In light of the much-discussed events of Saturday, Oct. 12, I would like to talk for a moment about bystander intervention.
Simply put, what happened could’ve been avoided if somebody had intervened.
The reasons people don’t intervene in these situations are complex, but this complexity does not excuse the fact that many people chose to do nothing.
We need to ask ourselves what kind of community we want to live in. Do we want others to be safe no matter what? Are we willing to do for strangers what we’re willing to do for our friends? Is it important to us to live the way we want the world to be?
Answering “No” to these questions is, in my estimation, tantamount to embracing hypocrisy. If I don’t care about others being safe, odds are I still want to feel safe myself; I may not be willing to help a stranger, but I’d certainly still want a stranger to help my loved ones; I might have an idea of how the world can change for the better, but what value is that if I’m unwilling to be the change I want to see in the world? And I don’t truck with hypocrites.
I do, however, help people who want help. It is my job and my passion to teach people how to intervene and prevent violence.
If you want support along those lines, if you want to learn strategies, if you want to have conversations, I will excitedly accommodate you. If you are a student and want to talk on an individual basis, reach out to me. If you belong to an organization, and want me to talk to many of you, reach out to me. If you work in an office, and want me to talk to your colleagues, reach out to me. If you teach a class, and want me to talk to your students, reach out to me.
Help me help you; we are in this together and together we can do better.
Bill Arnold is the graduate assistant for Bystander Intervention and Prevention Education at the Ohio University Women’s Center’s Survivor Advocacy Program. Email him at wa321112@ohiou.edu
