The film makers basically stole their own bike a half dozen times around town, using a variety of tools and methods and time frames, most of them highly suspicious, as the the citizenry basically walks past, oblivious (or unwilling to get involved).
Except for the one cop who told the hidden photographer he couldn’t be standing where he was standing. And another helpful citizen, too …
(In fairness, this is not exclusively a NYC problem — but it does say … something.)
(via Les)
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This strikes me as related to Columbia University’s 1969 experiments which illuminated how being in a group can cause a diffusion of moral responsibility. To summerize – where an individual will react and act to help another, a group will often not act waiting for someone to be the first, and therefore nothing is done. These experiments were related to the women in New York who was murdered in full view of the people who lived near her and did nothing.
Most folks on the street are waiting for someone else to make the first move. No one wants to be wrong.
The Kitty Genovese case. The similarity had occurred to me, and I almost used it in the post title.
The other thing from the video is that the more bold or out-there the attempted theft, the more folks are going to assume it’s a legitimate effort. I mean, how many thieves are going to be using a hacksaw for 8 minutes, or a hammer and chisel, or plug in a grinder, complete with safety gear. It’s the “Carry a Clipboard” phenomenon: if you look like you’re where you’re supposed to be, people will assume you are.