The Bystander Effect

Just recently my friend called me on the phone and was very frantic. I then told her to calm down and tell me what happened. She finally gathered her thoughts and began to explain to me exactly what just occured. She was at Shell gas station and had just begun to pump her gas when out of nowhere her crazy ex-boyfriend appears. She did not know where he had come from and how long he had been there, but next thing she knows he is coming at her full force cursing and screaming at her. Saying how she is crazy for leaving him and that she needs to take him back and make things right. She tells him no and to get away from her and he did not like her response. He then grabs her and tries to throw her in his car. She now screaming at this point telling him to put her down and somebody please help. This is a bright sunny saturday and there are lots of people at the gas station watching this whole scene unfold and still nobody attempts to help her. They tussle for awhile and she some how gets free jumps in her car and drives off. This is prime example of the Bystander effect because there were all these people standing around watching this and nobody tried to see if she was ok or if she needed help of any sort. They just pumped their gas and was on their merry way. Now if she would have been kidnapped or brutally hurt those same people would have felt horrible to have witnessed the whole thing and did nothing to help.