Do you step in when you see wrong doing?

Bretrick

Bretrick

Well-known Member
Location
Perth Western Australia
I went to the city one time and as I entered a busy mall I was accosted by the sound of a drunk man shouting at the top of his voice.
He was standing in front of a young girl busking with a violin. The girl had tears in her eyes.
I noticed many people sitting around aware of what was going on but doing nothing.
I immediately walked up to the drunk and said, "Come along mate, I'll buy you a beer around the corner."
He happily agreed and I took him to the pub, bought him a beer and left him there.
I went back to the mall where the busker was playing and made a little speech to the people sitting around.
"I can't believe what just happened here. All of you allowed this young girl to be abused and you done nothing to help her. You should be ashamed of yourselves"
No one said anything in reply and I walked off.
Would you do something similar to help someone?
 

Bretrick said:
I went to the city one time and as I entered a busy mall I was accosted by the sound of a drunk man shouting at the top of his voice.
He was standing in front of a young girl busking with a violin. The girl had tears in her eyes.
I noticed many people sitting around aware of what was going on but doing nothing.
I immediately walked up to the drunk and said, "Come along mate, I'll buy you a beer around the corner."
He happily agreed and I took him to the pub, bought him a beer and left him there.
I went back to the mall where the busker was playing and made a little speech to the people sitting around.
"I can't believe what just happened here. All of you allowed this young girl to be abused and you done nothing to help her. You should be ashamed of yourselves"
No one said anything in reply and I walked off.
Would you do something similar to help someone?
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Yes, I would .. and have.
Years ago, I was walking through a shopping mall, and came across a group of youths who had grabbed a young policeman's hat. They were throwing it back & forth to one another, and it was clear the officer was not going to get his hat back. I used the public phone to call the police to come help (no cellphones then).
 
I've stepped up to help strangers from time to time, but there are also situations I would pass by. Where I once worked we would occasionally get a shouting, irate customer threatening to kill us all. I found that agreeing with them is a calming influence so I would lead them into my cubicle and we'd complain together until it was all vented. My coworkers would always be very grateful, but I never blamed them for freezing up. Some of us are just naturally more outgoing than others. I have a lack of fear based on ignorance.
 

When perceived by danger I stepped up by protecting a group of patients from a potential threat. Of course I was delusional at the time and there was no real threat to anyone. Does that count for bravery or being delusional? Crazy as it may seem I circled the chairs in true wagon train fashion as if we were being attacked by ruthless renegades.
You've heard of air guitar? I played an air piano keyboard. Ahh those were the days when crazy was king.
 
Bretrick said:
I went to the city one time and as I entered a busy mall I was accosted by the sound of a drunk man shouting at the top of his voice.
He was standing in front of a young girl busking with a violin. The girl had tears in her eyes.
I noticed many people sitting around aware of what was going on but doing nothing.
I immediately walked up to the drunk and said, "Come along mate, I'll buy you a beer around the corner."
He happily agreed and I took him to the pub, bought him a beer and left him there.
I went back to the mall where the busker was playing and made a little speech to the people sitting around.
"I can't believe what just happened here. All of you allowed this young girl to be abused and you done nothing to help her. You should be ashamed of yourselves"
No one said anything in reply and I walked off.
Would you do something similar to help someone?
Click to expand...
Yes I would have told him off but certainly wouldn’t have rewarded him with a free beer.
 
PeppermintPatty said:
Yes I would have told him off but certainly wouldn’t have rewarded him with a free beer.
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I bought the beer to get him away from the girl in the easiest way possible. It was an instant fix. Not to be looked on as a reward. As a method to instantly stop the abuse. He would not have responded to me yelling at him. I could not physically remove him.
Calling the police would have taken too long, prolonging the verbal abuse of the girl.
 
Bretrick said:
I bought the beer to get him away from the girl in the easiest way possible. It was an instant fix. Not to be looked on as a reward. As a method to instantly stop the abuse. He would not have responded to me yelling at him. I could not physically remove him.
Calling the police would have taken too long, prolonging the verbal abuse of the girl.
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You’re right. You needed to stop him right then and there. If booze was what worked then so be it
 
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I screamed at a bunch of guys that were taunting a young woman that was drunk and vulnerable at a big party. Everyone shut up immediately which surprised me. I then walked the girl outside and talked with her. So yes, I do step in, but sometimes it feels like I would only add fuel to the fight, so I stay out of it. It depends on the situation.
 
