A little while ago, as I was catching up on the news (as I do everyday), an interesting article on an experiment caught my eye and it got me thinking about what would I have done in a similar situation?
In this experiment in Orlando, Florida, they set up a girl to be “missing”. They put posters all over a mall, and the girl was actually sitting just beyond the entrance of the mall. Many people would see the “missing girl” posters on their way in…then see the girl…and just walk past her (noticing it’s the girl in the poster). Some would see the posters, and not even notice the girl and others, they wouldn’t even notice the posters and/or the girl at all. Across from the bench where the girl was sitting, the girl’s father was sitting nearby keeping an eye out for her and producers were walking around her undercover for her safety (and extra camera’s were installed as well). Surprisingly, of the many people who walked by her and noticed her, only two people walked up to her to see if she was okay and one woman went to a nearby store to ask for the security.
Reading the article, and then watching the video on the experiment got me thinking. Would I have even noticed the girl? Many, if not most of us, hardly ever seem to notice our surroundings because we are too caught up in our own things. If I had noticed her, would I have taken any actions? Like mentioned in the video, even if I did notice the girl, I too probably would have been hesitant to get involved in the situation… because you just never know. But isn’t the safety of a child worth that risk?
Click here to watch the video. If it doesn’t work, Click here to get to the article, and there is a link on the right side to watch the video.
