The folks at Molo Nation made this little video to see how the public responds to blatant acts of theft. The twist? They tried it first with an attractive woman as the perpetrator, and then again with a male thief. The difference in the results is astounding.
At first, one might think strangers did nothing upon witnessing a woman steal a guy's wallet due to the "bystander effect." The bystander effect phenomenon attempts to explain why witnesses often fail to take action even when help is needed. Reasons ranging from a belief that others will step in to a fear of involvement in a complicated situation have all been cited. But it is clear, when we see how the public responds to a male thief, that there is more going on.
This video certainly speaks to the notion that you cannot assume that arrest/incarceration rates reflect the rates of actual crimes being committed. This video alone shows an astounding number of people who thought it was okay to let one person get away with a crime, but not another person. Why do you think that is? Do you think it had anything to do with their gender? Their race? Do you think the outcome would have been different had she been less attractive? Do you think it was that people were quicker to help a woman than a man?
Tell us your theories, and whether you've seen anything like this happen before. We love hearing from our fans.
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