Beware – Myths and Nonsense
Kitty Genovese syndrome and yelling “Fire!”
Debunking a Flawed Crime Escape Scheme
Winston Moseley attacked and stabbed 24-year-old Kitty Genovese at 3 a.m. in the street near her Kew Gardens home in Queens, New York, on March 11, 1964. Her screams caused a neighbor to scream, which it caused Moseley to flee, but he soon returned. rape the helpless, bleeding woman and stab her to death. His subsequent screams throughout the 30-minute ordeal fell on deaf ears to 38 of his neighbors. Other than her neighbor who had screamed just once, no one lifted a finger from her to help her or even call the police.
A furor erupted in the national media over the neighbors’ astonishing apathy, but they refused to explain their disconcerting behavior.
Emerging from this morass, some commentator concocted a plan to counteract such apathy in the future: everybody outdoor crime victims must scream, “Fire!” instead of “Help! Police!” Supposedly, apathetic neighbors would fear that a fire would spread to their homes and would call the Fire Department, and then the fire trucks would drive off the attacker.
NOT TESTED
Although its viability was never proven, and despite the rarity Due to such apathy, this silly notion somehow became “common wisdom” that is still taught today by many so-called crime experts. This supposed emergency maneuver has escaped any serious scrutiny for its logic – or lack thereof – for 44 years. Until now.
Not surprisingly, yelling “Fire” has been successful from time to time. Not because it’s a smart strategy, but because any help he’s summoned would have come with none allegation – regardless of its wording. Most passers-by are No listless and will at least start yelling, turning on porch lights, honking car horns, etc., and of course, calling the policeman. Predators almost always prefer secrecy, so none the attention of passers-by usually scares them.
Besides that, most of the houses are No built side by side therefore they are No vulnerable to a spreading fire. So, most of the time, yelling “Fire!” it doesn’t make any sense at all.
Finally, bluffs are always risky in none situation, but trying to trick bystanders into saving her life is beyond foolish. Trying to manipulate them with a dummy fire when you really want to be rescued from a crime adds dangerous confusion to a crisis. Bystanders have often reported that when they can’t see a fire anywhere, they assume the woman is yelling “Fire!” she’s playing or drunkenly fighting with her “boyfriend of hers”—and they ignore her after all.
Why risk confusing your potential rescuers when you’re in deep trouble? A life-threatening emergency is No time to bet on some silly trick. Instead, you simply need to pinpoint your situation by yelling “Help! Police!”
LOOKING CLOSER AT “GENOVESE SYNDROME”
Alone, a single bystander may or may not intervene to rescue a stranger, depending on many factors, such as the degree of risk involved, individual ability, etc. Goal the majority people will at least call the police.
With multiple viewers, additional factors come into play, such as how well they know each other and how embarrassed they would feel not to act, at least calling the police and/or creating a ruckus (perhaps from a safe distance). to determine the offender.
Also, in “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference,” Malcolm Gladwell wrote that psychologists Bibb Latane of Columbia and John Darley of NYU studied viewer apathy in the Genovese case (also known as the “Genovese Syndrome”). “) and found that what most affected “helping behavior” was how many people witnessed an event.
The larger the group, the more spread out the responsibility of each person. Each one thinks that the others will help, or if no one is helping, there is really no problem. They are not cruel or indifferent, they simply feel less responsibility to act. Ironically, Latane and Darley say, if Kitty Genovese had been attacked with only one bystander near her, she might as well have been rescued.
NOW CONNECT THAT A EAST
Years later, an investigation found the final reason for the neighbors’ embarrassing apathy: Genovese had a reputation for being promiscuous in the neighborhood. In 2004, on the 40th anniversary of Genovese’s death, Dr. Tina Trent wrote in the Atlanta Journal Constitution: “Although the ’38 Witnesses’ were at home, not in court, they tried the victim, not her attacker, and sentenced her to death.
So while the justification for the Yell “Fire!” The advice was silly from the start, we can add the spread of the psych group and the self-righteous moral disdain to bury that nonsense forever.
LEARNED LESSONS
Don’t call the dog to put out a fire, don’t call an ambulance to tow your car, and don’t yell “Fire!” when you are attacked. Instead he yells “Help! Police!”
[However, sounding a false fire alarm to deter a criminal might be effective in certain instances – such as being chased through a hotel hallway. Yell “Help! Police!” while pounding on suite doors as you pass, and pull a fire alarm lever – make as much noise as possible. Then hope people don’t treat you like Kitty Genovese.]
RESCUE YOURSELF
Ultimately, though, your first line of defense shouldn’t be the wildly unpredictable availability of helpful bystanders, police, or firefighters to rescue you. You must rescue yourself! Because when seconds count – the policemen are minutes far!
Now, if Kitty Genovese had had a chance to read the tips you’re about to learn, she might as well have gotten away pretty much unscathed. But unfortunately, Crime-Safety-Security.com did not exist back then. There were also no modern “noisemakers” (although old-fashioned whistles are quite effective, if attached with a rather flimsy beaded metal chain rather than a cord that can be used to strangle), nor was there pepper spray back then . Today, however, your Have the following strategy – and modern tools – to escape Kitty’s fate.
SET YOUR LIMITS
Never turn your back on someone you don’t trust that invites an attack you won’t see coming. If he starts to get closer to you, take an aggressive stance, stick one hand in a pocket as if you have a gun ready, raise the other hand in a “STOP!” gesture, and fiercely order him to “STAY AWAY FROM MY!” (Add bad curses and as much threat as possible.)
Better yet, keep the pepper spray and a rattle in sight and ready. Their visible presence alone may well cause an attack.
If it keeps moving towards you – that is your early warning signal that it’s probably a predator, so you can run away and/or activate your rattle and use your pepper spray.
“Fight or Flight” These are the two most popular options. Martial arts theory often adds Surrender To the mix I added two more options: outwit Y positionand brought them all in line with FBI guidelines (and cleared up clumsy FBI terminology).
THE FIVE OPTIONS OF A VICTIM: (see the resource box for more details):
1. Postures: presenting itself as a difficult target (predators prefer easy prey). If that doesn’t work:
two. running away, the most obvious option, might not be possible. No:
3. outwit: verbally defusing a confrontation and maneuvering to escape. If that doesn’t work:
Four. surrender and hoping for the best; or preferably as a prelude to an escape, perhaps aided by:
5. struggle like a rabid dog to allow his escape. Stun and run.
It’s impossible to fully anticipate the panicked chaos of a sudden threat that forces you to make split-second life and death decisions. However, understand your options now will help your intuition to choose an option after.
IMPROVING YOUR OPTIONS
Pepper spray and a visibly ready rattle will greatly improve your first choice (posing as a tough target) and will likely deter a predator immediately. Your fifth option, Fighting, has also been improved.
In the end, however, Kitty Genovese’s tragic fate ultimately helped drive your to a greater understanding of the dynamics and choices within an all too common nightmare: a lonely woman facing a monster. Now you know how to rescue yourself.
All rights reserved – Copyright 2008
