Passers-by Ignore Toddler Run Over by Vehicles

By Michelle Parson

cbc news 10/18/11

A surveillance camera video captures a scene, as a toddler is struck not once but twice by two vans in Southern China, and dies on Oct. 21.  The child wandered into the street unnoticed by her parents a week earlier where she was hit by the vehicles.  Her mother was hanging laundry while her father was busy tending to the family hardware business.  She was hit by the vans, one after the other.  Each driver fled the scene. 

Wang Yue lay seriously injured on a busy retail market street as 18 people overlooked her.  Individuals walked, drove or cycled past the scene.  She was eventually aided by a “scavenger,” or someone who collects scraps for a living.  The fact that people didn’t stop to help raised many questions about the declining morality and as stated in an article on cnn.com, “China’s fast-changing society.”

Christina M. Rodriguez, Psych. Dept. UNCG professor, commented about what is referred to as “Group Diffusion” or the “Bystander Effect,” a social psychological phenomenon where individuals don’t seem to have the same sense of responsibility in public.  The thought is that someone else will step in and therefore a psychological process takes place to justify this behavior.  During a recent conversation, she also said that this occurrence happens more often than would like to admit here in the U.S. because people are not inclined to get involved. 

The news of this event has drawn so much international exposure and outrage.  It paints a picture of Chinese people being heartless and lacking compassion for human life.  Rodriguez says the shock and debate inside China may be because, until recently, this would have been unheard of.  The case is bringing attention to a different China, where there is no village of people who care for each other.  This refers directly to the statement in the CNN article, regarding the district where the father of the young girl owned his business.  There are other store owned by individuals from different parts of China who hardly know each other.  Consequently, there is no village friendly community.  There is the fear of becoming more of an individualistic society as cities increase and become more modernizes, and economics take priority. 

In contrast, an interview with truck driver, Allen Parson, who was involved in an incident in N.Y., expressed a very different experience.  New York City has the reputation of being a place where the people lack the Good Samaritan attitude.  Parson stopped in a desolate area of an inner city block there, to make what he thought was a minor repair on his 18-wheel tractor trailer.  He was badly injured by a part that came loose and struck him slightly above the eye.  He moved from under the truck hoping to get the attention of anyone in the area, but there was no one around.  An officer circled pass and found him staggering and bleeding, and called for medical assistance. 

Parson, a native New Yorker said, “I never believed there were actually people, especially in New York, that cared the way this officer did for me on that day.”  The officer even came to the hospital afterwards.  Parson believes the Policeman showed a side of compassion that went far beyond the call of duty.

Greensboro, N.C. resident Kathleen McGirty, tells the story of falling on the sidewalk of heavily trafficked area in her neighborhood.  She said, “It’s still painful to this day thinking about it.”  Her knee was twisted and she was unable to get up and walk.  Nobody stopped to help as she lie face down for more than 10 minutes.  McGirty states, “It was a sad reality that nobody bothered to care.”  “It made me pay attention more and not always think that someone else will stop to help a person in need.”

In review, there have been many opinions on the subject of why there seems to be this absence of care and concern.  The lack of these in China, has been blamed on the education system as well as their being little benefit to being the Good Samaritan often creating more of a hardship.  Certainly with the international attention of the video, showing the unconcern is a reminder that this can and does happen everywhere.

List of Sources

CNN. (2011, October 25). Retrieved October 25, 2011, from CNN: http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/20/world/asia/china-toddler-dead/index.html?on.cnn=1

MSNBC. (2011, October 25). Retrieved October 25, 2011, from MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44983903

FlameHorse. (n.d.). 10 Notorious Cases of the Bystander Effect. Retrieved from 10 Notorious Cases of the Bystander Effect: http://listverse.com/2009/11/02/10-notorious-cases-of-the-bystander-effect/

FlorCruz, J. (2011, October 25). CNN. Retrieved October 25, 2011, from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/22/world/asia/china-toddler-reaction/index.html?iref=allsea

Wines, M. (2011, October 25). The New York Times. Retrieved October 25, 2011, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/22/world/asia/chinese-toddler-who