Ignore, Kill or Rescue?

[Blackout]

Kill them all!

That's what you get for not working hard enough and being lazy!

 

[21%]

Bird
If it's safe for me to stop I would stop and try to help it. If it's not safe for me to stop, I'll call animal rescue.

Dragonfly
Saving drowning insects was my favorite childhood pastime! So, in this case, rescue, then let nature take its course. I really cannot stand the idea of me squashing a dragonfly.

Child
Call the police.

 

[soremfinger]

If there is little traffic and am not in an emergency I'd save the bird. Otherwise I'd leave it to its fate.

I'd scoop the dragonfly out of the water and place it somewhere dry and remote and leave it there.

The child shove into a trunk? Call the police.

 

[Cloudpatrol]

# 1 and #2 - I live in a more rural-ish lake area. You will never and I mean never, beat wildlife or insect life. They are always there, in huge numbers, they don't need my assistance. I have hit and killed more wildlife than I can count. Not because I wanted to or was trying to but because I'm not endangering myself, my passengers or any other car by swerving and trying to miss them.


#3 - Seriously? The likelihood of someone videoing this is very high. The likelihood of multiple people calling the police about it (with the plate #, very easy to get the right info) is astronomical, myself included.

#1 and #2 SO smart. When I was a teenager one of my closest friends and her brother were killed on their way to go skiing. She saw a deer on the road and swerved to avoid it. The car hit a Greyhound bus and veered into the ditch where the bus fell on top of the car. Her parent's and older brother have never fully recovered. It strongly impressed upon all of us who were new driver's: NOT to risk our lives to avoid killing an animal.

 

[Cloudpatrol]

That sounds terrible.

If you ever feel as though euthanizing an animal yourself is a good idea, decapitation would probably the your best bet as far as least amount of suffering goes.

(Makes note for possible future reference) Decapitation!


[MENTION=23915]Hawthorne[/MENTION] your answer so intrigues me


[MENTION=24643]Eskimo[/MENTION], I laughed because I initially misunderstood the order and thought you were 'mercy killing' in answer to the child

 

[Cloudpatrol]

#1

This is funny because it ties into story #2

But I have rescued a bird in the middle of the road with what I thought was an injured wing. It was just walking in circles. Brought it back to the house, and realized that it had been shot in the head by a BB gun.

Like, the thing was on auto-pilot. Alive but no one home kind of thing. As there was no real help for him, I put it out of its misery.

THAT was hard.

Anyway, now? It would depend. If I could safely get to the bird to save it, I may. But if I'm jeopardizing my life to save it by running into heavy traffic? I will cut losses and leave it to nature to hammer out.

#2

I would and have rescued bugs/lizards/dragonflies from pools but don't ever put them out of their misery as I figure they may dry off? I don't know. I usually don't check back on the critters.

#3

I would jot down the plate and call the police.

I think I will adopt your method with insects. (SO sorry for your bird incident btw )

I was in a pool in a tropical country and there is a certain kind of bee that scoops down into the water, almost like a helicopter getting water for a forest fire. They are really BIG bee's. One must have mis-judged the distance and got bogged down in the water. I quickly moved over and scooped it out.

I kept an eye on it while I swam, peering over the edge occasionally and noticed it 'didn't seem right'. I went inside and did a few things and came out and it was doing 360's unable to fly.

I couldn't stand the thought of it suffering so I stamped it (which is really strange cuz I have a hard time rendering any 'animate' creature inanimate Even spiders...).

Someone who was visiting thought I should have just let "nature take it's course".


In the future I think I will 'rescue and not look back' as you say.

 

[Typh0n]

The bird: I'd keep driving. You kind of have to. If you stop for every injured bird or small animal on a highway then you'd have to stop every ten seconds. I just wouldn't have the impusle to stop, stopping is annoying, and it just seems like th ebird couldn't much benefit from my stopping anyways.

The Dragonfly: I'd let it live. You can't take life away like that.

The Child: Freaky. My first impulse would be to notify someone around me at the restaurant, if I am eating alone, I would notify someone from the restaurant. Supposing I am eating with someone, family, date, whatever, I'd point them to what I'm seeing as its happening. Then probably still notify the restaurant so they can call the police.

 

[fetus]

1. I'd feel sad, but what could I do about it? Get out of my car in the middle of the highway?
2. If I was in the pool, I'd save it. I don't think I'd get out of my chair to go save it. Probably wouldn't kill it either.
3. Call the police.

 

[Hitoshi-San]

1. I would probably go back and see what I could try to do to help it. if I did keep driving, I would still think about it way too much. if it was in the middle of highway though I wouldn't do anything. stopping traffic would be a mess and I'd hope people would not run it over.

2. let it die on its own, I would think that it would survive and I wouldn't want to kill it because there's still the small chance that it would survive.

3. call the cops. I would want to confront the parents, but chances are I'd be too surprised by seeing a kid get thrown into the trunk of a car to really know what to say.

