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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">The Kitty Genovese case has become a
bit of a myth; the real story is as always a bit more ambiguous.
But "Diffusion of Responsibility" is a very real thing, and deeply
problematic. If you are in trouble and a group looks on
helplessly, point at one of them and say: "You: help me." That
breaks the symmetry. Official first responders also tend to do it
even in off-duty. <br>
<br>
Generally the acts/omission distinction has produced reams of
ethical arguments. While philosophically and sometimes legally it
doesn't make sense, it clearly influences how people actually act.
Real-world fears of legal effects can be controlled for in trolley
examples, but the difference still remains. But that doesn't make
peoples behavioral bias the correct way of acting.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
On 2016-01-16 15:33, spike wrote:<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">>…</span></b><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> <b>On
Behalf Of </b>William Flynn Wallace<br>
<br>
</span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">>…</span><span
style="font-family:"Comic Sans
MS";color:black"> case of Kitty Genovese
(1964), who was killed, stabbed, in front of
dozens of people who did nothing, not even call
the police. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-family:"Comic Sans
MS";color:black">There was no question of
legalities - calling the police threatened no
one. bill w </span><span style="color:black"></span><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">BillW,
on the contrary sir.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">I
don’t know in this particular case if calling the
constables would have resulted in personal risk to
whoever made the call, but in many modern
situations I would assume it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">The
Genovese case was about personal responsibility or
even personal risk so much as spreading of
responsibility. Given sufficient numbers of
able-bodied witnesses, no one does anything.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">I
was involved in something analogous to that. I
personally witnessed a security violation, along
with about twenty others. I was one of the lower
ranking people present. No one reported it.
Months later, someone mentioned it to the head of
security for that facility, who was most annoyed
with all of us. He made us review security
procedures in an hour long course on our own
time. Had it been five in the room, good chance
all five would have reported. In that case, there
was zero risk of retribution and zero chance of
commendation for reporting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">Regarding
the Genovese case, I can imagine neighborhoods
where bad things happen and the local constabulary
are never invited.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D">spike<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span
style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1F497D"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Dr Anders Sandberg
Future of Humanity Institute
Oxford Martin School
Oxford University
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