NYC Subway Death: Bystander Effect or Moral Blindness On December 3, 2012, a terrible incident occurred in the New York City subway when Ki-Suck Han was pushed off a subway platform by Naeem Davis. Han was hit and killed by the train, while observers did nothing other than snap photos on their cell phones as Han was struggling to climb back onto the platform before the oncoming train struck him.
Davis was arraigned on a second-degree murder charge and held without bail in the death of Han. One of the most controversial aspects of this story is that of R. Umar Abbasi, a freelance photographer for the New York Post, who was waiting for a train when he said he saw a man approach Han at the Times Square station, get into an altercation with him, and push him into the train's path. He too chose to take pictures of the incident, and the next day, the Post published the photographer's handiwork: a photo of Han with his head turned toward the approaching train, his arms reaching up but unable to climb off the tracks in time. Abbasi told NBC's Today show that he was trying to alert the motorman to what was going on by flashing his camera. He said he was shocked that people nearer to the victim didn't try to help in the 22 seconds before the train struck. "It took me a second to figure out what was happening . . . I saw the lights in the distance. My mind was to alert the train," Abbasi said. "The people who were standing close to him . . . they could have moved and grabbed him and pulled him up. No one made an effort," he added. In a written account Abbasi gave the Post, he said that a crowd took videos and snapped photos on their cell phones after Han's mangled body was pulled onto the platform. He said that he shoved the onlookers back while a doctor and another man tried to resuscitate the victim, but Han died in front of them. Some have attributed the lack of any attempt by those on the subway platform to get involved and go to Han's aid as the bystander effect. The term bystander effect refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the number of people present, the less likely people will be to help a person in distress. When an emergency situation occurs, observers are more likely to take action if there are few or no other witnesses. One explanation for the bystander effect is that each individual thinks that others will come to the aid of the threatened person. But when you are alone, either you will help, or no one will
Questions
1. Do you think the bystander effect was at work in the subway death incident? How might that effect translate to a situation where members of a work group observe financial improprieties committed by one of their group that threatens the organization? In general, do you think that someone would come forward? How might culture play into the action that would be taken?
2. Another explanation for the inaction in the subway incident is a kind of moral blindness, where a person fails to perceive the existence of moral issues in a particular situation. Do you believe moral blindness existed in the incident? Be sure to address the specific moral issues that give rise to your answer.