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What's Happening to Us?
You've probably heard about the toddler in China who was struck by a van, then run over by another truck, and left to lie on the street unconscious and in a pool of blood while eighteen citizens walked, cycled, or drove by without coming to her aid.
Here is footage from a security camera, but be warned that this is absolutely gruesome and traumatizing to take in:
I post this here to contribute to global awareness of this incomprehensible tragedy.
Like millions all over the world, I'm wondering how we've become a society that has any of us fear for even a millisecond in such a situation that to run and help could bring us trouble. How can this even be a thought that occurs in our minds?
The latest news reports indicate that the toddler girl is in critical condition, and is likely brain dead.
Will our collective prayers and hopes help this little girl experience a miraculous recovery? Will awareness of her story be life-changing for the masses? More than ever, I'm convinced that too many of us have become numb to what really matters.
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Toddler run over by cars and not helped
I am completely shocked at watching this. I have children of my own, God bless them, but even if I didn't I would still be shocked by this.
This is just unbelievable to watch, and then to watch the woman prop up the child and not help her...
!!!
response to Wanda
<em>"...watch the woman prop up the child and not help her..."</em>
Through the Chinese subtitle, I was able to read it and understand that the woman was unable to carry the heavy child. So she dragged her off the road and propped her up. The child was still breathing but in critical condition. Then she was hollering around in the neighborhood, (that's when she disappeared from the camera) looking for the parents or anyone who can come help the poor girl. If you continue to watch the video, the parents later met the helping woman. They were on their knees, and in tears, thanking the woman for saving their child.
The point of this video is to show the cruelty of 18 passer-bys, drivers and riders, who saw the child in a pool of blood without doing anything, before the nice woman discovered her.
This is so sad the poor
This is so sad the poor little girl,I pray for her parents who must no go on without their little one.
Toddler run over by car
The way I see the video (I grew up in Europe) is that the lady who pulled the toddler aside and propped her up was helping and was looking around to find someone to her and probably to find the parents of the child.
There have been so many videos released of people watching other people in distress rather than stepping in, so it does not surprise me.
It has been my experience that this happens in every country and culture. I have been living in the US for 20 years and have observed disregard for life, being human or anmial, on numerous occasions. It saddens me and I would not know how we can change it, besides of my refusal to participate. I will stop in the street to assist a fellow human being or an animal, no matter what time or what location. I have been observed people to not even pick up their oh-so-loved cell phones to call for help. Never will I understand this, but I can only point out that each and every one of us has to contribute to make this world better every day and every time we encounter an uncomfortable situation like this.
Toddler ignored...
I know that in this once recognized "Christian" nation, we bristle at the notion that something like this could happen to us here, in the United States, on our own streets. But let us not forget the story of the good samaritan. Jesus makes it clear that the first person to ignore the bleeding victim, by crossing to the other side of the street, was a religious ambassador - a priest. It seems to me, that this is proof enough that the very people who extoll themselves to be far above such hard-hearted behavior are usually the first to succumb to it. May God use this tragedy to move his people to examine their own hearts and just how "Christ-like" they really are... or are not.
Absolutely, Amen.
Absolutely, Amen.
How could this happen?
I grew up in the US during a time when Emmett Till was killed, Black men were lynched, tarred and feathered even staked like a pig and roasted alive. I did not understand that anymore than I understand this. I cannot believe the spirit that must be embodying these people especially the person who just picked her up and laid her on a pile of bags! We are numb nuts indeed. I want to know what is doing this. What causes people to be so numb that they have NO empathy for a BABY!! If there is a comet coming close to this earth that might cause cataclysmic incidents, I can understand why. If this is the kind of energy we are sending out then this is what we will get in return.
Even a Animal would have Helped.
Dr. Ayaba I agree. Why is there not Good, Healthy , Caring , Energy coming from people anymore!
Is it because so many people are just trying to survive?
Are uneducated !!
Are too many people taking Drugs, Alcohol, and have burned out there brain cells?
Are people Afraid to get involved!!?
Don't those people have a consciousness?
