We encourage our children to stand up against bullies. “If you see something, say something” has become a mantra for everything from bullying to terrorism. We want to believe we live in a place of community, where people care about one another. This social experiment proved otherwise.
A Swedish group, STHLM Panda, decided to do a social experiment to see how people would react to domestic abuse going on right next to them. Here is what they did and why they did it: “Abused in the Elevator is a Social experiment where we placed hidden cameras in an elevator. We acted out a scene were the “boyfriend” beat and threatens his girlfriend. We’re hoping to spread awareness that you do something instead of nothing. This could be YOUR neighbor who is in a very neglected relationship.”
Unfortunately the results were heartbreaking. 53 people got into the elevator and saw this behavior; 1 person said something, ONE. The group told The Guardian, “Most of the lift’s passengers ignored the abuse, with one woman saying: “I’m here too. Please let me get off first.” Only one intervened. “I’m gonna call the police if you touch her again,” she said.”
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, “domestic violence is the willful intimidation, physical assault, battery, sexual assault, and/or other abusive behavior as part of a systematic pattern of power and control perpetrated by one intimate partner against another.”
What would you do? What would you say if you saw this type of abuse happening in an elevator right next to you? Aren’t we supposed to help those in need? This girl was obviously in need, why didn’t anyone care?
