Althouse: "We want to see if regular people walking down the street would be willing to help someone who appeared to be overdosing."

May 9, 2017

"We want to see if regular people walking down the street would be willing to help someone who appeared to be overdosing."

“And if they were willing to help, would they be able to help?”

27 comments:

traditionalguy said...: First go through their pockets for cash, more drugs and take their jewelry to support your "habit"...no, not that...you must remember you are not a self absorbed addict like them.; 5/9/17, 7:49 AM
MisterBuddwing said...: Do Good Samaritan laws come into consideration? (What if the attempt to help the person is, for whatever reason, botched to the point it does more harm than good?); 5/9/17, 7:50 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: My question is, if I'm lying on the sidewalk with a throbbing erection, how many young women will stop and administer a blow-job?

It's about Community.

I am Laslo.; 5/9/17, 7:56 AM
gspencer said...: I might be willing to help, but only after I KNOW to a certainty that that state has really, really beefed-up its Good Samaritan Statute so that I have as much immunity that the typical Democrat politician or Democrat office holder gets for their outrageous but immunized conduct. You know, like the Hillary Standard. Sell what you don't own, oh lets say parts of American sovereignty, and get rich. But suffer no adverse consequences. You know, that kinda immunity.; 5/9/17, 7:58 AM
Wince said...: Instead of "regular people walking" I'd much rather see if a rich liberal politician stops his or her chauffeured car to help someone who appeared to be overdosing.; 5/9/17, 8:13 AM
MisterBuddwing said...: Instead of "regular people walking" I'd much rather see if a rich liberal politician stops his or her chauffeured car to help someone who appeared to be overdosing.

Implying that a rich conservative politician wouldn't hesitate to leap from his or her limo to help?

Or are you implying that neither would help, but that the liberal would be the hypocrite?; 5/9/17, 8:17 AM
Fernandinande said...: Unspoken assumption: junkies who OD on the street should be alive.; 5/9/17, 8:56 AM
Fernandinande said...: MisterBuddwing said...
Or are you implying that neither would help, but that the liberal would be the hypocrite?

A non-helping liberal would not be hypocritical because most of the "opioid" deaths are to the evil and privileged white males.; 5/9/17, 9:01 AM
Fernandinande said...: Of course white males don't OD on the street, they OD in their penthouses overlooking the park where the non-white non-males OD.; 5/9/17, 9:03 AM
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Daniel Jackson said...: Ah yes, the Bystander Intervention Problem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect

Darley and Latane did a lot of work on this starting in 1968. Normally, we cannot expect people to intervene in situations where there are a lot of other bystanders (doing nothing) and the individual does not feel "empowered." So, here we have a program that empowers people to administer aide in a CPR kind of way, if only to call 911. A practical application of some social psychology.

The photographs for the story, however, are a trip in themselves. Eric Jacobs takes two excellent portraits of two women (empowered, of course) using one softbox flash to the upper left, and two flat images of two store owners with mixed feelings about the project. I guess the petites bourgeoisie do not merit a pro shot. Only the Empowered merit the Spot Light.; 5/9/17, 9:11 AM
Achilles said...: Just another dumb question/topic put out by the oligarch owned media meant to divide people and push sickness on the population.

If the libs really cared they would try to help these people live better lives rather than help them become addicted.; 5/9/17, 9:14 AM
mockturtle said...: Of course I would stop and do what I could to help, thus rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. But the problem is one of a spiritual vacuum and there is only a spiritual solution.; 5/9/17, 9:28 AM
Big Mike said...: It's 100% downside. The unconscious person might be ODing or might be unconscious for a different reason. Even if everything works perfectly I might get sued. Someone else can put themselves at risk; not me thank you.; 5/9/17, 9:32 AM
Matt Sablan said...: One of these days, these projects are going to go terribly wrong. I remember one where they tried to see what people would do if they thought someone was kidnapping a little girl.

Most of the time, it just wasted local police's time as people called 911.

One time, two guys rushed the actor who had to scream: "It's just a show! LOOK AT THE CAMERA! BRING OUT THE CAMERA!" or something.

If someone is unconscious on the ground, and I call 911, hopefully the resources used on this prank aren't needed elsewhere.; 5/9/17, 10:24 AM
Anonymous said...: "Just another dumb question/topic put out by the oligarch owned media meant to divide people and push sickness on the population."

Like the Observer, owned by Jared Kushner?; 5/9/17, 10:31 AM
Anonymous said...: Yes, I'd try to help. I'd call 911 after rolling the person on his side.; 5/9/17, 10:33 AM
JaimeRoberto said...: I don't know if I would recognize that someone is ODing, and I almost certainly wouldn't know if he was some crazy who would freak out on me when I stick him with a needle. I'd be willing to call 911 and let the professionals deal with it though.; 5/9/17, 11:08 AM
Infinite Monkeys said...: Some times rich guys in limos stop to help.

