The Hero Dilemma
I talked to Nightline for this segment on heroism yesterday, and it reminded me of just how slippery the concept is. The show features Richard Camp, a man who was at his local bank when a gunman came in and tried to rob the place. The video from the surveillance cameras is pretty remarkable. You can see how Camp is trying to make up his mind: should he remain passive or should he try to stop the man? Meanwhile, watch what most of the other customers did: as the perpetrator, wearing a motorcycle helmet, waved his gun around, the other customers went about their business. One man sips his coffee while another couple fills out a loan application.
Now, it’s possible that some of them literally did not see or hear anything to suggest a problem. But I would guess that some of them were in a position to notice something amiss—and their brains talked them out of it. That is the most common mistake that people make in life-or-death situations. They are very slow to accept that something dangerous is happening. There are good reasons for this: the brain works by fitting everything that happens into patterns for what has happened before. So you will find yourself trying to normalize what you are seeing—to shoehorn it into one of the patterns in your head for what normally happens. We are slow to recognize exceptions.
Richard Camp did not have that luxury, since the man threatened him directly. And Camp did not get stuck in disbelief. As you can see in the segment, he waited several minutes, and then jumped the guy—sustaining a gunshot wound to the leg. Another customer then helped subdue the robber. Camp was declared a hero and is recovering from his injury.
Since then, lawyers have gotten involved, and Camp has filed suit against the bank. (See this Los Angeles Times piece for more.) I wish I could say this is uncommon, but it is not. Survivors often complain that the authorities tasked with protecting them—or at least thanking them—let them down in some way after the incident. And companies, also reeling from the initial crisis, frequently do not know how to best respond to the complicated needs of survivors. It is heartbreaking how quickly goodwill can evaporate.
Anyway, no one can say if the robber would have left the bank without firing his weapon had Camp not intervened. No one will know if the robber would’ve gone on to rob more banks and put more people in danger. But it seems like Camp thought through his options and decided to take responsibility for the safety of himself and others. I commend him for his courage.
Mike said on June 24, 2010 at 7:23 am
Great story, splendid analysis. (As always)
Tim said on June 25, 2010 at 12:01 am
Aloha….Great seeing you on TV the other night…. Great insight (as always).
T.
Amanda said on June 25, 2010 at 11:15 am
Thanks guys! I appreciate it.
Peter said on July 06, 2010 at 1:05 am
Were the coffee drinking/application filling-out customers interviewed? My guess is that they knew full well that a robbery was in progress, but figured that they’d be safer if they acted as if nothing was happening.
Another Mike said on July 18, 2010 at 8:26 am
I’m not terribly surprised by the customers who kept filling out their loan applications and drinking their coffee. For one thing, we often have trouble perceiving things that don’t fit into our script. (Check out some of the video “awareness tests” available on the web.) For another thing, modern urban life seems to have more pranks going on than ever before—groups like “Improv Everywhere” who want to shake us out of our zombified state; creative advertising people with hidden cameras; some new “reality t.v.” show…
I don’t know what I’d have done if I had been there. The firearm wasn’t terribly obvious in the video… I might not have noticed that anything was amiss.
ella said on August 24, 2010 at 5:07 am
Great seeing you on TV
Jane Stewart said on August 31, 2010 at 3:59 am
A great story and a splendid analysis as we always expect from Amanda!
Language said on September 03, 2010 at 6:03 am
Well, in these times it is a wonder to see heroes like this who will go out of their way in situations like this. We had many such heroes in the past but now people hesitate to do anything, as times are such, that when you do such heroic acts, many a time the finger is pointed at us - for “interfering” when it was no business of ours! So many decide not to interfere and get involved because it may be a problem for them in the end for the “heroic deed they did!!
mydreamwatch said on October 21, 2010 at 10:40 am
I think in this day and age its the fear of a lack of support from the justice system/police.In the UK the good samariten often ends up prosicuted for asault when helping others as an offender can press charges.People just feel the criminal gets off and the citizen is taken to court,so they just pass by.
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