 

[Merced]

If this is a Fuck-Marry-Kill sorta deal, I would ignore the bird, kill the dragonfly, and rescue the kids. But if you are asking what I would do in these situations with no limitations...

If traffic is at all busy, I will continue driving and take note of the situation. There is probably some bad karma related to the scenario, so I will make sure to do a good deed to balance it out.

I would kill the dragonfly immediately. Not much to it.

I would take note of the license plate and call the police. If I had a vehicle of my own, I would follow the car. If I didn't, I would talk to the talk to the staff about the family.

 

[Galena]

Bird
As we're on a highway and it appears to already be confusing traffic, I wouldn't stop. That would seem to put more risk on the humans around. Or so I'd think at the time.

In a couple miles, I would suddenly realize a careful way to pull off the road, change my mind, and declare my original reason for not stopping to be mere justification. I might go back, but now the traffic has increased, and the bird is nowhere to be seen.

Turn back around.

Wherever I was going, I would let the others know in a text that I'd be fifteen minutes late, then show up five minutes late.


Dragonfly
Definitely rescue it from the pool, and place it somewhere more comfortable than the concrete on the pool's edge, such as in the grass or on a plant.

If it didn't seem okay, I'd wait and see if it just needed to dry off in the sun. Peek over at it intermittently for a while.

If it appeared unrecoverably damaged, I would take out my phone and do a quick Google search for internal insect anatomy to make sure the brain of a dragonfly is where I think it is.

Take stock of what the sharpest object is in the pool area.

Leave the bug alone.


Child
Police: "Do you have a license plate number?"

Me: "What I saw was - one, two, three, four."

Police: "Only four digits." [context: state with seven-digit license plates]

Me: "Unfortunately correct. They were pulling away right as I thought to look for it, and I only caught those four. I don't know what help these will be, but it's what I have, and you should know. Oh, and they're the first four digits of the plate number. Not the last four."

Police: "Noted..."

 

[Galena]

Bird
As we're on a highway and it appears to already be confusing traffic, I wouldn't stop. That would seem to put more risk on the humans around. Or so I'd think at the time.

In a couple miles, I would suddenly realize a careful way to pull off the road, change my mind, and declare my original reason for not stopping to be mere justification. I might go back, but now the traffic has increased, and the bird is nowhere to be seen.

Turn back around.

Wherever I was going, I would let the others know in a text that I'd be fifteen minutes late, then show up five minutes late.


Dragonfly
Definitely rescue it from the pool, and place it somewhere more comfortable than the concrete on the pool's edge, such as in the grass or on a plant.

If it didn't seem okay, I'd wait and see if it just needed to dry off in the sun. Peek over at it intermittently for a while.

If it appeared unrecoverably damaged, I would take out my phone and do a quick Google search for internal insect anatomy to make sure the brain of a dragonfly is where I think it is.

Take stock of what the sharpest object is in the pool area.

Leave the bug alone.


Child
Police: "Do you have a license plate number?"

Me: "What I saw was - one, two, three, four."

Police: "Only four digits." [context: state with seven-digit license plates]

Me: "Unfortunately correct. They were pulling away right as I thought to look for it, and I only caught those four. I don't know what help these will be, but it's what I have, and you should know. Oh, and they're the first four digits of the plate number. Not the last four."

Police: "Noted..."

None of these are real stories (I don't even drive), but my best realistic projections based on similar situations I've been in before and how I generally respond to time-sensitive dilemmas.

My immediate impulses tend toward self-protection, but in a situation where withdrawl is actually not line with my values, I am aware enough to realize that once thought kicks back in, whether before or after it is too late to take a U-turn. If I can go back and do differently, I will in a spirit of solid, almost stony certainty. Being this way makes me intensely curious about the other kind of people, whose first impulse is to intervene when they see suffering, and who err in the direction of unnecessary risk as opposed to being too late.

Where does the difference in instinct come from? Is it born or made? Is it possible to learn to override one's natural tendency faster, so that when you disagree with it, you can make a different decision in time rather than being cursed by hindsight again and again?

 

[Hawthorne]

Confession: One reason why I would ignore the Child scenario is because, when I was a kid, I argued with my parents to let me ride in the trunk on the off chance that if I ever got kidnapped, I wouldn't panic and might even figure out how to escape.

So if I had observed the scenario, my first thought wouldn't have been "why are they abusing that child". It would've been "oh hey, they actually managed to convince their parents to do it. that's neat". The reality check would happen a few seconds later but I still wouldn't do anything about the situation.

 

[Cloudpatrol]

[MENTION=17945]Alaska[/MENTION] You answer makes me even more, want to develop a Type C Transporterâ„¢ I would come visit and we would take pictures at train yards and the water. You could tell me about how your beautiful brain works and I'd share aspects of my silly one.

Yes, I am one of the people you describe who jumps in at first impulse. Though, values are directly related, yes. If I feel someone is being abused, suffering or maligned...it's my first reaction to strongly support or defend. I think a balance between the two is best, honestly. ie. Sometimes I have had good intentions but realized more knowledge would have enabled me to help better or that what I perceive as "helping" is actually not beneficial.

