mohandasgandhi: While bystanders rushed to the...

Friday, June 11, 2010

While bystanders rushed to the side of our female stuntwoman in mere seconds, it took much longer for anyone to help the homeless man.

We asked social psychologist Jack Dovidio of Yale University why people reacted so differently.

“The good part about human beings is that we have a capacity to connect and experience concern and sympathy for others. The bad part is we often decide who’s worth caring about,” Dovidio explained.

“And in this case, a homeless person is a member of a group that we don’t care about, that we don’t see as fully human. And therefore, we don’t respond the way we would to other people.”

At the end of the day, we decided to give our unknowing passersby one more test. If they thought this homeless man had been drinking, and perhaps was at fault for his own situation, would they still be moved to help?

O’Rourke collapsed on the ground again, but this time he had a can of beer in his hand. Immediately, two men walked right past him. One spat on the ground as he went by.

“Wow, a beautiful view of New Jersey,” said another woman as she stepped around him and continued down the street.

Eleven minutes ticked by and in total, 88 people walked right past.

Just as we began to think that no one would ever step in we saw a disabled woman limping slowly down the street toward our actor.

Linda Hamilton, who police told us is sometimes homeless herself, tried to get others to help. She didn’t have a cell phone, but Hamilton made her presence known, standing right next to O’Rourke for several minutes, trying to get others to stop and call 911.

“Excuse me, could you please call an ambulance?” she repeated as person after person passed by. Shockingly, 26 people walked by, ignoring her simple plea for help. Hamilton even took the beer can out of our actor’s hand and threw it away, perhaps hoping this would convince others to step in.

Finally, Hamilton’s courageous example helped turn the tide. As she stayed by our actor’s side, one woman heard her and stopped to call for an ambulance. A few moments later, another man, Bill Donzeiser, joined in, sliding a piece of cardboard under Mick’s head to make him more comfortable.

It’s surprising how many people just don’t care. I’ve had to pull a Linda Hamilton 3 times within the last year. THREE. Never turn a blind eye to someone in need.