As to administering Narcan, what happens in the case when the person who is being revived reacts violently? (It has happened.) If you revive someone, how long are you required to remain with them? The effects of the Narcan may wear off before the effects of the narcotic and they may pass out again. Or what happens if the person who was passed out begins choking on his/her vomit? How much medical aid is the passerby supposed to be able to provide?; 5/9/17, 12:01 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: I drove past someone lying down OD'd on the side of the road at 1AM. I pulled over and called the cops. I waited until the cops got there and went home. As far as I know they lived (no death in the paper).

The larger societal problem is that there are so many people passed out on the street. Are they asleep? OD'd? Drunk? I don't know. I do know I don't like it.; 5/9/17, 12:18 PM
NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...: I tried to wake the gentleman up before I called the cops. He was breathing but didn't respond.; 5/9/17, 12:19 PM
Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...: Years ago I took CPR training. Instructor began with a question: "If you find a person apparently passed out on a city sidewalk, what should you do before beginning CPR?"

Answer (presuming the person is prostrate on his/her back): Grab the ankles, spread them apart a foot or so, twist the feet outward a bit, and whack them together.

The pain of those two bones which protrude from the inside of the ankles being slammed together is hard to ignore. It will definitely wake up a junkie who is faking it, expecting to grab the EMS Tech's kit and run.; 5/9/17, 12:57 PM
mockturtle said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/9/17, 1:25 PM
mockturtle said...: Hammond, one does also not perform CPR when a pulse and respiration are present.; 5/9/17, 1:26 PM
Titus said...: OMG that is my city....Cambridge!

Look at the dyke running the liquor store! I actually work/workout and live near Central Square, which basically is between Harvard and MIT. Mass Ave is a major runway, total catwalk, you always need to be on and work it.

But being Cambridge they have created housing for addicts....please not in my neighborhood. You don't see them in the winter, but when it starts getting warm they are everywhere. They all have thick Boston accents and there is usually one passed out on the street a day.

There is this one women, who has managed to dye her hair red, and is passed out every other day. The fire/EMT and Police have to come to drive her away. I think about the cost. And then she gets out of the hospital and is back on the street. There is this one black dude who hasn't changed his underwear in I don't know how long. His pants are around his knees so you get a nice look at that nasty pair of underwear. There is another guy who has this huge mole on his face that has many tiny moles inside it. It looks like the Grand Canyon. He sometimes forgets to buckle his pants and they end up falling down so you can see his pee pee.

Central Square has quite a few new hot restaurants though and the addicts seem to leave at dusk. Little Donkey, one of my faves, and Waypoint are James Beard nominees this year. I also recommend find dining at Viale and Craigie On Main-don't you just love the name Craigie on Main.

You can rent a studio, maybe 500 ft, for like $3000, in Central Square. One bedroom condos, dumps, will start at about 600k-no parking, no washer and driver, and nothing included. Every listing has a bidding war. Listings posted on Wednesday, Open House on Saturday or Sunday, a million offers above price delivered on Monday. The market is crazy out here!

Oh and we crank up the hotel rates during graduation. Mom and Dad from Arkansas watching your little thing graduation from Brandeis (like someone from Arkansas would even know what Brandeis is) that dump will cost you $800.00 a night...welcome!

Cum visit!!

Love ya.; 5/9/17, 1:43 PM
J Scott said...: Interestingly this happened to me last year in Boston. A coworker and I were walking to Chinatown and came across a guy asking for help for his friend. His friend looked like he was sleeping, on the ground, but his friend asked us to call 911. Which I did. We left and further down the path, there was a girl in the bushes, not sure what her condition was. The bottom line was we weren't going to touch anything or anyone. Ran into a cop in a suv in Chinatown at the gate and we told him what we saw, but he told us he was looking for someone else that had od'd.

I'm not sure there was anything we could have done for the girl. I couldn't tell if she was breathing. The problem with downtown Boston is the huge number of mentally ill homeless and opiod users. I walk past people all the time lying on the ground, passed out in little alcoves, passed out in the underground T stops. I don't think I would be able to tell the difference between an od and someone just passed out from alcohol or just sleeping. And I certainly wouldn't use narcan even if directed to by someone on the phone.; 5/9/17, 2:08 PM
Jaq said...: Little Donkey, one of my faves, and Waypoint are James Beard nominees this year. I also recommend find dining at Viale and Craigie On Main-don't you just love the name Craigie on Main.

Ha! I ate at both Little Donkey, which is great, and Craigie on Main, which is also great, this past weekend! I have to go undercover, being a deplorable, and try to pass.; 5/9/17, 3:57 PM