Page 3 | AIBU about filming incidents?

MsStillwell · 2020-10-30T11:43:24+00:00

This is something that happened yesterday that's been playing on my mind. Whilst shopping, I came across a couple of men fighting. They were drug addicts squabbling outside the pharmacy about £4 that one still owed/had already paid the other. One male passerby was attempting to calm things down, another male passerby had stopped to do the same as me - see if he could help and generally support the man who was intervening. What really got my goat was the people who stopped to do nothing but film. Why do people do this? I said to one young female, "I don't think you should be filming this" and she replied, "Yeah well they shouldn't be doing it". I have more respect for people who carry on walking and don't get involved. When I was growing up people who stopped to gawp at things like this were called ghouls and it was a shameful thing to do. Now it passes as an opportunity to get likes. It's behaviour that seems completely lacking in human kindness, dignity and respect.

terrywynne · 30/10/2020 15:26

Filming an incident as described for social media likes - nasty behaviour.

Filming a crime or incident in progress for evidence - potentially helpful, possibly safer than intervening.

Filming/photographing the aftermath of an accident or a medical emergency rather than get help - disgusting and inexcusable. Ditto filming when the emergency services are on scene.

emilyfrost · 30/10/2020 15:26

@blueangel19

I hope they make filming like that illegal. Do not care about witnesses because they can also be eye witnesses. In most cases is an invasion of privacy.

Eye witness testimony is extremely unreliable and always taken with a pinch of salt, so video evidence is appreciated in crime cases.

It will never be made illegal because you don’t have a right to privacy in a public place.

Cheeseandwin5 · 30/10/2020 15:27

It depends on the incident really.
If is was a criminal action than I think filming would be appropriate if you felt you would be endangered actually getting involved, which should then be passed on tot he police.
I can honestly think it would be 100 times worse if ppl didnt help and just carried on walking, That for me would be horrific

terrywynne · 30/10/2020 15:28

@blueangel19

I hope they make filming like that illegal. Do not care about witnesses because they can also be eye witnesses. In most cases is an invasion of privacy.

I agree to an extent but eyewitnesses are notoriously unreliable (plenty of studies on what different people notice/recall) and some situations can end up as he said/she said and without further evidence.

areyoubeingserviced · 30/10/2020 15:36

It’s a coincidence that you brought this up.
A few days a go I was caught up in a lot of traffic. A man had collapsed and was lying on the ground. I couldn’t believe the number of motorists who got out of their vehicles with their phone in their hands filming this man. This wasn’t a car accident whereby their film evidence would have been of use.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 30/10/2020 15:42

It happened to me too, eight weeks ago when my hip was smashed by an idiot driver who "didn't see me"
Lying in agony in the road, it wasn't much fun to be surrounded by several knuckle draggers with their phones out - one was even trying to ask stupid questions as if he fancied himself a reporter and it's not nice to think that's probably all over Facebook/Twatter by now

userxx · 30/10/2020 15:44

@Puzzledandpissedoff WTF!!!

wink1970 · 30/10/2020 15:49

I do believe Essex police issued about 20 tickets recently to drivers they caught driving by and filming a serious accident. I hope they get huge fines.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 30/10/2020 15:52

To be fair, userxx, I'm no different to all the others who've had it done to them - not particularly pleasant when it happens though

Luckily some wonderful people came over as well (it happened right opposite a pharmacy) but it was a bit annoying when one of the staff rushed across asking if anyone had caused an ambulance and the response was mere gormless looks

Too busy filming I guess

DynamoKev · 30/10/2020 16:50

Not convinced this is a new thing - it's just the medium is different.

I am 58 and there have been Ghouls and rubberneckers all my life - I was brought up not to do this kind of thing for prurient interest - however as others have observed it can be a valuable way to record what actually occurred at times.

nosswith · 30/10/2020 16:56

Filming for evidence for the police (or for someone's defence in court) yes, not otherwise.

Nearly as bad as grief tourism.

lljkk · 30/10/2020 17:50

If you're in public I believe others have right to film you. You don't have copyright on your image.

Better to stop harm happening but sometimes that's not possible.
Can't agree with OP.

throwaway100000 · 30/10/2020 18:10

I don’t see a problem here. For the most part, women wouldn’t be able to physically break apart 2 angry men in a fight or hold them back long enough for the situation to de-escalate.

Take the young victims in the Delphi murders - they felt like something wasn’t right but couldn’t get to safety in the moment. They had the presence of mind to covertly film their killer’s actions on their phones and protected themselves in that way.

Gathering evidence is absolutely fine. CCTV doesn’t capture everything nor are eye witness testimonies completely reliable. I mean, I studied an entire module on eyewitness testimony as a psychology undergrad!

Beyond that, video evidence is irrefutable proof of what was said etc as cctv doesn’t record audio. People lie - how many racists have been rightfully caught out on camera?

If you’re embarrassed about your appearance being shown on the internet, that’s on you. For the most part, no one would pay attention to you.

LucillevsLowkee · 30/10/2020 19:23

YANBU

but there's nothing new. People used to just stop and stare, they now have the technology to record and share.

