When an innocent bystander becomes guilty
Jasmine Maharisi
Issue date: 11/10/09 Section: Opinion
The reported gang rape of a 15-year-old girl at a Richmond, Va., homecoming dance left many of us disgusted. Police now say that seven people participated in the assault and as many as 10 to 15 watched while taking pictures and video taping. For 2.5 hours, no one alerted the police. Finally, it was another young woman who had the decency to call 911, leaving one to wonder what would have happened to the victim if that call hadn't been made.
I'm horrified by the audacity of the attackers, some of which were grown men - a term I use very lightly. They had absolutely no business at a homecoming dance for teenagers. And the level of violence that occurred - and unfortunately, is common in gang rapes - was just nightmarish. They beat the victim, insulted her verbally and even penetrated her with "a foreign object." She was found naked, bruised and bleeding on the ground, her body tossed aside like a piece of garbage. As anyone with a morsel of compassion can imagine, completely forgetting about this assault isn't going to be possible for the victim.
The topic of the witnesses watching the rape has been all over the news. Commentators have sounded out with angry postings. Journalists and news anchors have lost their objective guise when reporting the case on the nightly news. And the question is repeatedly asked: why did they just stand back and watch without alerting anyone?
It's not easy for me to understand the mentality of individuals involved in situations such as this. I don't think it's something anyone can easily understand. What I do know is that there's a term for this, a piece of psychobabble that may shine some light on the situation, although it does nothing to justify the behavior. The term I'm referring to is "diffusion of responsibility," a sociological occurrence that can occur in groups of critical size.
Diffusion of responsibility can be applied to a wide range of scenarios from organized crime to casual social interactions. In his book "Prosocial Behaviour," author Hans-Werner Bierhoff states that diffusion of responsibility can even occur when tipping a waiter at a restaurant while in a large group. According to Bierhoff, studies have shown that people in a group of four or more tip a smaller percentage than if they were tipping as individuals or as members of a smaller group.
I'm horrified by the audacity of the attackers, some of which were grown men - a term I use very lightly. They had absolutely no business at a homecoming dance for teenagers. And the level of violence that occurred - and unfortunately, is common in gang rapes - was just nightmarish. They beat the victim, insulted her verbally and even penetrated her with "a foreign object." She was found naked, bruised and bleeding on the ground, her body tossed aside like a piece of garbage. As anyone with a morsel of compassion can imagine, completely forgetting about this assault isn't going to be possible for the victim.
The topic of the witnesses watching the rape has been all over the news. Commentators have sounded out with angry postings. Journalists and news anchors have lost their objective guise when reporting the case on the nightly news. And the question is repeatedly asked: why did they just stand back and watch without alerting anyone?
It's not easy for me to understand the mentality of individuals involved in situations such as this. I don't think it's something anyone can easily understand. What I do know is that there's a term for this, a piece of psychobabble that may shine some light on the situation, although it does nothing to justify the behavior. The term I'm referring to is "diffusion of responsibility," a sociological occurrence that can occur in groups of critical size.
Diffusion of responsibility can be applied to a wide range of scenarios from organized crime to casual social interactions. In his book "Prosocial Behaviour," author Hans-Werner Bierhoff states that diffusion of responsibility can even occur when tipping a waiter at a restaurant while in a large group. According to Bierhoff, studies have shown that people in a group of four or more tip a smaller percentage than if they were tipping as individuals or as members of a smaller group.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Jack
posted 11/10/09 @ 6:36 PM CST
The way the attackers were encouraged by the mob that included people who recorded the brutal rape and beating is a part of the same mentality that led to this horrific attack. (Continued…)
Jack
posted 11/10/09 @ 6:40 PM CST
The way the attackers were encouraged by the mob that included people who recorded the brutal rape and beating is a part of the same mentality that led to this horrific attack. (Continued…)
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