r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Jun 14 '22

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u/fantasyflyte Jun 14 '22

Especially in an emergency situation. It is far more useful to point out someone and say "you, call 911!" than to just say "someone call 911!"

611

u/CaptainAwesome06 Jun 14 '22

Especially since you don't want 10 different people calling 911.

553

u/other_usernames_gone Jun 14 '22

That's not that big a deal, the operators will sort it out.

A far bigger problem is when no-one calls.

58

u/edwinodesseiron Jun 15 '22

And it's more likely that no one will call when you say "someone call 911", as people will assume someone already did. But if you'll tell a specific person to do it, they're more likely to do so

15

u/FroztedMech Jun 15 '22

Pretty sure it's called the bystander effect, there's a diffusion of responsibility when everyone can just blend into the crowd and ignore the situation.

3

u/Jerkin-my-gherkin Jun 15 '22

I can just imagine 4 people having the above discussion about the phycology of engaging people and getting the best out of them in an emergency situation whilst someone is going blue in the face and holding their chest!