Sirens! Flashing lights from multiple cop cars! An ambulance! Backed up traffic! People milling around the edges of the incident hoping to satisfy their curiosity!

What do you think?

Is this socially-conscious behavior, seeing as how, it could be argued, the person stopping to look at the accident is concerned and would like to simply know what's happened, if anyone's been hurt, etc.?

OR is it questionable conduct, seeing as how the onlooker, in nearly every instance, wont be able to do a damn thing to help the victim(s) and might even be there to satisfy some sort of sick unconscious (or conscious) desire to behold another's suffering?

Tell me, Does it all boil down to motivation, or this not a case-by-case sort of thing?

A friend and I saw a firetruck and some cop cars parked across the street from a hip hop show last night, and decided to sit down and watch everything unfold. The whole sequence of events was completely depressing. Apparently some girl OD'd in the bathroom, and it took maybe 15 minutes for an ambulance to show up, then they dicked around for a while before getting out. After a while all but one of the ER guys had gone in, leaving the last to try to unload the stretcher by himself and get it up the venue steps. Eventually they came out with her, and seeing her tweaking out made me feel sick for watching.
CRAP.

Ekkssvvppllott wrote:Is this socially-conscious behavior, seeing as how, it could be argued, the person stopping to look at the accident is concerned and would like to simply know what's happened, if anyone's been hurt, etc.?

OR is it questionable conduct, seeing as how the onlooker, in nearly every instance, wont be able to do a damn thing to help the victim(s) and might even be there to satisfy some sort of sick unconscious (or conscious) desire to behold another's suffering?

Tell me, Does it all boil down to motivation, or this not a case-by-case sort of thing?

The phrase "it could be argued" does not apply to actual, real-life situations of which we're all aware. Regardless of whether someone wants to argue that people mill around a crime scene or a nasty accident because they're personally concerned about the people involved, most people don't act on such a motivation at all when they do these things. Unless the person is a neighbor or someone else you know. In that case, it's an entirely different story. But we're talking about anonymous scenes, right?

It's a natural response to the boring, mechanized, sedate lives most of us lead in the modern world. We like to be stimulated by severe or exciting spectacles, even when those spectacles involve people making complete asses out of themselves or engaging in cruel or destructive behavior. We like to see car accidents for the same reason we like to go see Freddy Kreuger or "The Exorcist" at the theater.

I do think that one of the most dangerous side-effects of our rubbernecking ways is that we are tempted to de-personalize the whole thing and look at it like a movie. But I can't vote CRAP on behavior which is basically a natural and instinctual response.

Not crap, with high wf.
It's free entertainment and mostly harmless. And if it's in your neighborhood I almost feel you have a right to see what's going on. It can almost become a community event sometimes, you see neighbors you haven't seen in a while and catch up while watching an empty building burn down.

On the other hand, crap.

If it's rush hour and there's been a fender bender, STOP LOOKING AT IT. IT HAPPENS EVERY FUCKING DAY. TRY NOT TO ADD ANOTHER HOUR TO MY ABSYMAL FUCKING COMMUTE.

Thanks.

If there's someone obviously seriously injured lying in the street I like to slow down, open my window and yell out 'Thanks a lot asshole, I'm gonna be late for work!'

Marsupialized wrote:If there's someone obviously seriously injured lying in the street I like to slow down, open my window and yell out 'Thanks a lot asshole, I'm gonna be late for work!'

I was specifically targetting trivial fender benders.

When the helicopters get called in, my neck turns very rubbery.

tying up traffic: always crap. always. stop looking. you're really making life suck for the rest of us.

otherwise, it's still a shitheel thing to do. you been there? the people watching only make the situation suck that much more. you want some drama? go get your own, and quit gawking at someone else's. get your ass off the sidewalk if you're just watching.

goddamn rubberneckers.

real human tragedy is not a spectator event.

Crap when you're driving--biggest traffic issue is rubber-necking. Pull over and help or keep driving. Don't slow down to look. Some of the people behind you are contemplating the purchasing of firearms, and we would use them first on you.

Absolute crap, especially when you are driving. Anything you do to impede the work of emergency personnel is selfish and possibly hazardous. You are considerably increasing the chance of a secondary accident and creating more work for the ems. Get out of the way and let the good people do their jobs.

Jon