This is SO Disturbing.
I'm so Angry about this clip. It makes me wonder, is this is the normal in different countries, or even in my own!!!!! (USA)
Animals take care of there Babies better then this Mother and Father did, I believe..
Yes, it looks like this is in a poor country, but that still does not make it Ok, to ignore you baby, Children..The mother should have been holding that baby, or it should have been put in a Stroller, Cart, or something.
It did take some time till the Mother realized that was her baby laying in the street!!
After seeing this clip last night, I could not sleep.
Seeing that baby Run over a few times, laying there like a rag doll and still moving, and Nobody caring, was absolutely Horrifying to me.
We treat amimals better..
I truly wish I did not see this clip at this point.
I live in the Usa, California, and I have not seen it on any of my major TV networks. I get major networks from, New York, California, and Fresno , Ca.
on my direct Tv.satelite.
That said, I think this should be on UTube.
I do not care how much money you have, If you do not have your Health, You do not have anything.
Let us think twice (or more) when we see something happen, and help othere's in need.
OMG, this is the most Shocking accident !
Omg, this is the most shocking thing I have ever seen on film!
I can't even say this is a accident, as the van didn't give a sh%t..
Where in the world can this happen, and nobody care about this little baby!!
How come the parents where not watching there child. What kind of parents are they and what kind of human, or Subhuman can run over a baby and leave her there, as many others also did..
Isn't there any regard for Human Life?
As for "toddler Ignored".
Stop with your Christian talk. This is Not about any Religion, and your Christ Saving this poor baby..
Many good people are Not Christian in this world..Get a life.
Hey annie, you get a life! No
Hey annie, you get a life! No where does the person in that post say the only good people in the world our christians. The post acutally states that often times it is those who claim to know jesus who sucumb to unimaginable things such as this. If this woman wants to use her faith to help her understand how something like this could happen, then so be it. Christian or not the world hurts when they see something like this and all this woman was doing was hurting.
atheist perspective
Thank you Annie for bringing up that religion has nothing to do with this terrible incident. I am an Atheist and never once thought about God or religion or faith while watching this horrible scene unfold. My only thoughts where for the child and her parents. We, as a global society, must question why things like this happen. I say "global society" because child neglent and abuse doesn't just happen in China; it happens all over the world. Even here, in the largely religious US. Please do not make this tragedy an us (faithfull) against them (heathens) because it is not. Unless we realize that we are responsible for our own actions and are our own moral and ethical judges behavior like this will continue. I do not pray so I won't say my prayers are with this family. What I will do is keep this one little girl, this one family in my mind and heart and do the most I can in my city, my neighborhood, my "village" to prevent tragedies like this from happening. It's not about faith and God; it's about personal responsibility and unselfishness. Stop pulling the "God" card and remember its about humanity.
baby hurt
really great words...Unless we realize that we are responsible for our own actions and are our own moral and ethical judges behavior like this will continue. I do not pray so I won't say my prayers are with this family. What I will do is keep this one little girl, this one family in my mind and heart and do the most I can in my city, my neighborhood, my "village" to prevent tragedies like this from happening. It's not about faith and God; it's about personal responsibility and unselfishness. Stop pulling the "God" card and remember its about humanity.
Translation
Greetings Dr. Kim,
I would love to know what the people in the video are saying. Do you know if there's a translated version of this?
Thanks so much for your newsletter.
Warmly,
Chell
Is this in China? I
Is this in China? I understand a little of the Cantonese (my parents are from Hong Kong), which is not the predominant language in China... The woman who propped up the girl seem to be saying that she didn't know what to do, that she was shocked that so many people just ignored her and she couldn't find the child's parents.
How is this possible?
Let's not loose focus of the issue at hand, the location of this tragedy is irrelevant, this could have happened in Canada, USA, London, etc.
I hope we all don't hop on our self-righteous horses thinking that we any different, the truth is that this a reflection of the consciousness of our times. As long that is not my child, or that is not a person that look like me, that speak like me, who has the same complexion like me, with my same economical and social status than me, a person who was not born in the same place I was born, or a person that lives where I live, we often don't care enough, and we are sadly indifferent to pain and plight of those who we often see as strangers.
