Busybody's

You have to look at it from my perspective.

I'm a 5 foot 0 inch female, and in that situation of telling an abusive male partner to stop doing whatever he's doing to another woman. If he's willing to lay his hands on that girl, what makes me think he won't do it to me?

I'm not so concerned about a weapon in that case, I'm more concerned about him laying a hand on me.

However, if I wasn't alone and with my boyfriend, I'd feel safer because I would know if the guy I was confronting did do anything to me, my boyfriend would step in and make it his business as well.

A fair point in that case, but equally, look at it from my perspective. In the UK, unless I'm in a dodgy area of a large city, I don't expect anyone to have a weapon, pack of youths or otherwise (and if they did, they'd just wave it around). In one of those public situations, I'd like to think that I would make my voice heard, and the presence of people alone would deter them from attacking me. Do you think that the fact that weapons are more commonplace in the US, or at least more widespread, would affect peoples' rationale in general?

I don't think a weapon in general is really called for that kind of situation. I wouldn't be reaching out for a knife if some guy was yelling and calling a girl stupid in a restaurant.

My fault, not worded brilliantly as I thought. What I meant is, I would not expect anyone to have a weapon with them under most circumstances, where as that possibility is a lot greater in the US. Is the fact that someone may well have a weapon something of which people would be mindful in standing up to them, and do you think that would affect everyone's decision to take action?

Bear in mind that I'm not arguing anything here - this isn't anti-gun ownership - I'm just interested in the effects on the same situations.

This probably makes me an asshole, but I don't much believe in sticking my nose in someone else's business. If there's some crime going on, calling 911 is OK, but anything beyond that? Who am I, the NYPD? There's entire squadrons worth of uniform-wearing assholes being paid to get shot at, it sure as hell ain't my job.

Much along the same vein, I would administer first aid, unasked (and have done so in the past - comes with the job, no heroism involved), but stepping between a mother and her children? Nnnnnno. Her hellspawn, her problem.

I think there have been many "what would you do" moments in my life, once it was when I was really young I dont think its much of a time you wouldnt think to do it but yeah someone might not have done it...

There was this little kid trying to squeeze through a gate to make a shortcut to get to school, he saw that his backpack was too thick to get through the bars, so he threw it over, but one of the straps got caught so I kinda watched him for 15 seconds trying to climb the gate once he'd gotten through it to get his backpack...

Then I kinda nonchalantly walked up, and being the tall ass fucking guy I was at that age, I climbed the gate and got it down for him...

He just kinda nodded at me and ran off...

...

I kept walking down the street and saw the crossing guard was staring at me, I forget what she said but if had something to do with nice things coming to nice people...

Later that month she bought me a jacket... since I was fukken dirt poor and usually didnt wear one...

...

So yeah I dont remember if anyone else was around when the kid was getting his backpack down, but I remember it was a spiderman one...

I didn't read any of this...because I'm lazy and I would probably be bored.


But here are four episodes of What Would You Do?

I haven't honestly been in many "what would you do" situations, but I imagine, unless it's really bad or there's something I could immediately to help, I'd try to spend as little time watching as I could and just go about my business.

Woman yelling at her kids? Yeah, I'd keep on driving. I don't get involved in how people treat their kids.

I'd probably help the woman out at the pharmacy, regardless of her age.

When it comes to dealing with people who look threatening, I'd be looking to leave, ASAP. I'm not armed, nor am I a physically substantial person. Frankly, the prospect of doing something that could possibly get me targeted by someone bigger than me frightens me. If it, however, were to involve violence against another person, I would hope I'd have the presence of mind to turn a corner or something and call 911.

I would help people in these situations but i would do it reluctantly because I'm usually the kind of guy who doesn't like getting involved with other people's affairs.
I'm also a sucker for those kinds of shows like "what would you do?"