What Would You Have Done?

[horselady]

On saturday I was at the station and going down the stairs, which are down on one side, up on the other. A very elderly lady was going down the stairs and a group of girls, aged around 15ish were coming up, most of them on their "correct" side except for one, who had decided to come up the down side. She came face-to-face with the lady, who very politely said "you are on the wrong side" to be met with a mouthful of abuse and told "go round me then" the old lady said she needed to keep hold of the handrail and couldn't let go. The girl just would not move, said she had a right to walk where she liked and was not moving for her or anyone else. I was so glad a man stepped in and just took hold of the lady and helped her on down. The whole group were a bit aggressive. I feel very cross with myself that I didn't stand up to them. Very unpleasant.

[andy-hughes]

I would have intervened, but as a man and 5'10" I would stand more chance of making the girl back down than perhaps a lady of more modest height.

I understand the urge to get involved tempered with the realisation that violence can ensue - it's one of the downsides of modern society.

[mmaryb]

I think I would have told the girl how proud her own grandmother would be of her if she could see how she was behaving, and then helped the lady down the stairs.

[Khandro]

I think the man did exactly the right thing, he dealt with the situation with skill and no one was harmed - particularly the lady.
The girl will be punished by her action.

[mikey4444]

I would have intervened as well. Well done the chap who did.

I have no patience with stupid rude girls like that, I won't be intimidated for one minute.

[andy-hughes]

Khandro - //The girl will be punished by her action. //

How? Divine intervention ... karma ... ?

[christophermahon]

If I could I would have stepped in unfortunately there are many times when these situations end in serious or even death someone pulls a knife,well done to the person who stepped in it is all about respect not who's right or wrong x

[zebo]

Similar thing happened once, a horde of females coming down the wrong stairs, their look saying There's too many of us!! As they pushed by I lost my footing which caused my leg to stick out leaving a few in a pile at the bottom of the stairs. They'd never cause me to lose my footing again!

[gness]

I'd have intervened.......I do, and as my children say one day I'll regret it.
In a cafe in Northampton centre I saw, through the window, some youths teasing and taking the broom from a very shy, timid man who was sweeping up.....I went after them and got the broom back.....not one person helped.

Similar to mmaryb's thoughts.......but only works because I live in a very small town...
I made some lads pick up and return to the bin the litter they were kicking around by telling one of them that I would be having a word with his mum next time she was in my shop....
I don't have a shop....and didn't know his mum from Adam.....but it worked....

I do find gangs of girls far more intimidating that gangs of lads.....maybe it's the surprise factor......lads being challenged by a getting on a bit, five foot nothing lady.....who swears in Irish when she's cross.......

Don't be cross with yourself, Horselady.....you were unprepared for the situation and it is scary......x

[-Talbot-]

It is getting much harder to intervene with incidents like this ... I struggle to find a telephone box nowadays .

[mikey4444]

Gness ....well done....we need more people like you and this chap.

To paraphrase Edmund Burke ::::::

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"

[andy-hughes]

Althugh not an aggressive exchange, it was highly amusing.

Queuing in my local book shop, there was a group of, I assume, exchange students, behind me, talking in German and laughing among themselves. The one of them said something in a loud voice, directed at the lady assistant and his friends all laughed. The lady said something to him, also in German, and he blushed bright red, and his friends did as well.

When I got to the counter, I asked her what the exchange had been. She told me that, imaginging he was securfe in using a foreign language, he had said to his friends, 'I wish the old bag on the counter would get a bloody move on so we can get out of here!' She replied, also in German 'The old bag is going as fast as she can and appreciates your patience and courtesy in waiting your turn.'

It was a priceless moment - young people can be taught to think about their actions, if the circumstances are right.

[mikey4444]

Wish I had been there Andy !

[hereIam]

Poor elderly lady and good for that kind man. I like to think I'd do the same, but sometimes it's just not safe.

[horselady]

Thanks for all your thoughts. Once I would have really flown at the little madam but age has made me a bit wary as I know I couldn't defend myself as I once could. As I said, thankful the man was there, I wouldn't have left her, I would have done something but am annoyed that I was afraid of a bunch of kids.

[Khandro]

As I said earlier, the man did the right thing by leading the elderly lady away from danger -that was the priority, not teaching people manners.
Of course, if there had been a physical attack on her it would have been a different matter. I haven't practised my Judo for some years, but in that event, I think the girl would have got down the stairs quicker than she expected.

[Garaman]

You do need to be careful getting involved though. A few years ago I was behind an elderly couple when I saw a man dipping the lady’s purse from her bag. I was over sixty at the time and they must have been getting on 80. I shouted out and the thief dropped the purse on the floor. He came at me screaming with his hand in his pocket sticking out at the side like he was concealing a knife. I shouted out for someone to call the police but the few that were around scarpered. I panicked a bit and froze but he didn’t have a knife and pulled his hand out and punched me in the face. Fortunately for me it was pathetic and my fear evaporated instantly. I smacked him one and he went down, got up and he too scarpered. I went to the police and we did a recce but never found him. Anyway it could have gone badly wrong and I was left cursing the old ***.

I had another experience in my fifties when I was jogging in Regents Park. A chap grabbed this girl’s handbag and ran off in my direction. I rugby tackled him and held him on the floor but the girl came over and kicked him in the head! I thought that I was going to be party to GBH!

[marval]

I would have intervened as well, what I would have said to the young madam is too rude to say here.

[Cloverjo]

I like to think I would have helped or said something to the girl.
I agree girls can be more intimidating than boys.

I was walking along a pavement when three teenage girls came towards me filling the whole width of the pavement. I wasn't going to step into the road for them, so I stood still to let them go around me. One girl deliberately barged into me and then accused me of banging into her.

I was worried it might all kick off, but I just walked away and left her shouting.

[Schlomo78]

I understand the worry in intervening, it makes me so very sad that society has come to this. I am 5ft 11" - a big strong sturdy woman in my late 30s- yet I would think twice about confronting a gang of teenagers. I have done in the past and find that deflection and humour are the best ways to do this as respect appears to be obsolete amongst certain 'packs' of kids. The key I think is to deflect the 'leader' and they appear to be easily distracted...I have a son who is 10, we/he always have given our seats up on the bus to older people, he holds doors open for other people (sometimes for ages! :) ) and on a recent school trip he grassed another kid up who kept mocking a disabled man and wouldn't stop even though his friends got angry with him.These morals will stay with him for life, as mine did that were passed down from my parents. Unfortunately this is few and far between these days and I really wish life was different. When one of the top stories in the Daily Mail is a young man helping an elderly lady then you know there's a problem.

[gness]

Thank you, Horselady......x

And yes, Schlo.......I find humour can work well as can bursting into The Battle Hymn of the Republic at the top of your voice......well it confuses them anyway.... :-)