Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Bike Riders and Bystanders

TikTok video reveals complexity of social phenomenon

Psychology’s Bystander Effect Theory got a bit of a workout on August 5th, when TikTok user OnlyOneXBox posted a video to TikTok showing a thief stealing a woman’s bicycle in broad daylight and walking off with it, even as she screams for help from those around her. Bystander Effect states when there is only one bystander, the sense of personal responsibility is strong, while multiple bystanders create a diffusion of responsibility and ultimately, inaction. As it happened, SD on the QT was on the scene, and while we didn’t intervene, we did ask the people on the video about their refusal to help. Clockwise from upper left: 1. Man steals woman’s bicycle while she screams for help. 2. Woman walking dog refuses to help. “Bike people are the worst. Entitled jerks who act like cars when they want to, and pedestrians when it suits them. One of them almost hit my dog the other day, and had the audacity to yell at me.” 3. Coffee couple refuses to help. “Gotta figure the thief is homeless, stealing the bike for one of those sidewalk chop shops. If that’s the case, I’m pretty sure he needs it more than she does. Plus, how do we know he’s not the real owner, stealing it back? Are you assuming he’s the thief because he’s black? Are you racist?” 4. Man on porch refuses to help. “Dude, look at the sign right next to me: ‘No Loitering.’ And there I am, loitering. You think I wanna get involved and have to deal with the cops?”
Psychology’s Bystander Effect Theory got a bit of a workout on August 5th, when TikTok user OnlyOneXBox posted a video to TikTok showing a thief stealing a woman’s bicycle in broad daylight and walking off with it, even as she screams for help from those around her. Bystander Effect states when there is only one bystander, the sense of personal responsibility is strong, while multiple bystanders create a diffusion of responsibility and ultimately, inaction. As it happened, SD on the QT was on the scene, and while we didn’t intervene, we did ask the people on the video about their refusal to help. Clockwise from upper left: 1. Man steals woman’s bicycle while she screams for help. 2. Woman walking dog refuses to help. “Bike people are the worst. Entitled jerks who act like cars when they want to, and pedestrians when it suits them. One of them almost hit my dog the other day, and had the audacity to yell at me.” 3. Coffee couple refuses to help. “Gotta figure the thief is homeless, stealing the bike for one of those sidewalk chop shops. If that’s the case, I’m pretty sure he needs it more than she does. Plus, how do we know he’s not the real owner, stealing it back? Are you assuming he’s the thief because he’s black? Are you racist?” 4. Man on porch refuses to help. “Dude, look at the sign right next to me: ‘No Loitering.’ And there I am, loitering. You think I wanna get involved and have to deal with the cops?”
Sponsored
Sponsored

Psychology’s Bystander Effect Theory got a bit of a workout on August 5th, when TikTok user OnlyOneXBox posted a video showing a thief stealing a woman’s bicycle in broad daylight and walking off with it, even as she screams for help from those around her. Bystander Effect states when there is only one bystander, the sense of personal responsibility is strong, while multiple bystanders create a diffusion of responsibility and ultimately, inaction. As it happened, SD on the QT was on the scene, and while we didn’t intervene, we did ask the people on the video about their refusal to help. Clockwise from upper left: 1. Man steals woman’s bicycle while she screams for help. 2. Woman walking dog: “Bike people are the worst. Entitled jerks who act like cars when they want to, and pedestrians when it suits them. One of them almost hit my dog the other day, and had the audacity to yell at me.” 3. Coffee couple: “Gotta figure the thief is homeless, stealing the bike for one of those sidewalk chop shops. If that’s the case, I’m pretty sure he needs it more than she does. Plus, how do we know he’s not the real owner, stealing it back? Are you assuming he’s the thief because he’s black? Are you racist?” 4. Man on porch:. “Dude, look at the sign right next to me: ‘No Loitering.’ And there I am, loitering. You think I wanna get involved and have to deal with the cops?”