There are endless examples of accident, crashes, drama where passer-by did nothing but take photos , blocking the access of rescue services in the process.

You can call it as you want, I can't see it changing anytime soon.

I'd still prefer cars slowing down to take a good look to morons speeding and risking causing more injuries. In the scale of disrespectful idiots, the list is long...

SchrodingersImmigrant · 30/10/2020 19:31

Not one of them chose to call for medical help despite the poor woman pleading for help

This is the "Someone else surely did" syndrome.
People think that the people who were there before them called.

DieSchottin93 · 30/10/2020 19:37

YANBU. In some countries, like Germany for example, you get fined for filming accidents and obstructing emergency services and you can even face a prison sentence. There's just no need to be so ghoulish as to film things like RTAs and the like.

Frequentcarpetflyer · 30/10/2020 19:42

@emilyfrost

I don’t see the issue with it, and actually it can be quite beneficial. Nobody should be doing anything in public that they don’t mind others seeing anyway.

You were very rude to try and police someone else’s behaviour with a pointed remark.

I hope you don't mean that.

Frequentcarpetflyer · 30/10/2020 19:50

@DynamoKev

Not convinced this is a new thing - it's just the medium is different.

I am 58 and there have been Ghouls and rubberneckers all my life - I was brought up not to do this kind of thing for prurient interest - however as others have observed it can be a valuable way to record what actually occurred at times.

No but the difference is that now you end up on the internet for everyone to see "forever". I don't want me face on SM. There are plenty of people who don't for various reasons.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 30/10/2020 19:53

@throwaway100000

I don’t see a problem here. For the most part, women wouldn’t be able to physically break apart 2 angry men in a fight or hold them back long enough for the situation to de-escalate.

Take the young victims in the Delphi murders - they felt like something wasn’t right but couldn’t get to safety in the moment. They had the presence of mind to covertly film their killer’s actions on their phones and protected themselves in that way.

Gathering evidence is absolutely fine. CCTV doesn’t capture everything nor are eye witness testimonies completely reliable. I mean, I studied an entire module on eyewitness testimony as a psychology undergrad!

Beyond that, video evidence is irrefutable proof of what was said etc as cctv doesn’t record audio. People lie - how many racists have been rightfully caught out on camera?

If you’re embarrassed about your appearance being shown on the internet, that’s on you. For the most part, no one would pay attention to you.

Your last sentence is vile, how dare you put this on the OP? I wonder if you'd feel the same if/when somebody you care about is hurt/killed and the gurning ghouls out there start filming them, filming you to see if you're crying?

I can't believe that some people are of such low quality that they would do this but, they do and they are.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 30/10/2020 19:54

Nobody should be doing anything in public that they don’t mind others seeing anyway

I must try to remember that, should anyone run me over again ... foolish to have made a spectacle of myself by lying around in pain, when actually I should have ignored my shattered bone and strolled away casually

EdwardCullensBiteOnTheSide · 30/10/2020 20:39

I think it's awful too.

throwaway100000 · 30/10/2020 20:44

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe are you always this hysterical?

OP stated: And the thought went through my head how, as a middle-aged, over-weight woman, people on social media would comment on me too.

To which I responded that no one would be paying attention to her - as surely they would be focused on the topic of the video at hand eg the trashy argument between the men? People in the background are rarely commented on, even with viral videos. Did anyone actually die in OP’s scenario btw? Or are you just inventing creepy straw man arguments?

I would say it’s vile to say to someone “I wonder if you'd feel the same if/when somebody you care about is hurt/killed”. Come across as if you’re wishing death upon someone I care about to prove a point! How dare you?

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 30/10/2020 20:44

@Newfornow

“” I have more respect for people who carry on walking and don't get involved.”” But you didn’t just walk by either.

OP was trying to help.

What she is saying is: if you're not going to help, just carry on walking, because that's better than filming.

Original poster

MsStillwell · 30/10/2020 20:53

Yes, that’s what I meant @JesusInTheCabbageVan

To which I responded that no one would be paying attention to her - as surely they would be focused on the topic of the video at hand

Well, I guess my experience of social media is that some people are all too quick to take any opportunity to be misogynistic.

OP posts:

JesusInTheCabbageVan · 30/10/2020 20:54

@throwaway100000

I don’t see a problem here. For the most part, women wouldn’t be able to physically break apart 2 angry men in a fight or hold them back long enough for the situation to de-escalate.

Take the young victims in the Delphi murders - they felt like something wasn’t right but couldn’t get to safety in the moment. They had the presence of mind to covertly film their killer’s actions on their phones and protected themselves in that way.

Gathering evidence is absolutely fine. CCTV doesn’t capture everything nor are eye witness testimonies completely reliable. I mean, I studied an entire module on eyewitness testimony as a psychology undergrad!

Beyond that, video evidence is irrefutable proof of what was said etc as cctv doesn’t record audio. People lie - how many racists have been rightfully caught out on camera?

If you’re embarrassed about your appearance being shown on the internet, that’s on you. For the most part, no one would pay attention to you.

You sound quite confused - I think you may have got the wrong end of the stick.