One afternoon several years ago I was working in the gallery when in walked a man with a little girl. They were looking around and walked out of sight at the back of the gallery, so I went back to see if I could help him when I heard wailing. He was beating the little girl. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I said, “What are you doing?” Stop beating that child!“ He ignored me. I felt like intervening but thought better of it. In no way could I have handled a physical altercation with this guy. Then I yelled, “I'm calling the police,” and literally ran to the phone. He picked up the child and ran out of the gallery. The police came, but by that time, it was too late. There wasn't much they could do about it. I gave them a description of the man and the little girl, just in case the guy was still around town. I thought about that incident for a long time and the feeling of being powerless to stop him.
 
Mr. Ed said:
When perceived by danger I stepped up by protecting a group of patients from a potential threat. Of course I was delusional at the time and there was no real threat to anyone. Does that count for bravery or being delusional? Crazy as it may seem I circled the chairs in true wagon train fashion as if we were being attacked by ruthless renegades.
You've heard of air guitar? I played an air piano keyboard. Ahh those were the days when crazy was king.
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It certainly does! Intention is everything.
 
George1959 said:
Decades ago a classmate was threatened by a man at a trip of our class to Cologne. I stepped in and told the man "if you like to quarrel, choose me!". He grumbled and stepped away.
Only some years later the classmate could protect himself. He became a police officer.
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That's great, George. I bet it was you who inspired him to "protect and serve." He probably loves chances to step into situations in his uniform and say,
"if you like to quarrel, choose me!"
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Depends on the situation. One time I saw a man slamming a child on the pavement on the side of a busy road. I stopped my car in traffic, got out and started yelling for him to stop. My kids were in the car saying "Mom, get back in the car!" He stopped and walked off.
Turns out, a group of preteens had tried to rob the man at a fast food place. He chased them down into traffic and caught the one.
He really slammed the kid. You could see he was hurt. Geez kids! This is what can happen if you try to rob someone! They also could have been hit by a car.
 
Bretrick said:
I bought the beer to get him away from the girl in the easiest way possible. It was an instant fix. Not to be looked on as a reward. As a method to instantly stop the abuse. He would not have responded to me yelling at him. I could not physically remove him.
Calling the police would have taken too long, prolonging the verbal abuse of the girl.
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Buying him a beer to get him away was the best decision in this case.
 
Pinky said:
Yes, I would .. and have.
Years ago, I was walking through a shopping mall, and came across a group of youths who had grabbed a young policeman's hat. They were throwing it back & forth to one another, and it was clear the officer was not going to get his hat back. I used the public phone to call the police to come help (no cellphones then).
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WOW!!!! Was he a real police officer or a mall security officer? No radio or weapons to protect himself?
Pinky said:
Yes, I would .. and have.
Years ago, I was walking through a shopping mall, and came across a group of youths who had grabbed a young policeman's hat. They were throwing it back & forth to one another, and it was clear the officer was not going to get his hat back. I used the public phone to call the police to come help (no cellphones then).
Click to expand...
 
Recently, I was in an independent (no gas station) mini-mart in town, run by 50-something Chinese immigrants, very sweet couple who are the proprietors. Immediately after I made a little purchase at the small checkout counter, I was going to walk out.

A 30-something guy, next in line, got hot under the collar with the woman owner. He might have phoned her prior to this. Anyhow his body language got stiff and he raised his voice, berating her for not saving a lottery ticket with what he'd deemed to have his lucky ticket number on it. She appeared not only non-plussed but truly frightened, so I stood there watching him and glancing occasionally at her. He vented a lot, but I got the impression my continued presence gradually cooled the acute incivility. (Another incident comes to mind from when I had a job for a year at an urban bookstore.)
 
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Bretrick said:
I bought the beer to get him away from the girl in the easiest way possible. It was an instant fix. Not to be looked on as a reward. As a method to instantly stop the abuse. He would not have responded to me yelling at him. I could not physically remove him.
Calling the police would have taken too long, prolonging the verbal abuse of the girl.
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I think your approach was the right one. And sometimes this is the way you have to go.
 

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