I will give more thought to the excellent questions you posed.



[MENTION=23915]Hawthorne[/MENTION] That is hilarious. Did your parent's acquiesce?

Regret is not something that I experience as a rule. However, I look back on the related incident with something that feels vaguely like regret.

I was sitting in a restaurant having a snack between acting rehearsals. I was still in high school and I observed a family of four leave the restaurant.

The body language was what I noticed first. The three family members or friends or acquaintances (an older boy, a woman and a man) were shaking fingers, had hands on hips, and were spitting angry words at a younger boy. His physicality was cowed and he was crying. My ire was already rising.

Then the woman quickly opened the trunk and they gestured for him to get in, which he did. The other 3 popped into the car and it drove speedily away.

I was experiencing the dynamic that [MENTION=10082]Starry[/MENTION] referenced. At times emotion will almost send me into a state of shock where I feel like I am swimming through thoughts and attempting to find the correct conclusion. It's most often anger or extreme frustration or disappointment that produces this. I think because those are the emotions I have most difficulty experiencing and processing.

I wanted to get up but felt frozen in place. I had a MILLION questions going through my mind. Were they family? Were the other people baby-sitting the boy? Had I read the situation correctly? Were there reasonable explanations for the series of events I wasn't considering? Should someone interfere with familiar parenting if it involves things one personally doesn't approve of...and so on and so on.

In retrospect (and by this I mean 2 minutes after they peeled out of the lot) I wish that I had gotten the plate and reported it. Even to err on the side of caution.

I since have made myself develop skills for 'shocking situations' and have responded well in emergencies. I have been able to give CPR or locate a missing child despite the pressures of the situation. But, I still think about that boy every once in a while.


[MENTION=22178]magpie[/MENTION]

I liked the ending to your second incident.

I have encountered a situation similar to the first and it is SO awkward. Especially when that feeling of injustice wells up. I have so much feeling for police who intervene in these scenario's and how delicate it is. Would you do the same thing again?

 

[magpie]

I have encountered a situation similar to the first and it is SO awkward. Especially when that feeling of injustice wells up. I have so much feeling for police who intervene in these scenario's and how delicate it is. Would you do the same thing again?

Would I approach a stranger again at two in the morning in the middle of the city who just demonstrated he's willing to be violent and say "Hey, don't do that"?

Yes. Yes I would.

 

[Galena]

I since have made myself develop skills for 'shocking situations' and have responded well in emergencies. I have been able to give CPR or locate a missing child despite the pressures of the situation. But, I still think about that boy every once in a while.

Thank you for your kind reply here.

I have been interested in those sorts of skills and learning for years, but don't know where to begin. Though they're always important, these are times when fear has too much power, and knowledge is an antidote.

 

[CitizenErased]

BIRD: two options:

A) (most probable) wouldn't have noticed the bird
B) I'd have seen the bird, begun thinking about the story of the bird, and crashed my car.

DRAGONFLY:

True story: a dragonfly came inside my apartment and flew in circles, desperately. I tried to guide it to the window, but it was too stupid, so I pushed it against the lamp, where it burnt. Then I dissected it, because I was curious.
In the pool story, I'd probably watch it die, so I can do a melancholic short video called "The Last Thirty Seconds of the Dragonfly", with Chopin's Prelude N° 4 as background music.

CHILD:

Not my business. Plus, I'd rather travel in the trunk than having to see such a mother for hours.

 

[Lady_X]

i would want to help the bird but honestly would only stop if i wasn't going to be late to something, like work. yes, i'd still think about it and feel guilty.

i would scoop the dragonfly out of the pool and hope for the best.

yes, i would absolutely no question try to help the kid regardless of what else was going on.

 

[Thalassa]

In the first scenario - the bird - I would rescue it.

In the second scenario - the dragonfly - I would leave it to its natural fate. There's a code of ethics among people who are naturalists/environmentalists/rangers, etc in that you only mess with nature if the cause of the destruction or danger was brought on by humans. The bird was hit by a car and trying to get out of the way as best it could...the dragonfly just flew into the water as dragonflies will do, and by touching it or taking it out of the water you likely did more harm than good. I actually don't like to kill insects though unless they're harmful or invasive, but I don't put the same premium on their suffering as a higher animal, and tend to be able to think more rationally about where they belong in the ecosystem...if a child was putting butterflies or grasshoppers in a jar I'd be more likely to "rescue" by opening the jar.

In the last scenario I'd tell everyone in the near vicinity and call the cops. Even if someone put an adult in their trunk I'd do the same thing, that shit is crazy.

 

[Thalassa]

I'd make a note of the third, probably not the first two.

The third may or may not be significant, the other two would make me sad but its also kind of the natural order and you sometimes have to be stoic about these things.

Good thread topic though.

Actually anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of environmental science would tell you that animals being run over by cars or driven out by "development" isn't the "natural order of things" it's man made destruction of habitat. Although I think with many people they'd be more likely to save a hawk, eagle or duck than a crow, for example.

You're right about the dragonfly though.