Do Homo Sapiens have a As-if-I-care-gene ?

Platapus · 01-28-19, 06:55 PM

This is why if you are responding to an accident, don't just call out "someone call 911". No one will.

Point to someone and say to them "call 911" Either that person will do it or someone else will.

A lot of times, people, while meaning well, may not know what to do. It can be a form of paralysis. In emergencies, people are afraid of either doing something wrong or being criticized for doing something wrong so they freeze. This is especially common with laypeople. They are waiting to see of there is someone else with more experience/knowledge to "take action". So they wait.

It is kinda like no one wants to be the first on the dance floor, but as soon as someone goes, it spurs everyone else.

EMS can have the opposite issue in that we are trained to take action. I have seen junior EMTs push away senior people and in one case an ER doctor who happened to be on the scene but out of uniform. Their attitude is that since they are the "official EMT" on duty that everyone else is presumed to be a layperson. It does not help that, by nature, EMTs are a cocky bunch of bastages.

So in some cases, it is not a matter of not caring, but caring but not knowing what to do or wanting to take action too soon.

There are, however, people who truly don't care.

Usually we had police roll with us when going to traffic accidents. Often they were necessary for crowd control. Everyone loves seeing blood and a fellow human suffering.

One time we didn't and we had to manually carry a stretcher/gurney with the patient up an embankment to the squad. There were so many people standing around gawking that I, being the one in front, had to physically elbow people aside and not only did they not move, these gawkers started complaining to ME.

People suck at times.

Commander Wallace · 01-28-19, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Platapus

EMS can have the opposite issue in that we are trained to take action. I have seen junior EMTs push away senior people and in one case an ER doctor who happened to be on the scene but out of uniform. Their attitude is that since they are the "official EMT" on duty that everyone else is presumed to be a layperson. It does not help that, by nature, EMTs are a cocky bunch of bastages.

I think the reason for that may well not be that the EMT's are a " cocky bunch. " People in the medical profession have what i term as a " God Complex ." In that profession, to do your job effectively, you have to believe you can fix and cure everything including a rainy day. The medical person has to rely on the medical training they have received in school and training to save lives.

Most medical people in racing to save a life don't have the time or luxury to have manners or be nice. In saving a life, all other considerations are secondary.

It's like the quarterback in football. The quarterback has to feel he can beat anyone at anytime to win consistently. That kind of attitude can easily be misinterpreted as being cocky. I think it's pumping yourself up to do the job at hand. That kind of attitude has applications to just about every job. The best in their respective professions seem to all have that attitude.

You mentioned people suck as they love to see car crashes or human misery. I have seen that as well. I have never seen human life come as cheaply as it does in these times.

Dowly · 01-29-19, 05:35 AM

Curiously, Kitty's story as originally told is not quite accurate:

Quote:

While there was no question that the attack occurred, and that some neighbors ignored cries for help, the portrayal of 38 witnesses as fully aware and unresponsive was erroneous. The article grossly exaggerated the number of witnesses and what they had perceived. None saw the attack in its entirety. Only a few had glimpsed parts of it, or recognized the cries for help. Many thought they had heard lovers or drunks quarreling. There were two attacks, not three. And afterward, two people did call the police. A 70-year-old woman ventured out and cradled the dying victim in her arms until they arrived. Ms. Genovese died on the way to a hospital.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder...iginal_reports

As for Germans, there's a book called The Ordinary Men which was an interesting read:
https://www.amazon.com/Ordinary-Men-.../dp/0060995068

01-28-19, 06:55 PM	#1
Platapus Fleet Admiral Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 19,380 Downloads: 63 Uploads: 0	This is why if you are responding to an accident, don't just call out "someone call 911". No one will. Point to someone and say to them "call 911" Either that person will do it or someone else will. A lot of times, people, while meaning well, may not know what to do. It can be a form of paralysis. In emergencies, people are afraid of either doing something wrong or being criticized for doing something wrong so they freeze. This is especially common with laypeople. They are waiting to see of there is someone else with more experience/knowledge to "take action". So they wait. It is kinda like no one wants to be the first on the dance floor, but as soon as someone goes, it spurs everyone else. EMS can have the opposite issue in that we are trained to take action. I have seen junior EMTs push away senior people and in one case an ER doctor who happened to be on the scene but out of uniform. Their attitude is that since they are the "official EMT" on duty that everyone else is presumed to be a layperson. It does not help that, by nature, EMTs are a cocky bunch of bastages. So in some cases, it is not a matter of not caring, but caring but not knowing what to do or wanting to take action too soon. There are, however, people who truly don't care. Usually we had police roll with us when going to traffic accidents. Often they were necessary for crowd control. Everyone loves seeing blood and a fellow human suffering. One time we didn't and we had to manually carry a stretcher/gurney with the patient up an embankment to the squad. There were so many people standing around gawking that I, being the one in front, had to physically elbow people aside and not only did they not move, these gawkers started complaining to ME. People suck at times. __________________ abusus non tollit usum - A right should NOT be withheld from people on the basis that some tend to abuse that right.