Not my problem
If you don't like sad or shocking footage don't play this.It is just unbelievable - and yet here it is - the video doesn't lie.
I wonder what explanations the dozen or so people who passed by had for leaving a toddler to remain severely injured and bleeding in the street? No more explicable than the person who ran her over in the first place and then drove off, or the other truck that ran her over, I suppose.
Is it more evidence of a break-down of society? I was tempted to start analysing it in terms of the Chinese psyche and behaviour, but I'm not an expert (beyond my observations) so I'm not sure that would be appropriate. Could it happen elsewhere - sadly it probably does and has.
posted by Tim Selwyn @ 4:14 pm
9 comments
9 Comments:
My understanding is that there has been a bad legal precedent in China where "good samaritans" have been fitted up for the original crime on the rationale that only the original offender would feel guilty enough to stop and help.
Still fucked up though, eh?
Ok, found a reference for that vague assertion I made: http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/not-europe/life-in-a-low-trust-society/
Utterly awful, but to paraphrase:
http://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/ldy5h/what_the_fuck_is_wrong_with_people_girl_gets_run/c2rwnzn
"In China, this kind of situation is referred to as the 'Peng Yu' effect. Before you condemn then, you have to understand their situation. The law right now in China means that many victims of traffic accidents, or people who have fallen ill in the street have actually successfully sued the people that helped them for sums of money that could easily destroy lives, even if there is no evidence that they are the ones that caused the accident (because they were not). There is a China Daily article on this topic.
In a country that executes more than any other, I wonder how willing you would be to potentially implicate yourself in a crime by helping a stranger. Yes, its very sad. But I, for one, find it hard to blame them in this situation. The law needs to change before people can become less suspicious."
And we are surprised? This is the country where workers make ipads for us in prison-like conditions ie: slave labour. We should stop buying the bloody ipads before expressing self righteousness.
I first saw this unfortunate story on Chinasmack a couple of days ago, it has since spread around the world.
I have been living in China for the last five years and as you allude to there is a definite streak of self-centerdness running throughout Chinese people in general. Whether this is a function of such a large population, the massive economic upheaval of the last two decades, or something else is hard to say.
In this case however a lot of people believe it has its roots in the infamous 'Nanjing Judge' incident a few years ago. In that incident Mr. Peng Yu in Nanjing saw an elderly woman fall to the ground so he went to help her. After taking her to the hospital she claimed that he had knocked her over and was arrested by the police. The case went to court where the judge said it was common sense that the only person who would stop to help in this situation must be the guilty party and promptly threw him in jail, setting a precedent that discourages and reinforces many Chinese people's wariness to help others in similar situations.
Sad but true.
Peng Yu? Do you really think that all those people paused to think about the implications of the Peng Yu decision when they passed on by!? Of course not. How a mother with a child the same age could pass by is unthinkable - callous.
I will relate one story about Chinese and toddlers: I was having lunch on Vulcan Lane - a small pedestrian mall off Queen St (Auckland's main shopping street) it was very busy. A Chinese (not Korean or Japanese, but Chinese) woman stopped on Queen St within my view to chat with someone. The toddler who was with her wandered off and eventually wandered past me. I was watching her and she never stopped talking and she never looked out for the small child. I was the only one keeping an eye on this child. Then the toddler went around the corner on to High Street - and at this stage even if that woman had looked she couldn't have seen where the child had gone. I was amazed at this negligence. I had never before - or after - seen such nonchalance and neglect. I can't recall what happened next, but as the only one who knew where the child was I did feel responsible - that woman (not sure whether mother, aunt, babysitter etc.) was totally irresponsible.
Unfortunately, there are instances in NZ where people will stand by and watch someone in trouble, but not assist. Usually as a group, as there is some kind of "group dynamics" involved...
But could such an incident such as the one at the center of this blog-entry occur here? No.
Not yet.
Frank, do you mean Bystander Effect?
I was amazed at this negligence. I had never before - or after - seen such nonchalance and neglect.
Sounds pretty bad, but as far as I am aware Chinese in New Zealand are rarely charged with child abuse.
There is far worse behaviour towards kids in NZ - like chucking kids in a spin dryer, kicking a kid to death for weeing on the carpet ---these sorts of things I have hardly every heard a Chinese parent guilty of.
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