The bystander effect

Last month, social media was abuzz with the video of a woman being violently beaten at Benazir Bhutto Airport while a crowd looked on. One of the bystanders appears to be an official who is supposed to protect others, yet not a finger is lifted in the woman’s defence. Does the incident highlight a deeper malaise in the nation that is used to being a bystander to a tragedy? Or, is it an isolated incident that is an aberration and not the rule?

The bystander effect in social psychology refers to a response observed in people in crowds, if a situation arises requiring intervention by strangers then only a few are likely to respond. The reason for such apathy is diffusion of responsibility.

In a society that so often takes pride in being a follower of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and goes to great lengths to prove their love for him such lack of empathy is striking. Especially when his teaching regarding justice is taught from a very early age: stop an injustice if you see it, either by hand or by verbally opposing it, or by knowing it is wrong in your heart and that is the lowest level of faith. Where justice is considered the area of expertise of a select few, the above teaching directly relates to altruism and social behavior to be expected in any moral and empathic society.



This is a grave situation that requires to be remedied. While one does not often react to a situation as one expects to, the passivity needs to be changed to altruism and a concern for fellow human beings that crosses identity barriers or exclusive criteria for those whom one is related to. Steps to overcome a mass murder of compassion can be avoided by taking a few steps in this direction.

First, the buck stops with the media. By rushing to disaster sites and airing live videos of tragic deaths and calamities the audience has been programmed to expect such footage and indulge in sadistic voyeurism. The request by media channels to send videos of disasters and then taking pride in being the first to broadcast encourages people to make a spectacle of someone else’s misery. Responsible journalism that sensitizes people is needed.

Second, actively promoting values that inculcate conscientiousness, social  responsibility, empathy and above all respect for others is the need of the hour.Third, school-wide programmes that teach students the power the bystander holds by being an active altruist rather than a passive onlooker must be taught.



From a very early age exposure to direct or indirect bullying can either thwart a child’s ability to stand up for himself or his peers or it can reinforce the potential to become a perpetrator. Programmes that address bullying and teach children to avoid becoming a silent spectator are needed. Moreover, such programmes need to address cyberbullying as well since youth suffer from this growing trend more than other strata of the population. The consequences of this can be as grave as suicidal ideation or attempted suicide for others.

A society in which people look the other way when they witness a wron gdoing or are simply too passive to react needs to ask itself some hard questions: if it does not stand up for a victim of aggression then what does its morality stand for? If the tolerance level has stooped to such an extent that the wailing and crying of a woman in as public a place as an airport does not compel people to respond in a befitting manner and such videos are shared and watched then where are we headed?

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2017.

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