10. To face the challenges of today and of tomorrow, uniting in action must be balanced with respect for cultural specificities

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out— because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me— and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

- Pastor Martin Niemoller, 1945, Germany

The Bystander Effect: How not to take risks in fear of the consequences

What is it? When there is an emergency, the more bystanders there are, the less likely it is that any of them will actually help. Pluralistic ignorance is where they assume nothing is wrong because nobody else looks concerned.

Bystanders go through a five-step process, during each of which they can decide to do nothing.

- Notice the event (or in a hurry and not notice).
- Realize the emergency (or assume that as others are not acting, it is not an emergency)
- Assume responsibility (or assume that others will do this).
- Know what to do (or not)
- Act (or worry about danger, legislation, embarrassment, etc.)

More about it

Latané and Darley [Example: A famous case occurred in the early 1960, where Kitty Genovese was attacked and eventually murdered over a 45 minute period during which 38 people witnessed the attack and did not lift a finger to help in any way.

This was caused partially by social proof, whereby when people are uncertain, they look to other people as to what to do. It can also be caused by people losing themselves in the crowd and assuming a smaller share of the responsibility, expecting others to help in their stead.

So what?

If you want someone to do something, ask them specifically (by name) or make sure they cannot assume that somebody else will do it. You can also set an example and ask for collaboration.

If you think somebody else should be doing what you have been asked to do, question the motives of the person asking you (even ask why they are not doing it themselves!)

changingminds.org

[1] Latané and Darley (1970)

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