Would you be a 'good samaritan'?

seasprite said:

did you get offended by a comment in general.

Click to expand...

No, does not get offended.

The sad thing now is the guys who did this to the poor guy have (rumored) to have fled overseas to Thailand.

I'm not holding any luck for the family getting any justice...

sammy84 said:

What has our society come to when we are too scared to stand up for whats right. There will always be isolated examples of when stepping in had resulting in a sorry ending, but think of how many beatings, rape etc would have occurred had it not been for everyday bystanders. Events such as the shooting in melbourne city and the article here do make me worry, but that should not scare us from helping. Imagine if it was your child being assaulted, you would hope that someone would be there to protect. We are now too reliant on the police, yes they are there to help, but there will also be certain situations when there are unavailable and it is therefore ultimately our responsibility to protect our community welfare.

Click to expand...

Nicely said Sammy - good one.

michael_t_f said:

I broke up a fight between a young scrawny bloke, who I was friends with, and an older big guy. Got me a good insight into the justice system and a holiday. So no I would not break up another fight.

Click to expand...

The law is not really on your side with interventions

its a long story, that came about when I had responsibility for a workplace where threats of violence, and even assaults had taken place.

There was 70% female employees, and the problem comes about about if anyone gets injured during your intervention, even the attacker.

There are several issues, but "reasonable force" is the crux.

My interpretation of reasonable force, when a nutter is attacking a woman, is a strike to a nerve point, grappling is foolish.

I was told absolutely, that my employer would give me no legal support, if this was my technique.

I was threatened with violence on occasions, but every time they backed off, when I made it it became perfectly clear I would fight like an animal if attacked

( except once when a scrawny little mad guy smashed a glass, and I decided to run)

sammy84 said:

Events such as the shooting in melbourne city and the article here do make me worry, but that should not scare us from helping. Imagine if it was your child being assaulted, you would hope that someone would be there to protect. We are now too reliant on the police, yes they are there to help, but there will also be certain situations when there are unavailable and it is therefore ultimately our responsibility to protect our community welfare.

Click to expand...

Its a good post Sammy. I agree with you - everyone has a moral duty to help another in need and it is up to us to agitate and act for the society we believe in. I would also certainly hope that if my kid was being beaten up that his plight would not be ignored by passers-by.

However, in the age of knives, is stepping in to a 1-in-4 situation the right thing to do by your family? It's a tough one. If I was still single then my answers might be different. Maybe it is best left to instinct and assessing potential situations on merit.

The police suggest calling for help in a situation like what the man faced rather than intervening. However that is a moot point if someone is genuinely in danger in the next 5-10 minutes.

Crazy days.

well I think its instinct that if someone is in trouble you would try and help - be it yell, make a noise if you know you cant go in there directly, ring the police, DO something..

awg said:

( except once when a scrawny little mad guy smashed a glass, and I decided to run)

Click to expand...

LOL!