How many times we make villains out of others, labeling them in such a way that keep us from having to face our own prejudices and narrow mindedness, just so we justify our own views and actions..or even worst, like in this case our own inaction.
We all should care and do something to help a wounded person whether this a Canadian, American, European, Indian, Mexican, Arab, Korean, or Chinese innocent little child.
What a horrible tragedy, I am outraged by it!
What's Happening to Us?
Oops! I accidentally changed the overall rating from 5 to 4.9. Sorry!
Thank you for sharing this video in your newsletter. What is happening is we are getting closer to the end of the world. People are becoming more selfish, more greedy, etc. This is predicted in the Bible. Yes, we should pray for the little girl & her family.
What's happening to Us?
I'm not a particularly religious man but I do agree with you that we are getting closer to the end of the world. You can almost feel it all around. But I will say a prayer for the little girl, the driver, the people who walked on by, and for the human race in general.
How did it all get to this?
I am not religious either but
I am not religious either but do agree with an 'end' to what it is.Maybe not in a cataclysmic way (I hope not) but certainly a shake up of some sort.
We have ignored our natural instincts for far too long and have almost forgotten how to survive and live the way we were meant to.From the time most children are born they are not getting the basic nurturing they need to be whole and society as we know it is the direct result.
A wake up call...
My heart goes out to the parents of the little girl. And why the van didn't stop...???
But this video has severed as a reminder to me to watch my kids even more than I do already. It's an uncaring world out there. To all the people that went by, it wasn't "their" toddler.
This happens everywhere. When my mom was in the hospital and nursing home - it wasn't "their" mom.
It wasn't "their" loved one. Or they would have reacted like the mom did when she finally found her daughter.
My heart aches and tears fill
My heart aches and tears fill my eyes as I watch this. I know God is comforting that sweet little lamb...I pray the same for her parents. God help us!
It's interesting that you say
It's interesting that you say "I know God is comforting that sweet little lamb" This is a very sad statement for her because if God is comforting her then why didn't God prevent this tragedy from happening? There is no answer to this question. May all that are around this girl and her family send positivity energy to their beings to creative healing for them, mind, body and soul. As far as the statement "God help us" We have to help ourselves in taking responsibility for our actions. You are the Master of Your Destiny, You are the Cause of Your Problems. Stop using "God" as a crutch and work toward making this place a better and safe world if not for you, for the children.
video
You warned about the graphic nature of this video and it is absolutely appalling. The pure callousness of this video is shocking. I couldn't stop crying after watching it. I still can't stop.
I have more questions than answers. How could someone not stop immediately? How could people walk by and not do anything? How could the old woman who stopped just move the body to the side of the road and not go get help? It's amazing this child is alive at all. A truly horrific testament the desensitization of humankind.
Hi there, if you understood
Hi there, if you understood the dialect being spoken, (or language of the subtitles for that matter), you will realise that the lady who moved the body to the side of the road was the very one who went to look for help and also the girl's parents.
it's a pity tho that she didnt see the girl earlier if not the girl would have gotten help earlier...
about the "indifference" of passersby
I would like to explain the reason (I think) why those passersby didn't stop. I'm not making excuses for any one, just trying to shed some light.
There is a famous court case in China from a few years ago, where a woman fell and hit her head on the sidewalk getting off a bus. It was a crowded bus, and one of the people who got off right behind her tried to help her up. She then sued him for pushing her and causing her head injury. I have no idea whether he did push her and then defended himself by saying he was trying to help her up AFTER she fell, or whether she knew he didn't push her but did it to get money for the surgery she needed, but in any case, this was a widely covered incident and it absolutely scared everyone away from helping strangers. Can you imagine trying to help someone, and then they say you hurt them? There is no good samaritan law in China. When the law does not protect you, you're more likely to think twice.
There was another incident where an old man was lying in the middle of the road for hours (did not get hit by cars), and the only people who came to help were two foreign (Western) girls. One of the comments under the article that I read suggested that it was because they, as foreigners, hadn't head about the woman who sued the guy who tried to help her, otherwise they'd be scared too.