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

SD Symphony singer tells what it’s like behind the scenes

Conductor Payare even looks like Mahler
Psychology’s Bystander Effect Theory got a bit of a workout on August 5th, when TikTok user OnlyOneXBox posted a video to TikTok showing a thief stealing a woman’s bicycle in broad daylight and walking off with it, even as she screams for help from those around her. Bystander Effect states when there is only one bystander, the sense of personal responsibility is strong, while multiple bystanders create a diffusion of responsibility and ultimately, inaction. As it happened, SD on the QT was on the scene, and while we didn’t intervene, we did ask the people on the video about their refusal to help. Clockwise from upper left: 1. Man steals woman’s bicycle while she screams for help. 2. Woman walking dog refuses to help. “Bike people are the worst. Entitled jerks who act like cars when they want to, and pedestrians when it suits them. One of them almost hit my dog the other day, and had the audacity to yell at me.” 3. Coffee couple refuses to help. “Gotta figure the thief is homeless, stealing the bike for one of those sidewalk chop shops. If that’s the case, I’m pretty sure he needs it more than she does. Plus, how do we know he’s not the real owner, stealing it back? Are you assuming he’s the thief because he’s black? Are you racist?” 4. Man on porch refuses to help. “Dude, look at the sign right next to me: ‘No Loitering.’ And there I am, loitering. You think I wanna get involved and have to deal with the cops?”
Psychology’s Bystander Effect Theory got a bit of a workout on August 5th, when TikTok user OnlyOneXBox posted a video to TikTok showing a thief stealing a woman’s bicycle in broad daylight and walking off with it, even as she screams for help from those around her. Bystander Effect states when there is only one bystander, the sense of personal responsibility is strong, while multiple bystanders create a diffusion of responsibility and ultimately, inaction. As it happened, SD on the QT was on the scene, and while we didn’t intervene, we did ask the people on the video about their refusal to help. Clockwise from upper left: 1. Man steals woman’s bicycle while she screams for help. 2. Woman walking dog refuses to help. “Bike people are the worst. Entitled jerks who act like cars when they want to, and pedestrians when it suits them. One of them almost hit my dog the other day, and had the audacity to yell at me.” 3. Coffee couple refuses to help. “Gotta figure the thief is homeless, stealing the bike for one of those sidewalk chop shops. If that’s the case, I’m pretty sure he needs it more than she does. Plus, how do we know he’s not the real owner, stealing it back? Are you assuming he’s the thief because he’s black? Are you racist?” 4. Man on porch refuses to help. “Dude, look at the sign right next to me: ‘No Loitering.’ And there I am, loitering. You think I wanna get involved and have to deal with the cops?”
Sponsored
Sponsored

Psychology’s Bystander Effect Theory got a bit of a workout on August 5th, when TikTok user OnlyOneXBox posted a video showing a thief stealing a woman’s bicycle in broad daylight and walking off with it, even as she screams for help from those around her. Bystander Effect states when there is only one bystander, the sense of personal responsibility is strong, while multiple bystanders create a diffusion of responsibility and ultimately, inaction. As it happened, SD on the QT was on the scene, and while we didn’t intervene, we did ask the people on the video about their refusal to help. Clockwise from upper left: 1. Man steals woman’s bicycle while she screams for help. 2. Woman walking dog: “Bike people are the worst. Entitled jerks who act like cars when they want to, and pedestrians when it suits them. One of them almost hit my dog the other day, and had the audacity to yell at me.” 3. Coffee couple: “Gotta figure the thief is homeless, stealing the bike for one of those sidewalk chop shops. If that’s the case, I’m pretty sure he needs it more than she does. Plus, how do we know he’s not the real owner, stealing it back? Are you assuming he’s the thief because he’s black? Are you racist?” 4. Man on porch:. “Dude, look at the sign right next to me: ‘No Loitering.’ And there I am, loitering. You think I wanna get involved and have to deal with the cops?”

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Will Trump’s Baja resort be built after all?

Long-stalled development sparks art exhibit, gets new life
Next Article

How to make a hit Christmas song

Feeling is key, but money helps too
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader