Why does nobody say anything?

0utshined · 02-12-2004 11:00PM

Moriarty wrote:

Group theory is really intresting. Probably one of the most famous examples of it is the murder case in new york in the 70s(?). Somone was shot to death on their doorstep right on the road of a very busy residential area. No one called the police and the body was left there for ages before a passerby finally saw it. Cops went around later and over 50 people had directly seen the incident, but not one of them phoned. They all said that they presumed somone else would do it.

I had thought that that story was just a plot device in The Watchmen graphic novel but it turns out it actually happened. It's not quite that dramatic but it still makes you wonder about people...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Genovese

segadreamcast · 02-12-2004 11:39PM

Well, I found a mobile phone during the weekend in Trinity and returned it to its rightful owner a few hours later after tracking him down...

*Thinks* Oh there was something else nice I did recently too... Oh yeah, in Marks & Spencer on Grafton Street - some woman dropped her credit card on the ground whilst leaving the checkout. The cashier glanced at it and did nothing - several people in the queue likewise - so I waited a few seconds before grabbing the card and, subsequently, returned it.

I was justly rewarded for both incidents with a 'thank you'.

However, a few weeks before that - the shoe was on the other foot as, on the north side of the quays - an old woman tapped me on the shoulder, informing me that I had dropped 10euro.

So, thankfully, humanity in Ireland isn't doomed as of yet.

(FASCINATING story there with Kitty Genovese by the way - New York was a horrible place back then...goodness.)

Hugh Hefner · 02-12-2004 11:48PM

In the UGC going to see a double bill of AVP (crap) and Resident Evil 2 (surprisingly good) with a friend I had waited in the line like everyone else. We get to the end. I saw that one of the tills was free so I went and it turned out that it wasn't open and the woman was just doing something (she was really mean about it, but that's not where my grief lies). We turn back to the head of the line. Before we get there another till opens and as we're about to go to it some complete knacker 15-year-old (I'm also 15) and his slut (she didn't do anything) stepped right in front of us and took the till. I said to this guy that we were ahead of him and he comes out with a skanger, " Ye were," and a nasty look. :mad:

Gladly the person behind him politely let us go next.

Anyway, it was all I could thing about for the next few hours and comlpetely ruined my day.

I've also had a bad experience with a worker there. I came to get some tickets and she asked for ID. I didn't have any (gladly, seeing as it would have proved me too young for the movies). She let me in anyway and then basically told me I was being 'smart' and that if I ever came to her again she wouldn't let me in. Isn't this person supposed to be helpful and polite to polite, paying customers? I took it with a smile but it ate me up inside. I had half a mind to complain.

That said, I have met some very friendly and helpful staff there.

Oh, and guys who blatantly scratch their nuts in public!! :eek: It wouldn't be so bad if they tried to hide it or checked that there were no small children around, but they don't! They'll do it in the middle of freakin' Henry St.!! It's so disgusting.

If you do it, STOP IT!!!

Saruman · 03-12-2004 10:59AM

Dont think its fair to say no one says anything any more.. I always say thank you and please to people. If i go through a door i impulsivley look back to see if anyone is behind me and keep it open for them no matter how ugly they are

If someone drops something on a bus or anywhere i would let them know or catch up with them.. unless it was a €100 or something in which case there might be thinking to do first...

Anyway i find most people are nice to me and say thank you to me when i hold the door open or something like that. Maybe i generate an aura that people like and are fine to say please and thank you to me... some people are just negative even though they dont think so or try not to be.

boo4842 · 03-12-2004 01:46PM

eggshapedfred wrote:

if fairness, you should see your stop is coming up, gather your belongings, ring the bell and move to the front of the bus, all before the stop flys by. the reason drivers don't pull in everytime someone rings a bell is cos sometimes people abuse the system and just ring it all the time. if you were standing next to the driver, having rung the bell, ready to get off, he would have pulled in at your stop.

This bus was packed, try moving through the crowd of people with a suitcase and a backpack. The bell is there so you don't have to be standing beside the bus driver for him to stop. We moved closer to the front, waiting for the bus to stop, it should stop every time the bell is pushed. The reason it doesn't is cause ignorant feckers think its a laugh to push it all the time, so the bus drivers be ignorant by ignoring people that want to get off. And thats pretty much what the thread is about.

I live in Canada now and the general policy is ring the bell, the bus pulls over, then you get out of your seat to get off the bus - you don't have to be standing beside the driver in the hopes he'll stop for you. Not to mention having to waive a bus down like a taxi in Dublin. I'm sure everyone who takes the bus has missed it by 2 seconds, and had a driver drive off with you banging on the door. That simply does not happen here. EVER. Are drivers in Dublin Bus trained like this, or is it cultural?

DaBreno · 03-12-2004 03:39PM

Good news Boys and girls! The same story as the orignal post in this thread - girl leaves her gloves behind her on the bus - the 25A this morning. As she walks down the stairs, two people draw her attention to this - another girl and myself. The other girl, who was sitting beside her, gets out of her seat to hand em to her.
So ya see - its not all bad!

Cactus Col · 03-12-2004 04:35PM

From what I've noticed, women and girls are much worse than guys for not giving up their seats on the bus (in fact they are also much more likely to rush towards an empty seat than dudes are too).

Also, I don't see what's wrong with leaving your tray on the table in MacDonalds or Burger King, and I've no problem in doing it.

In shops I always say please, but always wait until the keeper or assistant says thank you before I say it.

And if you are looking for ignorance, you should just go into some clothes shops, where you are lucky enough to get attitude for deeming yourself worthy to try buy some of their precous shirts or jeans.

(although again in the clothes shops, it generally seems to be girls [think the river rock ad where the dude asks for his water in a different size, in real life she would have just told them they only have whats on show])

tck · 03-12-2004 04:52PM

flikflak wrote:

I was on the bus the other day and was walking down the aisle to get off when I realised I had dropped one of my gloves. As I looked back down the aisle I could see it there just by the seat I had vacated. Now the bus was pretty full and they must have seen me drop it so ........ Why does no one say anything!!!

I was on the bus this morning and a girl who was getting off had dropped her gloves I didn't see her drop them but saw them on the floor and saw her moving down the aisle so I said to the chap behind me "Did she just drop those?" He ignored me so I picked them up and went down to give them to her. Cue some people on the bus looking at me as if I had just beamed down from Mars!

Why don't people just say to you when you have dropped something. In the cold weather you have hats, gloves and scarves to deal with and things do get dropped without you noticing.

So why don't people say anything - maybe its just another pointer that society is becoming more "head down and keep walking it does not involve me so I won`t concern myself with it"

I think it is really sad.

because people ain't no good

sheep maa'aaa

also to that 'bystander effect' - theres was a famous case in france where a woman was raped on the subway/tube by a gang and plenty of people sitting in the carriage sat there and did absolutely NOTHING, pretended it wasn't happening,

in france theres a law (can't remember the name of it), whereupon if a fellow citizen is in trouble/need of asssistance as above, you have to help that person.

Needless to say, every person that was in the carriage that day was tracked down and arrested for not helping the woman.

Occidental · 03-12-2004 05:18PM

Let someone out into traffic and watch as they feck off without a nod/wave/kiss me arse. For some reason it's just about always women that do this and on a rare occassion you'll even get a dirty look for your troubles.

nlgbbbblth · 03-12-2004 09:29PM

Occidental wrote:

Let someone out into traffic and watch as they feck off without a nod/wave/kiss me arse. For some reason it's just about always women that do this and on a rare occassion you'll even get a dirty look for your troubles.

someone gave me the fingers once for letting them out from a house entrance into traffc :mad:

FatherTed · 03-12-2004 09:40PM

After living in the US for over 10 years I find whenever I return back home, the average person is terribly inpolite. Moreso in Dublin than in other parts of the country. Then again maybe since I've been here too long and it's overly polite. After a while I sometimes have to tell people "ok enough of the thank yous".

athena 2000 · 03-12-2004 10:02PM

Father Ted, do you live in the South?

Interesting stories. Last week I was trying on coats and found a nice bracelet wristwatch on the floor by the display rail. I took it to customer service/lost & found and the clerk there looked at me in disbelief. She thanked me for turning it in, and blessed me! That was nice of her, but really it would feel like stealing if I'd kept it - and it was tempting too!

vibe666 · 03-12-2004 10:06PM

peopleoften look at me funny when i get out of my seat to let older people sit down. it's a fine line though sometimes. there's a certain age where people don't like to think of themselves as old and can get offended if you get up for them.

i thinhk 60's is a goo place to start, but you can't always tell.

i generally get up when the bus is filling up anyway, there's always someone in more urgent need of a seat than me. just a shame people aren't always polite about accepting it.

FatherTed · 04-12-2004 08:27PM

athena 2000 wrote:

Father Ted, do you live in the South?

Jeez no thank god. North east blue state, I'm proud to say.

The_B_Man · 05-12-2004 01:44AM

i always say please and thanks in every shop or pub/club im in (watchin 2 much barney, it seems

). always have, always will. even when im drunk i still manage at least a nod. though, the place i go most is where i used to work so i know most of them.

Re: holding the door open, yeah its a pain in the ass when sum posh auld one just ignores you. actually today comin out onto henry st, i held the door open but just walked off and didnt bother waiting for a thanks. it didnt even occur to me to wait for one. i suppose if ur walkin out the door anyway, its nothin to leave ur hand back while they get to the door.

Re: McDonalds. i have a grudge against them ever since they threatened me with court. so i havent been there since but i'd leave me tray on the table out of spite. when i worked there, i expected ppl to leave there trays there but also gave a "thanx" to ppl who tidied up themselves. in fact, i got quite bored when everyone cleaned up the trays themselves.

from workin in a pub before, i actually found out that you get more "ignorant" ppl in the Wine Bar than you did in the pub and night club parts, ie more of the older crowd were impolite.

Moriarty · 05-12-2004 01:45AM

tck wrote:

theres was a famous case in france where a woman was raped on the subway/tube by a gang and plenty of people sitting in the carriage sat there and did absolutely NOTHING, pretended it wasn't happening,

She later confessed to making up the whole story when the police caught her on tape on the train and she was fine. It happened earlier this year, it's on the bbc news site if you want to search for it.

Why does nobody say anything?

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