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So I sat there, frozen with fear.
I watched as they beat on him time and time again waiting for someone to interfere, but no one would dare.
Everyone's eyes glued to those windows while they sink deeper into their chairs.
Bystander effect. It's a ain't it?
It has a greater power on us than we'd like to admit.
We all think we are so different and it has no effect on me, but doesn't it?
Hits turned into kicks, then one man turned into six
And all I was thinking is that this is not the way kids should be solving their conflicts.
The kid looked just like my little brother, no older than fifteen.
As a grown man you see a kid getting beat up and you don't feel compelled to intervene?
"What a bunch of yellow-belly s" I think to myself,
But then I had the realization that mystill stuck to this chair and I'm leaving him alone to defend himself.
My Bystander Effect turned to vexation very very quick
And I genuinely had enough of this bull.
The Bystander Effect is funny you know.
It straps you in, holds you back, feels like it's never gonna let go.
It paralyzes you. Leaves you motionless.
But, all it takes is one person to put it to the test.
The yellow-belly s weren't so yellow after all,
Because next thing you know it, they beside me standing tall.
However the boy's face is now swollen. His eyes can barely open.
The guilt of being quiet is a burden I know I'll forever be holding.
If only the effect let me go sooner. This boy could have been saved
And I'm telling you every night I close my eyes I still see the look upon his face.
My one hope today is that I've raised your awareness of the bystander effect,
Because you truly never know if your son or daughter will be next.
