100 people watched a man being bashed. Not one tried to help.

It’s said that safety is in numbers but that’s not always the case.

Recently, a 42-year-old man learned this the hard way, when he was bashed by five men outside a Melbourne hotel. Around 100 people watched the brutal attack, but not one intervened or even bothered to call an ambulance – even when one of the attackers paused to go to his car and retrieved a weapon.

The man – who police say became a target after accidentally bumping into someone – lay injured in the car park until someone drove past and found him injured in distress.

Police lamented it was a “sad state of affairs” that a large group of people who had witnessed the assault didn’t do a thing to help. And it certainly is. However, these days, it appears this is the norm.

The car park bashing is just another in a growing list of examples of what social psychologists are dubbing the ‘bystander effect’ – a phenomenon where witnesses to an act of violence passively watch on without attempting to help. What’s more, research shows the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely one will take a proactive stance.

Certain factors can influence the group’s likelihood to help, but the basic theory is that there is a diffusion of responsibility. When people note others present, they are less likely or slower to help because they believe someone else will take responsibility.

This dangerous level of apathy has led to some countries enacting laws making it illegal for bystanders to not assist in such situations. Other countries, such as Australia, also have Good Samaritan provisions to legally protect such citizens from any adverse consequences their actions may incur.

The most dramatic and commonly cited example of the bystander effect is the case of Kitty Genovese, a 28-year-old who was stabbed to death in Queens, New York, in 1964 by a serial rapist and murderer, while neighbours watched on.

The attack reportedly lasted for half an hour, during which time Genovese screamed and pleaded for help. The murderer even left the scene after attracting the attention of a neighbour, but returned 10 minutes later to finish the fatal assault.

It’s believed 38 people witnessed the stabbings and did not intervene or call the police until Genovese had died.

Thirty-eight people. Not one phone call.

In slightly less depressing news, an article later claimed the story was exaggerated. It stated that there were less than 38 witnesses, the police were contacted at least once during the attack, and many witnesses could only hear, not see, the murder.

Either way, it’s of little comfort.

The victim in the Melbourne pub was lucky. He suffered head and body wounds but nothing too serious. No thanks to the 100-odd onlookers.

Perhaps solace can lie on another old saying – karma is a bitch.

Would you have helped the man at the pub?

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