Bystander Non-Intervention and Musee des Beaux Arts

I found Musee des Beaux Arts to be a very interesting poem in that it subtly critiques man’s lack of help for another. The prime example within the poem is the “ploughman” who turns away as Icarus falls from the sky and drowns in the sea. It is not an “important failure” for the ploughman while Icarus’ “white legs” disappear into “the blue”. Throughout the poem, W.H Auden suggests that travesties have nowhere near the same meaning for the outsider as they do for the victim; the world lacks empathy. Such a critique is interesting to connect to a recent lecture in my psychology 101 class about bystander non-intervention.
As my professor pointed out, our society neglects to intervene under even the most strenuous situations. He brought up the instance of a New York woman screaming loudly in the busy street while being raped yet none of the many apartment dwellers – who had awoke to the screams – did anything. What some can immediately point to is the complete lack of empathy of the bystanders, yet in the context of such a horrific lack of absence this does not seem like an adequate explanation. The second most logical idea is that the bystander is among many and assumes someone else will do the job. In certain cases, such as where a direct physical intervention is needed, some may be scared for their own safety. Yet, as my professor pointed out our inaction as a society is quite baffling. It shows an underlying selfishness in human nature as helping someone out or acknowledging and reacting their pain is a completely selfless gesture; there are no personal benefits or rewards thus our judgment is not clouded by personal reasons. Bystander non-intervention – prevalent in our society – is a sad story which one should consciously be aware of if ever in the situation where someone needs help.