So, I don't think it's simple callousness; the Chinese are not indifferent to strangers; they're as human as anyone else, but they're afraid of getting in trouble for trying to help. I bet we would see a marked difference in their behaviour if there were a good samaritan law in China.
Newspaper Article
I found an article that better explains what I was trying to say: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1071621--did-chinese-laws-keep...
And I was wrong, it wasn't a head injury, it was a broken leg.
Excuses
All excuses ..very insensitive people!…you can call 911 o the police to help the girl. You don’t need to get involve just call for help!No excuses....you have to help! No excuses!
A kid got hit by a truck, at first just a minor injury, but the
A kid got hit by a truck, at first just a minor injury, but the truck driver drove his truck back and forth to roll over the kid to make sure he's dead. Then he got off his truck and said, "How much? I'll pay." [Warning: 18+]
http://www.ntdtv.ca/b5/2011/10/21/Art24155.html
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Shocking, shocking, shocking
Oh my....I could not watch this without covering my face and then being amazed that people, cars etc just riding/walking by without picking up this baby. I am shocked and horrified that this world is coming to this. No value for human life....only after someone picked up this baby but after some time. I saw this happen to a dog once and ran out on a busy street just to rescue the dog. I would have run faster had it been a child that was just run over.
Bystander effect
It's called the bystander effect. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect
Everyone thinks someone else will do something about it, thus nobody does anything.
Thanks for sharing this! its
Thanks for sharing this! its sad and Global News Toronto reported the reason the Van driver didn't stop is because he was talking on the cellphone another reason for drivers to STOP using cellphone while driving.
Van driver talking on cell phone!!
Anonymous, Thanks for letting us know the van driver was talking on the cell, but where is this persons heart and soul?
His lic. number was right there for all the world to see. Hope they get him/her.
Maybe more teenagers, and people that tex, and talk on there cell phones while driving should see this!
Dr.Kim, can you put this on UTube?
I'm sorry I watched this, but more people need to know what is going on in the world..
This is such a Horrifying thing to watch, I could not sleep last night.
Love?
Hey Dr. Ben Kim,
I haven't watched the video, don't think I can. Though I just wanted to say that I agree, yes too many people have become numb. It's sad really, and think that people now really need to get back in touch with themselves and with each other. That way people would be able to show caring and love to each other and be a productive community. I mean could you imagine how wonderful everything would be if everyone showed love to each other and watched out for each other? I know the world has a long way to go before this happens globally but even just a smile goes a long way.. Either way have sent love and positive thoughts to the girls family, it's not fun having someone you love in a hospital.
This is just horrific Dr.
This is just horrific Dr. Kim, if they can do this to a child, what hope have animals have....
the road kill
On our daily news we watch such events every day in the middle East. In war children -and families - are slaughtered with impunity or without regard. There is little humanity in war.
This sickening incident with the toddler- (she is a girl child which might have some bearing on what happened.) serves to alert us to how indifferent we have become to each other.
China - not at open war- may well be the next Big Power and there will be many such casualties as history tells us.
Thank you for alerting us to our human callousness. We can do something about it.
This is a horrible, horrible
This is a horrible, horrible tragedy that no one especially a parent to endure. What is wrong with society when you can simply ignore a child in need! I am shock beyond belief.
I pray that she lives without brain damage. Miracles can happen
Terrible, just terrible. My
Terrible, just terrible. My heart goes out to the parents of this child. I pray that this child is alright. Just wished someone had the guts to help the poor little thing. I ask also wonder why the van didn't stop, but just kept going and ran her over with the back tires. Sad, Very Sad...
Dr Kim - I am distressed by
Dr Kim - I am distressed by your statement, "how we've become a society". !!!! "We"? "a society"? This is not us, and it's not "a" society. This happened in China, not here, and even within China there are various societies or cultures. This is not one world, or one "society".
