History Main / CallousnessTowardsEmergency

* [[{{Jerkass}} Master Shake]] of ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' is ComedicSociopathy at it finest. In the episode "Super Squatter", he invades next-door neighbor Carl's house because the Aqua Teens' has no power (which is his fault, because he flushed the bills he was supposed to pay down the toilet). Carl attempts to force him out with a shotgun, but ends up accidentally shooting himself in the ankle. Shake proceeds to watch TV and order in while ignoring Carl's pleas that he call an ambulance. Eventually [[OnlySaneMan Frylock]] comes over and gets Carl to a hospital -- after his foot has [[AnArmAndALeg fallen off]].

* Downplayed in the first ''Film/SpiderMan1'' movie starring Tobey Maguire, as the victim of the robbery [[AssholeVictim had just screwed Peter out of a lot of money]] via LoopholeAbuse, and brushed him off with, "I missed the part where that was my problem," when he protested... words that Peter [[IronicEcho gleefully throws back in the guy's face]] as the robber gets away. This MomentOfWeakness still comes back to haunt him as standard.

* Downplayed in the first ''Film/{{Spiderman}}'' movie starring Tobey Maguire, as the victim of the robbery [[AssholeVictim had just screwed Peter out of a lot of money]] via LoopholeAbuse, and brushed him off with, "I missed the part where that was my problem," when he protested... words that Peter [[IronicEcho gleefully throws back in the guy's face]] as the robber gets away. This MomentOfWeakness still comes back to haunt him as standard.

This can make the jerk be even more of a jerk, to the point of possibly being seen as evil, and can at times be far more disturbing than a genuine villain threatening others' lives. At least the villain both has a motive (even [[ForTheEvulz if it's simply]] [[{{Sadist}} enjoying the suffering they're causing]]) and is known to be evil ([[DramaticIrony at least]] by the audience, if not the heroes or ''[[CardCarryingVillain everyone in the setting]]'') -- you're not really surprised by their antisocial behavior. But the bully who lets someone die because he doesn't care is a whole new level in itself. It's not quite a MoralEventHorizon (in most cases), but it's certainly reprehensible.

--->'''Jaime''': If the dead win, they march south and kill us all. If the living win and we've betrayed them, they march south and kill us all!

* Downplayed in the first ''Film/{{Spiderman}}'' movie starring Tobey Maguire, as the victim of the robbery [[AssholeVictim had just screwed Peter out of a lot of money]] via LoopholeAbuse, and brushed him off with, "I missed the part where that was my problem," when he protested... words that Peter gleefully throws back in the guy's face as the robber gets away. This MomentOfWeakness still comes back to haunt him as standard.

* One recurring bystander in ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' demonstrates this repeatedly, [[HateSink compounding it with]] a "not my problem" attitude.

[[AC:Film—Animated]]

[[AC:Film—Live Action]]
* In ''[[Film/{{Casper}} Casper: A Spirited Beginning]]'', a live-action movie, a bully locks a boy in the closet of a house which is about to be demolished. The bully is unaware that the house is going to be demolished, but his victim is in mortal danger.
** And even when he's told, his only response is "[[KickTheDog Cool!]]"

* In ''Literature/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'' and its many adaptations, this is zig-zagged with Willy Wonka, who is a JerkWithAHeartOfGold. Because the four bratty kids get into possibly-lethal danger when they disobey his explicit [[TheBeCarefulSpeech instructions]] and [[DontTouchItYouIdiot warnings]], he has NoSympathy -- as everyone else panics, he watches calmly as their fates play out, even snarking and/or laughing. And he [[SkewedPriorities worries more about how the smooth operations of his factory will be affected]]. Then again, this ''is'' his factory, so he knows how they can be rescued and/or restored to normal and takes steps to ensure that they are. Then again, he's perfectly willing to brush off the possibility that Veruca and her parents will be burned alive in an incinerator, and it's luck that saves them. ''Then again'', the brats ''are'' all {{Hate Sink}}s, rather than the innocent victims usually associated with this trope -- the reader is ultimately supposed to feel great satisfaction in their comeuppances. This is a major reason Mr. Wonka is an InterpretativeCharacter subject to {{Alternative Character Interpretation}}s, such as the [[Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory 2013 stage musical]] portraying him as an AmbiguouslyEvil AntiHero who isn't perturbed by the prospect of the kids ''[[DeathByAdaptation actually getting killed]]''.

