A human response question

[Chin_Lee]

Numerous factors would dictate my actions in that situation. If I was with my family, my first priority would be their safety and getting them off that bus - even if it meant opening the window and lowering/throwing them off the bus. Which would then put me in the situation where if I was by myself. Then it really depends when I realize what is actually happening. IF I was sitting in the vicinity when Mr. Crazy started stabbing the poor victim, I would have intervened knowing that the victim would still have a good likelihood of surviving if my intervention stopped the continuation of bodily harm. However if I was a distance away from the incident and by the time I realized what was happening is beyond the point of no return, there is little sense or logic to try to disarm the suspect. At that point, you minimize the loss and isolate the danger (aka get the hell of that bus and keep the freak on the bus)
I feel so bad for the family of the victim - how do you ever prepare for something like this?

[mark]

Freak has a foot long knife, has basically already killed one guy on a dark bus, self preservation is nothing to be ashamed of.

[EmilyB]

Run.

[superduperwesman]

I think people are just wired differently. My mother runs TO danger. My father has said it numerous times... people scream or something seems suspect and my mother goes in for a closer look. "Look he has a gun" and my mother is trying to find out who.



In this instance I don't know if there was even time to stop and determine if the guy was too far gone or if stepping in would help... Some things you can't prepare for and when those things happen it's all about how your wired and instinct. There is no time to think, or break down the scenario and when it's something that serious I think most people instinctively kick into self preservation mode.Family can change your wiring like someone else also mentioned... when in prior instances people have actually ran now they frantically protect their child first.

And at the end of the day hypotheticals don't matter because they are exactly that... hypothetical. People can knock the ones on the bus all they want but they weren't there so really, they don't know and they never will until it happens to them.. and lets all hope it never ever does.

[woodcarver]

Without meaning to offend the previous posters and out of respect for the family ,who are now the true victims of this outrage ,I believe this thread should end and be removed by the moderators. At best it is speculation about the unknowable with no perceived benefit.
.................Dave

[superduperwesman]

Every question, every argument, every discussion in life either reinforces what you already know or makes you realize you were wrong. Either way you are better off. This is why I think no discussion should ever be feared.

As for the familys I'd assume they'd be happy to know that people are effected, and disgusted enough to talk about it. They day people don't talk about things like this, is the day they stop caring. That will be a sad day.

Should we also burn all the news papers?

[midgetwaiter]

The first rule of self defense is run if you can. It's even more true when you are caught unaware like that situation, nobody saw it coming.

I read a lot of the same things the OP did and it was pretty silly, trying to take a knife from somebody is hard to do. Trying to take him in a bus where there's no room to move and no advantage to be gained is insane. Those people are going to have to live with the results of their choice for the rest of their lives but they made the right one.

[bassman]

The people did what you know was the right thing to do. They joined together to form one and controlled the situation.

[dsaundry]

Respect........
Without meaning to offend the previous posters and out of respect for the family ,who are now the true victims of this outrage ,I believe this thread should end and be removed by the moderators. At best it is speculation about the unknowable with no perceived benefit.
.................Dave

I was a little hesitant to post this thread.This thread was not started with any disrespect to the family of the young man. This was started as a discussion about human reaction. This type of act can happen anywhere and anytime, that is the world we live in. Many people dont want to face this fact sometimes and take a "bury their head in the sand" route. As for the family of the young man, my deepest condolences go out to them. I can't imagine the pain they are going through. I repeat, this thread was started not to point any blame at anyone. It was started to ask people to think about a reaction they might or might not take in any situation that puts them or someone else in harms way. If starting this thread offends you in any way, I apologize to you, but I personally believe that any discussion so long as it doesnt get offensive is a good discussion.
Darryl

[Der_Iron_Chef]

Everything you think you know or think you would do flies out the window the instant a crazed psychopath starts stabbing away in the dark. I can't imagine beginning to criticize people for running *away*. I know they tried to re-enter the bus to help, but were unable.