.” – Moliere
I was raised among police officers and firefighters. They were always over at our house. Our house in Glen Rock was next to the fire department. For many years, I considered it one of my solemn duties to walk over to the fire department, grab some cleaner and a few rags, and polish all the chrome on the fire engines as soon as they were finished being washed. It was only a few yards from there to the police department, and the ambulance corps. building was across the parking lot. All of those places were my childhood playgrounds, and I spent many hours wandering the halls and rooms and yards of these buildings. What I didn't get in genetics, I made up for in environment. Even now, my circle of friends includes a police officer who also serves in the National Guard (currently deployed to Afghanistan), a combat medic in the 82nd Airborne (currently deployed to Iraq), a firefighter/paramedic, a 911 operator, and a former teacher.
“What you don't do can be a destructive force.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
A few years ago, when taking a class on the education of gifted and talented students, I had to prepare a detailed case study on a gifted/talented student. I chose a student who was in my band. So, in addition to the countless hours I normally spent with students, I spent many more hours with this student, going through personal and family records, conducting interviews, and even brought him to my class to perform and submit to a question and answer session. One of the things he said to me during that semester has stuck with me. One day he asked me, "What is this thing with helping people? It seems like some of the most important people in my life have dedicated their lives to helping others. You're a teacher, my mom's a nurse. I just don't get it. Why would you want to do that?"
“Indifference, to me, is the epitome of evil.” – Elie Wiesel
That is a question I've asked myself a number of times over the past two years. Yet, the answer is always the same. Is there any other way to live?
I am no longer a teacher. I am no longer actively involved in a profession that has as its purpose, helping other people (or at least teaching SHOULD have that purpose). There are millions of people in the world who have jobs and careers that are not centered directly on helping others. Does trying to make the world a better place by helping my fellow human beings require a career in some public service related field? Of course not. Many people help others outside of their careers and jobs, whether through serving meals at homeless shelters (did that for the first time a few months ago and it was great), or even by donating money to charities that will then (hopefully) use that money to help others.
Does that mean everyone come to the assistance of those who are in trouble or those who have great need? Definitely not. There are some people who "just don't get this thing about helping others." The issue of indifference to the suffering of fellow human beings is not something new. It has existed for as long as man has drawn breath.
"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. 'Look after him,' he said, 'and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'" - Luke 10:25-37 (NIV)
Almost everyone, no matter what their religion, has heard the parable of the good Samaritan. The term "Samaritan" has long been dissociated with a nationality and used instead to refer to any person who comes to the aid of another. History shows countless stories of the indifference of others. This has come to be called the "Bystander Effect."
When I first began my teaching career, I taught a student who was raised in a household filled with violence. I had only been teaching Felix for a few months when his father shot the boyfriend of Felix's older sister in the head after learning that his 19 year old daughter was sexually active. When Felix got in trouble at school, he was beaten badly at home. When under pressure, he usually responded with violence. He kept a razor blade under his tongue at school and I sent him to the office whenever I caught him with it, which was often. How he managed to play the trumpet with the razor blade in his mouth is still a mystery to me. A few years after I started teaching Felix, he came to school one day with a cut from his mouth to his ear. Another teacher discovered that his entire chest and abdomen was a mass of lumps and bruises. When asked, he told me that due to the referral he had received at school the previous day (which I wrote), his mother "taught him how to behave" at the bus stop before he boarded the school bus. I brought the matter to the attention of the principal, who told me to not get involved in how the community disciplines their children. I then went to the school nurse, who told me not to interfere in the community's business. For several months I couldn't get my blood pressure taken by the school nurse, couldn't use materials from the media center, and received tiny portions of food from the school cafeteria. A guidance counselor I spoke to refused to pursue the matter because he didn't want to be shot by the boy's father. I ended up having to meet someone from the Department of Social Services at a restaurant at night to avoid further discrimination.
"We must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men."
– Boondock Saints
In the last 50 years of American history alone, there have been a number of high profile incidents of indifference. The stories are shocking:
The most well-known case involves the 1964 slaying of Kitty Genovese. While, the facts of the case may not be as brutal as originally reported in the New York Times, they are still quite chilling. Dozens of people saw or heard the attack that led to Ms. Genovese's death, yet for a myriad of reasons, it took nearly 45 minutes for someone to call the police. At least someone did eventually act, even if it was too late to save her life. As a result of this case, the Bystander Effect is often called the "Genovese Syndrome."
“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards out of men.” – Abraham Lincoln
In 1983, Cheryl Ann Aroujo was assaulted and gang-raped in a bar in New Bedford, New Hampshire while nearly a dozen patrons watched and even cheered for her assailants while she was screaming and pleading for help.
“Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all -- the apathy of human beings.”
– Hellen Keller
In 1992, the acquittal of several Los Angeles police officers in the beating of Rodney King (which was also witnessed by more than a dozen police officers who did not intervene) triggered the most brutal riot in American history. The non-descript intersection of Florence and Normandie came to resemble a war zone. Near the beginning of the violence, Larry Tarvin, a truck driver carrying medical supplies, was dragged from his truck and severely beaten by the growing mob. A crowd had gathered to watch and hurl insults at Tarvin, who eventually made it back into his truck with the assistance of a local youth. Within 15 minutes of Tarvin's escape, another truck driver entered the intersection. This second driver, a man named Reginald Denny, was also dragged from his truck and beaten nearly to death while a news helicopter filmed the entire incident. While the camera rolled and the bystanders watched and even cheered, Denny's assailants beat him with chunks of cement, a claw hammer, and other things, including a piece of medical equipment stolen from Tarvin's truck. Shots were fired at the gas tanks on Denny's truck (thankfully they missed) and his assailants shouted taunts at the news helicopter. Thankfully, this footage that made Reginald Denny a household name was seen by four individuals who made their way to the scene and rescued Denny. One of these "good Samaritans" was a truck driver named Bobby Green. When interviewed, Green said that as he watched the footage on television, he knew for certain that he was the only person who could get there and drive Denny's truck out of that intersection. Denny suffered 91 skull fractures and underwent over 4 hours of brain surgery. While the crowd, and a captive television audience, watched, four people acted on the urge to help others and saved Denny's life. Less than 15 minutes after Denny was helped from the intersection, yet another man was dragged from his truck and beaten. Construction worker Fidel Lopez had his ear partially severed and was beaten with a piece of stereo equipment by the mob. As he lay unconscious, spectators spray painted his body and painted his genitals black. Finally, a local pastor, the Rev. Bennie Newton, threw himself on top of Lopez to prevent the crowd from killing him. Newton eventually got into Lopez' truck and drove him to the hospital. In the midst of hundreds of indifferent or hostile bystanders, six individuals chose to help and saved the lives of three people.
”Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” - Dale Carnegie
In 2005, a 16 year old special education student at Mifflin High School in Columbus, Ohio was assaulted, dragged into an auditorium, beaten, and forced to perform oral sex on several boys while dozens of students watched. A student with a video camera, which he had for a school project, recorded the entire incident. Other students took pictures with their cell phones. The school's principal and three assistant principals were fired for not reporting the incident to police. One of the assistant principals encouraged the girl not to call the police so the school could avoid negative publicity.
“Man's inhumanity to man is not only perpetrated by the vitriolic actions of those who are bad. It is also perpetrated by the vitiating inaction of those who are good.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Just last month, Edith Isabel Rodriguez was left to die on the floor of the lobby in the Martin Luther King, Jr. - Harbor Hospital emergency room while hospital staff and other patients ignored her. Videotape of the incident shows a custodian cleaning the floor around Rodriguez as she lay dying. Her boyfriend and a bystander called 911 and were told that paramedics could not come to the hospital to take care of her. Eventually, the bystander called local police, who arrived on the scene and immediately arrested Rodriguez for a parole violation. She died as they were removing her from the hospital.
