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This is not the first incident where bystanders remained mute spectators to violence unfolding in full public view. The psychological theory behind this hesitation to intervene is what is called the 'bystanders effect'.
Would You Jump In to Stop an Assault? A recent video showed several men seeming to ignore an anti-Asian attack in Midtown. Yet research shows that most people are more than willing to intervene and help someone. Posters near the site of a violent assault on an Asian woman in Midtown Manhattan this week, showing the man sought in the attack. Video showed doormen in a nearby building watching the attack without intervening.Credit...Andrew Seng for The New York Times Imagine that you’re walking on the street and see a man viciously beating an older woman. What would you, just a passer-by, do?