Have you ever heard of anything as awful happening here? The only incident I can recall off the top of my head is the case of Kitty Genovese. This was probably around 1961 or thereabouts but maybe my memory is not 100% Your older readers will know the name.
I have heard and read about
I have heard and read about this happening quite often in the US, but you hear very little about it happening in other countries.
Good point, I thought the
Good point, I thought the same thing -- I don't think the Chinese have the same care for individuals as people. Wonder if the response would have been different if this were a little boy and not a girl.
Distressed by Dr. Kim's
Distressed by Dr. Kim's Statement? Don't be, it's absolutely true...
If you haven't heard of things just as horrific as this happening in the west...take your head out of the sand and put it in front of a newspaper.
I have no idea about China ,
I have no idea about China , but in the US the lawyers run the show. It's a sad show at that. They have been allowed to take well meaning people to task for coming to the aid of hurt or injured people. Helping, coming to the aid of or doing the right thing in the US equals the highly likely potential for being sued. Compassion has become a risky trait in the US, perhaps it's the same in China.
You are right!
In Winnipeg not too long ago a prisoner who'd been beaten by the police was tied to a hospital bed, face bloody and mouth parched, begging for water. A hospital employee not a nurse or doctor came along and tried to clean his mouth out with mouthwash and was soon arrested and only allowed to have her job back after a big flap and investigation. The patient/prisoner himself said she had done nothing wrong but of course they wouldn't listen to him. What a fallen and stupid world!
girl run over
Wasn't it only a few years ago that an official or nurse, drowned a newborn in a puddle, in China, because the parents went above their "quota" of offspring? The large amount of abortions, not only there, but here in the western world, as well, somehow have an effect on the public mindset, I believe. Hopefully we can return to true values, and save every child.
The child has died from her
The child has died from her injuries.
RIP
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-10/21/c_131204564.htm
Tragic
Sad, but even worse if it happened in modern day America, because the government would arrest the parents.
What's happening to us?
This reaction to the toddler who was run over, doesn't accord with what I know of the Chinese character which is generous and caring(my daughter lives in Taiwan and makes frequent visits to China). This could be the fear which living under Communism engenders, I remember visiting East Berlin after the Wall had gone up, there was the same kind of fear which stopped people even looking at one another.
Little girl two years old run over and no one helping
This little film is heartbreaking to see a preciuos little 2 year old hit by a van and even re run over and the driver didn't even stop to see if she was okay, and since no one was around just went by. He should have stopped and taken her right to the hospital, that would have been the right thing to do. He should have stopped instead of hitting her with the van and asked someone to take her to the sidewalk and wait for a parent or someone she knows to get her. It was horrible when the mother and father came and saw their poor baby like that. I do hope and pray that poor child comes out of this okay.
Can anyone here say with any
Can anyone here say with any certainty what those people were thinking? Can you honestly say they were "numb" beyond any shadow of a doubt? Do you really think they would simply walk by and think, "Oh well"?
Perhaps they thought, "The police and doctors are probably on their way right now. Things like this don't just go unnoticed, and if I try to move this child, I may end up making things much worse. Is there anything I can do that won't just get in the way? No, the best thing for me to do is get out of the way and let the emergency personnel (who MUST be on their way) do their job."
In my experience, people are inherently decent creatures. The "numb" bystanders probably did what they thought was best.
Anonymous,
...you have made a very good reply. After thinking about things for awhile, I came to the same conclusion. If while driving your car you come across a crashed car with motionless people inside, would you try to remove them? No, you would correctly and innocently assume that "someone in authority" is on their way. However, this was a tiny child lying in a pool of blood. I don't want to judge the passersby too harshly. I don't know what to think for sure now that I've considered this topic a little while instead of knee-jerk responding.
I agree we are turning into a
I agree we are turning into a society where compassion is lost, just last winter I went for a walk and I saw a lady seating on the snow and flood coming out of her forhead, she couldn't get up and ask for my help I went and try to help, but she was to heavy and couldn't get her up, so I ask a passerby for help and she said she was not supposed to help because she could get sued, I was shock by that how can one get sued by aiding someone in trouble.