EP 122: Kitty Genovese and the Bystander Effect

Hashtag History

This week on Hashtag History, we will be discussing Kitty Genovese and the Bystander Effect. This is the story of a woman who was murdered outside of an apartment building in a highly populated area of New York and -- despite the fact that dozens of people witnessed the murder -- not a single one called the police. This is a story that has circulated for decades.

The Bystander Effect which essentially says that humans -- when in the presence of others -- are less likely to step up and take responsibility themselves. That, when in a group setting, if we think others also witnessed a crime or witnessed someone in need, we are less likely to actually do something about it because we just assume someone else will.

It would later be revealed though that this egregious story of Kitty Genovese’s horrendous murder -- and the 38 witnesses that allegedly saw the murder and did nothing about it -- has actually been grossly overexaggerated. More recent investigations have found that there are several inaccuracies with the original account and the original story that spread throughout the media.

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- Rachel and Leah