Perhaps in other places, this is more than enough to ring the alarm. But not in Davao City---an "oasis of tranquility," as the legendary journalist Max Soliven once described it, amidst the raging conflicts that have plagued most of its neighbors. So far, the rise of death incidence primarily attributed to the Dds has not incited an uproar from the public. And it can even be said that it won't, for as long as there is peace and order---the variety peddled by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
More than two decades ago, while in Davao doing a report on the carnage waged by the vigilante group Alsa Masa, Sheila Coronel made an acute observation on the public's response towards the killings. "Often in Davao," Coronel wrote, "when one asks why certain things are allowed to happen, the queries are shrugged off with a curt "You don't live here, you don't know what it is like."" As Davao City is once again enthralled by a vigilante group, this time by the DDS, perhaps the same observation can be made.
How come that, except for a small fraction of human rights activists and civil society groups, not a sizeable majority is protesting against the killings? Indeed, the general mood is one of acceptance, or as others would put it, a tacit approval. How can this be explained?
One answer is that the Bystander Effect comes into play here. The bystander effect is defined as
a social psychological phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present. The probability of help is inversely proportional to the number of bystanders. In other words, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help.
This phenomenon was then an uncharted province until the case of Kitty Genovese happened, which has become the classic example of this phenomenon.
Ms. Genovese was stabbed to death in 1964 by a serial rapist and murderer. According to newspaper accounts, the killing took place for at least a half an hour. The murderer attacked Ms. Genovese and stabbed her, but then fled the scene after attracting the attention of a neighbor. The killer then returned ten minutes later and finished the assault. Newspaper reports after Genovese's death claimed that 38 witnesses watched the stabbings and failed to intervene or even contact the police. This led to widespread public attention and editorials that the United States had become a cold, uncaring society.
But this was contradicted.
According to an article published in American Psychologist in 2007, the original story of Kitty Genovese's murder was exaggerated by the media. Specifically, there were not 38 eyewitnesses, the police were contacted at least once during the attack, and many of the bystanders that overheard the attack could not actually see the event. The authors of the article suggest that the story continues to be misrepresented in social psychology textbooks because it functions as a parable and serves as a dramatic example for students.
Still, her death was not prevented despite the fact that the murder took place in an open place where anyone can see and rush to her aid. Psychologists say there are many reasons to explain why bystanders, who happen to witness, say, a crime, are hesitant to help. But they point out two leading factors. One is the social influence. Our behaviors are partly determined by the action of other people. In the context of Davao City, since not a great majority of people are calling for an end to the vigilante-style killings, many people also follow suit.
Another is the diffusion of responsibility. When, for example, there is an emergency, people assume that someone else is going to lift a finger. So people feel they are less responsible and do not see the need to act.
In Davao City, only the police and local government would deny the existence of Dds. But for the many, there is such a vigilante group as Dds. And it is found out that it's a highly organized group. For instance, in the recently released report of the Human Rights Watch, "You Can Die Anytime: Death Squad Killings in Mindanao," the richly detailed report on Dds to date, it documented the membership, structure, equipment, recruitment, training, modus operandi, financing and purging process of the Dds.
Despite these damning revelations, people in authority continue to trumpet the same message: "DDS is a figment of someone's imagination." Worse, although people in Davao believe that DDS does exist, they remain indifferent. Is it because nobody else is dissenting or someone else is going to take care of a problem like Dds? It's hard to tell for sure.
Yet one thing is sure, we're going to come to terms with it. And the sooner we do it, the better.
No comments:
Post a Comment