“The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.” – Albert Einstein
Later this past June, 23 year old LaShanda Calloway was stabbed during an altercation in a convenience store in Wichita, Kansas. Several other customers stepped over her to complete their purchases. Some even took out their cell phones and took pictures as she lie there bleeding. The surveillance video of the convenience store shows Calloway attempting to stand several times while bystanders watch. Finally, a witness actually used his cell phone to call 911. When the fire department arrived, they waited across the street for the police to arrive some time later, even after being told that the suspect had long since fled the scene. The bystanders on the scene watched Calloway die while the paramedics waited across the street.
“Indifference and neglect often do more damage than outright dislike.” – J.K. Rowling
As I was researching these stories, I came across an article about the slaying of Matthew Boone, who was killed this past weekend by his 13 year old daughter in retribution for years of alleged sexual abuse and neglect. The daughter had been charged as an adult in this murder of her father. In the article, a neighbor is quoted as saying, "I just know something wasn't right at the house." The same neighbor then said, "I was totally shocked when it happened." What?
“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity.”
– George Bernard Shaw
There are many reasons for these indifferences. In many cases, bystanders are afraid of suffering physical harm (After being punched in the face and having my glasses broken while breaking up a fight during my first year of teaching, I was advised not to break up fights, but to instead write referrals after the fight ended naturally). In cases where large groups of bystanders are present, these bystanders often expect other bystanders to to come to the aid of those in need. The legal system in this country does not stipulate a "duty to rescue" under most circumstances, and some are afraid of being subject to legal action if they were to attempt to render aid. Our exposure and even desensitization to scenes of violence can also cause us to detach from the situation unfolding in front of us and to respond as if we were viewing the scene remotely and lacked the ability to respond. There are many other examples and reasons for the failure of bystanders to act. A number of studies have even been conducted on this phenomenon. There is no apparent solution to the bystander effect.
“Men will lie on their backs, talking about the fall of man, and never make an effort to get up.” – Henry David Thoreau
Even the best of us doesn't always respond in a helpful manner to every situation. I have passed up the opportunity to assist stranded motorists on remote stretches of road at night and do not always assist every person I see in need. Sometimes there IS legitimate danger involved. The stories we are exposed to everyday condition us to fear that the person stranded on the side of the road is just posing to be in need to lure potential "good Samaritans" into being easy targets for crime. I was driving down a highway on the outskirts of a crime-ridden city nearby late one night and saw a man lying in the median of the divided highway. I pulled over to help, and as I got out of the car, several other cars also stopped to render assistance. When a total of four vehicles had stopped, the man who had been lying in the road jumped up and ran to a nearby truck hidden behind some bushes and sped away. It was a set-up and I almost put myself in danger by trying to help.
Safety and caution should definitely be a concern when you are considering whether or not to give aid to others. I still enjoy helping people, and plan on doing it as often as I can. Whether it's serving meals at a homeless shelter, writing an article that educates people on a pertinent issue, or providing advice or support to a friend, I will still be doing what I can to help.
“A wrongdoer is often a man who has left something undone, not always one who has done something.” – Marcus Aurelius
As I was writing this post last night, I received a frantic text message from one of my former staff members. A former student of mine was having a problem and needed help. I quickly abandoned this post and got in touch with this former student, who was beside herself and saying things like, "I just want to die right now and I'm serious this time." This teenager had cut herself in the past. I wasn't going to take any chances. I talked to her until around 3 am until I had calmed her down enough so that she could try to sleep. It was not a difficult choice to make.
On a final, unrelated note, I have been tagged by Seiche (welcome back!) to provide a "Face Behind the Blog" so I will probably be doing that on Thursday's post.
"On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we wont understand
Dont accept that whats happening
Is just a case of others suffering
Or youll find that youre joining in
The turning away"
- Pink Floyd, On the Turning Away
