What they say, what they do

[gregimotis]

I first saw this video on CNN last week. It shows an off-duty cop beating the crap out of a female bartender.
While showing the video, CNN flashed a poll they had taken asking whether the respondent would get involved or not. The poll had come back 93% yes, 8% no.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=b5RI8_1BSiY

Yet here in the video, one person at the bar walks around doing (?), the other steps back and maybe calls 911 or something on his cell: Both doing nothing to actually help while the attacker hauls off pounding the woman on the floor. Eventually two people come out from the back but even they don't do much - Looks like the attacker leaves of his own accord.


So 90% of people say they would help, 50% actually do, and of those the 'help' is the minimum possible.

[DickHardman]

you have to keep in mind, watching that story and voting on the poll on your laptop while you sit on your couch eating pizza and drinking coca cola while your gf rubs your shoulders is way different then actually being there in that coffee shop and seeing a cop go nuts(who could have been armed as well, and maybe the people didnt interfere for fear of being shot) and pummel a waitress.

[Sagacious Lu]

It's easy to talk about how tough you would have been after it's all over, and no one wants to admit they'd crap their pants and do nothing even if it's true. I like to think I'd have dented the guy's skull with a bar stool, but then again everyone's a quarterback on monday morning.

[kingoftheforest]

You have to asses a situation like this carefully.

I was at a 7-11 one morning 3am to be exact. I had just got off of work at a eatery I worked at (Subway). I was 19 at the time.

I came out of the 7-11 to find a guy beating the crap out of a woman in the parking lot, From all his yelling I could tell it was his girlfriend.

I stepped in grabbed him by the back of the shirt and attempted to restrain him. While I was busy with Mr. Manners his old lady grabbed a pallet board from the ground and begins to beat the crap out of ME with it.

The whole time this crazy chick is yelling at me to stop hurting her man. I shoved him off me and created some distance between me and her.

I then sprinted back into the 7-11 and the attendant had called 9-11.

I am not saying to just let someone get beat but make sure you know whats going on before you do it. In the case of this video I don't the bartender would have been upset if someone would have subdued or knocked the crap out of this guy.

But like several people have pointed out it's easy to say what you would do, but until your there........?

[WildWest.]

KOTF, never get mixed up in a domestic.

[bigboywasim]

Ok so he is a drunk cop with a gun I will just call the police but if he has no gun I will kick his ass. I can not see women and children get beat.

[kingoftheforest]

Yeah it got FUBAR real fast. I tend to stay away from domestic squabbles, unless some one is obviously going to die, then I'd feel obligated to take action.

[WildWest.]

The extreme, like you mentioned should always be the exception. In the scenario you witnessed, it sounds like calling the cops would have been the best option. But I wasn't there so reserve judgment.

[dogzilla]

If i say, i realy dont know what would i have done, probably would just standing there from shock.... :O btw i dont anyone would know he is an off duty cop, right? he didnt had a badge or something on... So yes, maybe some would go on him and later find out he is a cop or something...

[Garland]

I first saw this video on CNN last week. It shows an off-duty cop beating the crap out of a female bartender.

That brings up an interesting question...what are the repercussions of restraining and possibly hurting an off duty cop? How about if you have to get to the point where you apply lethal self defense solutions such as shooting him in the face?


What about a uniformed, on-duty cop raping a chick? It happens. It happened to a friend of mine. I'd LIKE to think if I was there, I'd give that 21 foot rule a good college try. I know I've made the choice to pummel or draw weapons on people in the past, and in each of the three cases I've drawn a weapon on somebody, it was over them threatening or attempting some level of sexual or physical assault on a girl.

But I'm fucked up and crazy. A moderate amount of suicidal ideation, and a bizarro ethics code...sure, I'd kill somebody (in the case of rape or murder) and spend the rest of my life in jail, or be killed in the process of trying to defend the life of some woman I don't know...

but that's because I've already justified it in my head. I don't know how I'd live with myself if I didn't respond in that way. Talk about incongruence...my actions wouldn't match up to my concept of self, my ethics, and I'd be haunted daily by guilt...I'm guessing that if I didn't respond to a situation like that...I'd probably end up in a lockdown psych unit with all of my clothes taken away and wrapped up in a buritto suit.

How worthless would I be if I didn't do something? Dante said that the worst parts of Hell are reserved for inherently good men who stand by as bad things happen...and I'm sure I'd create that for myself. That's a benefit of being raised with old fashioned Catholic guilt---it keeps your shit honest.

[DickHardman]

That brings up an interesting question...what are the repercussions of restraining and possibly hurting an off duty cop? How about if you have to get to the point where you apply lethal self defense solutions such as shooting him in the face?


What about a uniformed, on-duty cop raping a chick? It happens. It happened to a friend of mine. I'd LIKE to think if I was there, I'd give that 21 foot rule a good college try. I know I've made the choice to pummel or draw weapons on people in the past, and in each of the three cases I've drawn a weapon on somebody, it was over them threatening or attempting some level of sexual or physical assault on a girl.

But I'm fucked up and crazy. A moderate amount of suicidal ideation, and a bizarro ethics code...sure, I'd kill somebody (in the case of rape or murder) and spend the rest of my life in jail, or be killed in the process of trying to defend the life of some woman I don't know...

but that's because I've already justified it in my head. I don't know how I'd live with myself if I didn't respond in that way. Talk about incongruence...my actions wouldn't match up to my concept of self, my ethics, and I'd be haunted daily by guilt...I'm guessing that if I didn't respond to a situation like that...I'd probably end up in a lockdown psych unit with all of my clothes taken away and wrapped up in a buritto suit.

How worthless would I be if I didn't do something? Dante said that the worst parts of Hell are reserved for inherently good men who stand by as bad things happen...and I'm sure I'd create that for myself. That's a benefit of being raised with old fashioned Catholic guilt---it keeps your shit honest.

just chill dude; you will be ok.

[treelizard]

Just got around to watching this. I guess that's why you get training--so that you'll be able to deal with situations like that when they come up.

Also, don't work at bars without security.

[lorenzodamarith]

hello,

garland brings up a good point.

if you know the assailant to be a cop, what would you do. cops can know the assailant is guilty as sin,

but if you attack a cop.......

"we commend this body to the ground".... because he fell....

thanks.

[DickHardman]

my 8th grade teacher said she once saw a woman screaming and running down the street trying to get away from a man running after. so she stops her car and picks up the woman and floors it. unfortunately for her, she had just picked up a prostitute running away from an undercover cop arresting her luckily the cops were understanding when they pulled her over a while later and didnt book her for helping a fugitive. but these things happen i guess.

[Thai Bri]

In my experience the guys who claim most loudly that they would step in are the guys who find the urgent need to go to the toilet when trouble starts.

Where is Troll Virus by the way?