why on earth did all those people just stand around and watch it happen? A sad commentary on how cowardly we’ve become.
Who are we to say that stabbing someone to death is wrong? It may acceptable in some cultures.
In the mid 1970's I was returning to work from lunch. The office was in Boston's Back Bay, an upscale neighborhood. I walked up to a crowd of about 40 people standing on the sidewalk next to the Arlington Street Church. I asked why the crowd was there. A voice replied they just watched a woman get raped in the bushes.
I think its more the norm for people to watch but not get involved. Growing up, I remember constantly hearing the mythical story about some Samaritan intervening in a dispute between a man and a woman to only have both turn their wrath against the Samaritan.
“why on earth did all those people just stand around and watch it happen? A sad commentary on how cowardly we’ve become.”
You don’t know the facts. It could have happened so suddenly that no one could have stopped it from happening. Who pays that much attention to a waitress, especially when you are with your kids on vacation? Several did give chase, so I think it is just plain wrong to call them cowards.
I've actually seen someone stabbed to death in a crowded bar. It's amazing how fast it can happen, and no one had any chance to stop it. The perp did the deed and was just a blur running out the door. Everyone was shocked, it happened so fast and there was no chance for anyone to stop him or chase him down to catch him.
It's a credit to the employees who chased this guy out of there. I doubt anyone could have saved her or caught a guy who was armed with a knife.
That's why cops use the 21 foot distance rule in reacting to a person with a knife. (Generally, if a person with a knife in his/her hand is within 21 feet, they can get you before you can draw and shoot them.)
To a casual observer, knifings often look like someone is getting punched.
Very sad. Hope they catch the ba***rd.
Probably happened very fast with no warning. Most people are not capable of responding to such instant violence. You could probably walk into 100 Denny’s and do the same thing with the same result. Hench - have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
Clearly, there were a lot of people who didn’t stand around and let it happen. A couple of stabs can happen before nearby people are even aware that anything is happening. Some of the people reacted to the event such that the man ran out of his shoe to get away.
I didn't get that impression from the article. I suspect it was a blitz attack (the stabbing, not necessarily their arguing), and I doubt people had the time to intervene. Think of the shock and the pause necessary to process "did I just see what I think I saw?" The fact that a number of patrons chased the guy shows that they were not cowards. I take that as a good sign.
Too fast. The most somebody could do was tackle him as he ran out, and that would be if they even noticed something was happening which they might not if nobody was yelling.
“why on earth did all those people just stand around and watch it happen?” ............ Because they were unarmed tourists? Chances are, if it was around early bird special time for “local” seniors, someone would have pulled a gun to stop it.
Same reason they stand around and fail to point out your capitalization error.
They didn’t. It says several people got up and stopped him. But certainly you don’t think anybody is going to bew able to stop the first few knife swings, people wouldn’t even be watching the couple until there were screams.
A few years ago my family and I were eating in an Old Country Buffet. A guy walked in, and I happened to notice he seemed out of place because of his dress. Plus he was rock-solid, like a body-builder.
Anyway, a little bit later he’s got a waitress in his arms and he’s running out of the store. Nobody moved, for a moment. I got up about the time he got outside and threw her against a wall.
Me and two other guys caught up to him just after he threw him in a van. Fortunately, nothing more happened to her. One of the guys was the store manager, and he got a little too in the guy’s face and the guy hit him a few times. I intervened but kept my back to the guy to do so and he didn’t hit me.
Anyway, my point is I think we acted pretty quickly, but if he had a knife she could easily have been dead before we got out the door.
One stab to the right place and it would all be over. Since it sounds like he was chased, I doubt people just stood by and watched. It probably took a few seconds to register what was happening and then react. By then it could have been to late.
Imagine you’re sitting there, hear the commotion, look up, realize what’s happening, jump up, race over.....uh, too late, he’s racing out the door!
Some things just happen to fast to react.
I’ve reached to catch a falling person, but gravity is pretty fast.