Originally Posted by
Medusa
In regards to the "bystander effect", when I was a teenager, my girlfriend and I were walking in a different neighborhood at night, intending to visit my sister. Out of nowhere, two girls came up to us and I think they asked us a question but I honestly can't remember clearly. What I do remember is that they started beating on my girlfriend. Why they didn't pick on me, I have no idea. What did I do? I froze. Like a deer in headlights, I froze. It lasted only a few seconds and the girls ran off. My girlfriend said "Why didn't you help me???" and I had no answer for her. Somehow it was as though it was a movie or something that I was viewing but wasn't a part of. Of course, this is all hindsight now. The good that came out of it was that it made me more aware of my surroundings and I vowed that I would never stand by and watch something like that happen again. I can only hope that I don't freeze up again should another scene like that unfold.