I thought we were better

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

We snort at the American Culture that nobody wants to get involved when things happen in their neighborhood. We as Canadians take a lot of pride in how nice we are and willing to help their fellow man or neighbors or whatever.

You're looking at this the exact opposite way you should be looking at it and the people nodding their heads along with you are doing the same.

This event is completely indicative of Canadian culture, you're right, but it is YOU representing it. Not a few nobodies who maybe didn't know the situation and maybe thought 'hey, he's got it.' It's YOU.

People aren't inherently jerks. You did a good thing. You're walking evidence it's not true so don't pretend it is.

Thanks for stopping. You did a good thing.

[HarryH93]

I hate when people don't do anything to help a fellow human being.

I had an encounter at an LRT station once where people helped out and it was nice to see. A group of teenagers were surrounding another kid and at first I thought nothing of it. Then they started pushing this kid as he turned his back and walked away. As soon as the Ctrain door opened, the guy walked in and one of the losers harassing him swung at the back of his head and literally knocked him out. This kid was lying flat on his face in the door of the Ctrain.

The guy who hit him fled, and thankfully a bunch of people gathered around the victim to help him out. I followed the attacker who was now casually strolling through the parking lot thinking he made it safe. I was on my phone with CPS and giving them a description while watching him (he had a rainbow muscle shirt on and orange hair, hard not to spot this guy). I gave them his location minute-by-minute, and then I got to watch a police car pull up and take care of him.

I looked back at the LRT and there was still a huge group of people catering to the kid lying down just as an ambulance arrived. There are caring people and selfish ones, that goes without saying.

[heep223]

I was once in a situation where someone may or may not have been in real trouble - and I didn't stop to find out. I didn't think much of it at the time and it wasn't an intentional thing, it just didn't enter my selfish mind to see if they were ok. In hindsight I should absolutely have stopped and it haunts me to this day.

I have since vowed to always stop to help or check in with people. I will not make that mistake again.

[Swarly]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

....
I want to add that when I was talking to 9/11 they had mentioned that someone had phoned in a tip earlier about this guy lying on the road, but nobody clearly came out to check on him.

....

I don't understand this part, someone called it in earlier but police and ambulance just never checked it out?

Unless I saw something happen to the guy, I would just call it in to police too then continue on home. If I stopped for every passed out drunk, incoherent, homeless person on my walk from work I would never make it home at night.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Swarly

I don't understand this part, someone called it in earlier but police and ambulance just never checked it out?

Unless I saw something happen to the guy, I would just call it in to police too then continue on home. If I stopped for every passed out drunk, incoherent, homeless person on my walk from work I would never make it home at night.

From my understanding when I talked to the 9/11 person, they had called about 20 or 30 minutes before me, and the police were dispatched.

The guy was in the middle of the drive way or lane, right by the sidewalk. It was dark, he's lucky he wasn't run over, I wasn't going to move him because I wasn't sure if he handn't been hit once already and was injured.

One of his shoes was off, and his keys were lying away from him.

I've always been trained not to move a person until EMS or the police get there.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Swarly

I don't understand this part, someone called it in earlier but police and ambulance just never checked it out?



Unless I saw something happen to the guy, I would just call it in to police too then continue on home. If I stopped for every passed out drunk, incoherent, homeless person on my walk from work I would never make it home at night.

It's possible it was called in as "there is a guy passed out in front of our building." Given the above zero temperatures that would be a lower priority call than the details cc gave.

I'd post a note still- reminding people that was a human being you were trying to make sure didn't get hit by another vehicle. Tell them thanks for honking at me for helping- Merry Christmas!

[DownInFlames]

I pulled a drunk guy out of the gutter once. I helped him to a bench in front of the bar I assume he stumbled out of, while he called me a f****** and tried to throw a punch at me. I'd do it again though because it's the decent thing to do.

Good on you, Captain.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

So I was driving home last night, and was waiting to turn into my building complex, and I saw cars turning in and doing a sharp swing around what I thought was a bundle of rags lying in the middle of the entry way. Then proceeding to their parking spots and walking into their homes. When it came time for me to turn in, I stopped and looked down and it was a guy, obviously inebriated passed out right in the entrance way.

I got out of my car to check on him and flipped on my hazard lights to make sure that nobody hit him, and I checked on him.

Whether he was loaded and been hit by a car, I don't know, his one shoe was flung off and about 6 feet away and his keys were on the ground.

He wasn't dressed well, and he was mumbling and shouting incoherently.

Then I had people behind me honking their horns at me to move. Fine I made them wait and pulled into a parking spot and then walked back and stood in the drive way to shield him while I called 9/11.

People kept going past me and parking and going into their houses, not one person came over to check in.

Long story short, the police showed up, then an ambulance, and took him away.

We snort at the American Culture that nobody wants to get involved when things happen in their neighborhood. We as Canadians take a lot of pride in how nice we are and willing to help their fellow man or neighbors or whatever.

But I can't get the image out of my head of people driving by this poor guy and going home and not getting involved.

Its pretty shameful.

I do want to shout out to the police who showed up within 5 minutes and were very professional with this person, but couldn't understand a word that he was saying. But once they were there, and they asked me a few quick questions, they told me that I could go, and I did. I also want to shout out to the 9/11 operator who was not only very professional, but kept asking me if I was safe.

I want to add that when I was talking to 9/11 they had mentioned that someone had phoned in a tip earlier about this guy lying on the road, but nobody clearly came out to check on him.

But at Christmas time, I felt a bit ashamed of my neighbors. We can't keep driving by things and ignoring things that might be disturbing or inconvenient.

I agree with you, and good on you for acting but I still believe this is far more prevalent in America than here. I know it, and would bet on it. Still, inexcusable here. Anywhere.

I've been in many of those situations where people are too scared to act, or too ignorant to act. Weird kinda group think there.

Good job CC. The more you do that, the more you change the world around you. I'm sure a few at the end took notice of your example.

[calgarywinning]

People persona's seem to change when they are in vehicles. The level of aggression is extreme. If he were on a street with foot traffic would other people have stopped to help
?

[Winnie]

Originally Posted by DownInFlames

I pulled a drunk guy out of the gutter once. I helped him to a bench in front of the bar I assume he stumbled out of, while he called me a f****** and tried to throw a punch at me. I'd do it again though because it's the decent thing to do.

Good on you, Captain.

Yeah, it can be a tough call. On two different occasions downtown I stopped to help people who obviously needed it, and both times ended up dodging punches. Would probably do the same thing again as it was more instinctual, but you can't blame people for being hesitant.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by calgarywinning

People persona's seem to change when they are in vehicles. The level of aggression is extreme. If he were on a street with foot traffic would other people have stopped to help
?

This is my guess as well, there is in fact a specific field of psychology called Traffic Psychology, as indeed there is a behavioral change in people when secluded inside a vehicle.

[savemedrzaius]

I find it funny how so many Canadians think we are so polite and kind. I don't think it is very true.

Personally everytime I've been to the States and have talked to the waitressess, gas attendants, random people I always end up thinking how friendly and kind Americans are.

[savemedrzaius]

Posted twice!