[[AC:Live Action TV]]

* In ''VideoGame/SilentHill2'', Laura, a little girl, locks protagonist James in a room with a boss monster. She has no idea that such a threat is even there, and is simply being a brat.
* The prologue of ''VideoGame/MaxPayne'' has Max telling someone who just called his number to call 911 because someone has just broken into his house and his family is in danger. The lady caller's response? "Good. I'm afraid I cannot help you," followed by her hanging up. Though Max does try to save his family, it's of no use, as both his wife and his baby girl get killed by the junkies. It turns out later that the lady caller was [[spoiler:Nicole Horne, the BigBad of the game, who sent the junkies to Max's home for the express purpose of killing his wife to keep a major secret from getting out and was calling to ensure that the job was being carried out]].

[[AC: Webcomics]]

* Azama in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' has this sort of cynical detachment as one of his main traits. In the cutscene that introduces him, his fellow bodyguard for Princess Hinoka begins sinking into quicksand in the middle of a battle, and rather than help her, he just shrugs, admits he isn't strong enough to pull her out, and stands back to watch what happens, forcing Hinoka to step in and pull her out herself.

* Drives the entire plot of the 2010 ''Series/DoctorWho'' Christmas special "A Christmas Carol": a spaceship liner is about to crash and the only device that can save them can only be operated by a [[TheScrooge rich curmudgeon]] who refuses to use it apparently just because he doesn't care. Cue YetAnotherChristmasCarol.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', Bob ([[SecretIdentity Mr. Incredible]]) notices during a meeting with his boss Mr. Huph that a man is being mugged and beaten up in the alley outside his window. Mr. Huph replies glibly, "Well, let's hope we don't cover him!" He then threatens to fire Bob if he leaves the meeting to stop the mugger. [[BerserkButton Bob doesn't take it]] [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom very well.]]

** This is called "The Bystander Effect" - the OtherWiki has an article on it [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect here.]].

* The final episode of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' had the main characters standing by and laughing as a fat guy was mugged (even filming it). They're arrested and charged under Good Samaritan laws. [[ArtisticLicenseLaw Of course, in reality "Good Samaritan Laws", rather than requiring people to put themselves in harms way or face legal penalties, do almost the exact opposite: protecting people who make a good faith effort to help others in an emergency (like trying to perform CPR without being trained) from being sued for damages if they end up doing more harm than good]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "Wonderbolt Academy", Rainbow Dash's partner Lightning Dust decides to whip up a tornado to help them score more points on a cloud-clearing exercise, even though they out-score the other teams several times over. The tornado not only throws around and endangers the other teams, but also demolishes the Twinkling Balloon, sending Dash's friends (who were making a surprise visit) plummeting to their doom. After they are rescued, Rainbow Dash calls Lightning Dust out on what she did - and she responds, "Yeah, and?" For some reason, Lightning Dust is ''not'' well liked by much of the fandom.

->'''Mr. Huph''': Well let's hope we don't cover him!

A scene in which someone is in mortal danger, but the one person nearby who could help that individual doesn't care, or doesn't realize the extent of the danger. That person isn't necessarily the villain, that person could simply be a complete jerk, but either way, the individual's brush with death is brushed off as unimportant by someone who has the potential to help out.

This can make the jerk be even more of a jerk, to the point of possibly being seen as evil, and can at times be far more disturbing than a genuine villain threatening others' lives. At least the villain both has a motive and is known to be evil. But the bully who lets someone die because he doesn't care is a whole new level in itself. It's not quite a MoralEventHorizon (in most cases), but it's certainly reprehensible.

This can make the jerk be even more of a jerk, to the point of possibly being seen as evil, and can at times be far more disturbing than a genuine villain threatening others' lives. At least the villain both has a motive and is known to be evil. But the bully who lets someone die because he doesn't care, is a whole new level in itself.

May lead to MurderByInaction.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/CasperTheFriendlyGhost Casper: A Spirited Beginning]]'', a live-action movie, a bully locks a boy in the closet of a house which is about to be demolished. The bully is unaware that the house is going to be demolished, but his victim is in mortal danger.

* In ''[[CasperTheFriendlyGhost Casper: A Spirited Beginning]]'', a live-action movie, a bully locks a boy in the closet of a house which is about to be demolished. The bully is unaware that the house is going to be demolished, but his victim is in mortal danger.

* In the Creator/HumphreyBogart UsefulNotes/WorldWarII movie ''Sahara'', the tank crew abandons an Italian soldier taken prisoner in the war in the middle of the desert, citing a lack of resources. They go back for him, but not before heartlessly driving off and condemning him to what would be a painful, slow death.

->'''Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible''': "He is getting mugged!"
->'''Mr. Huph''': "Well let's hope we don't cover him!"
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{The Incredibles}}'', referring to a random man on the street outside the insurance office the pair were in.

* The final episode of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' had the main characters standing by and laughing as a fat guy was mugged. RealityEnsues when they're arrested and charged under Good Samaritan laws.

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