History Main / CallousnessTowardsEmergency

* Subverted in the live action ''[[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas Grinch]]'' movie when Cindy Lou Who falls onto a conveyor belt leading to a crusher and can't get up. The Grinch ''wants'' to be this trope as part of his self image but [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold ultimately can't bring himself to let her get hurt and saves her]].

* In ''Film/Parasite2019'', Dong-ik's major KickTheDog moment is his choice to still respond to [[spoiler:Geun-se's smell]] as the latter [[spoiler:lies dying in front of him, while Ki-jeong bleeds to death in her mother's arms.]]

* 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, as the robber responsible would carry out [[MyGreatestFailure Peter's greatest tragedy]].

* ''Radio/BleakExpectations:''

* 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 harm's 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]].

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{The Incredibles}}''

* 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. [[UnstoppableRage Bob doesn't take it]] [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom very well.]]

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* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "[[Recap/SouthParkS8E10PreSchool Pre-School]]", Butters demands [[AbusiveParents his parents]] to let him in when he's being beat up by [[AxCrazy Trent Boyett]], but they refuse to do so, with his mom saying she will instead go upstairs ''so she won't hear him''.

May lead to MurderByInaction. Compare BystanderSyndrome.

* One recurring bystander in ''ComicBook/TheDarkKnightReturns'' demonstrates this repeatedly, [[HateSink compounding it with]] [[BystanderSyndrome a "not my problem" attitude]].
* At the end of the [[Comicbook/ThePunisherCircleOfBlood first miniseries]] of Comicbook/ThePunisher, Frank had forced the BigBad to confess his deeds to Ben Urich. On his way out of the villain's estate, he's confronted by the son of a mafioso he shot, and Castle did not want to kill him (said son was not involved in the family business at all). He tells the man that sometimes, the best course of action is to do nothing; the son allows him to leave without incident. Shortly afterwards, the big bad's girlfriend (who did a FaceHeelTurn and tried to kill the Punisher), sees him leaving the estate, and tries to run him down. She ends up with her car halfway off the side of a bridge, and Frank thinks about how sometimes, the best course of action is to do nothing, leaving her to her fate. Unfortunately for Castle, both she and the BigBad return to plague him again.
* One of the most famous examples is the titular character in the ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' franchise. In most incarnations, upon receiving his powers, Spider-Man tried to figure out how best to exploit them for profit and, while walking through a TV Studio, ignored a burglar running past (and a security guard's calls for him to help), dismissing the incident as "not his problem", given that he wasn't in the business of fighting crime. In a particularly brutal instance of LaserGuidedKarma, the burglar kills his Uncle Ben that very night.

* In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'', a boy from the Apex drowned in the lake of the Fog Car because he couldn't swim and the person who pushed him into the water [[spoiler:[[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Paul]]]] couldn't be half-assed to save him. This ends badly on [[spoiler:Paul's]] part as they're now tortured in isolation left alone in a state of vulnerability where no one knows he's there, slowly breaking into the DespairEventHorizon.

* In RealLife, this phenomenon is called "The Bystander Effect" — Wiki/TheOtherWiki has an article on it [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect here.]]

* In RealLife, this is a common phenomenon in cities, wherein no individual in a crowd wants to step forward and get involved with someone else's problem. People have been mugged, raped, and even ''given birth'' in broad daylight on crowded city streets while being completely ignored. Some experts advise that instead of yelling "RAPE" or "HELP," which receive disappointingly low responses, the distressed should yell "FIRE!" Apparently, crowds are less callous towards a conflagration than a confrontation; it's almost certain to draw immediate attention.
** Another way to counter this is instead of yelling "CALL THE POLICE!" at a crowd, you should point to a ''specific person'' and say "YOU! Call the police!", since in the former circumstance, people are more likely to be afflicted by the BystanderSyndrome.
** This is called "The Bystander Effect" — Wiki/TheOtherWiki has an article on it [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect here.]]

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 — after all, they're not necessarily ''causing'' the emergency — and may very well be nothing more than [[{{Jerkass}} a complete jerk]], but either way, the endangered individual's brush with death is brushed off as unimportant by someone who has the potential to help out.

* 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?"

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 [[JerksAreWorseThanVillains far more loathsome 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.

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 [[AdultFear 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.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "[[Recap/SouthParkS8E10PreSchool Pre-School]]", Butters demands [[AbusiveParents his parents]] to let him in when he's being beat up by [[AxCrazy Trent Boyett]], but they refuse to do so, with his mom saying she will instead go upstairs ''so she won't hear him''.

* In the ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' episode "Helicopter", Josh calls Megan when he and Drake are trapped in a helicopter without a pilot, only for Megan to then dismiss his call to continue discussing stickers with her friend.

* Averted in the live action ''[[Film/HowTheGrinchStoleChristmas Grinch]]'' movie when Cindy Lou Who falls onto a conveyor belt leading to a crusher and can't get up. The Grinch ''wants'' to be this trope as part of his self image but [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold ultimately can't bring himself to let her get hurt and saves her.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "[[Recap/SouthParkS8E10PreSchool Pre-School]]", Butters demands [[AbusiveParents his parents]] to let him in when he's being beaten up by [[AxCrazy Trent Boyett]], but they refuse to do so, with his mom saying she will instead go upstairs ''so she won't hear him''.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "[[Recap/SouthParkS8E10PreSchool Pre-School]]", Butters demands [[AbusiveParents his parents]] to let him in when he's being beaten up by Trent Boyett, but they refuse to do so, with his mom saying she will instead go upstairs ''so she won't hear him''.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "Pre-School", Butters demands [[AbusiveParents his parents]] to let him in when he's being beaten up by Trent Boyett, but they refuse to do so, with his mom saying she will instead go upstairs ''so she won't hear 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 -- after all, they're not necessarily ''causing'' the emergency -- and may very well be nothing more than [[{{Jerkass}} a complete jerk]], but either way, the endangered 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 [[AdultFear 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.

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

* 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]]''.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Ambition}}'' Yale won't help you escape from the people who just threatened to murder you because he's too busy holding a ''dinner party''.
* Azama in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' has this sort of nihilistic detachment as one of his main traits since he believes everything is predetermined and that life is meaningless since everyone is destined to die someday, so he sees everything bad that happens, up to and including the deaths of himself and people close to him, as nothing but nature taking its course. 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. In the opening to his daughter's recruitment chapter, Saizo is left shocked by Azama's rather flippant reaction to finding out the village his daughter lives in has been overrun by enemy forces and doesn't show any concern for her until he gets to the village and doesn't see her anywhere.

* [[{{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]].

* In RealLife this is a common phenomenon in cities, wherein no individual in a crowd wants to step forward and get involved with someone else's problem. People have been mugged, raped, and even ''given birth'' in broad daylight on crowded city streets while being completely ignored. Some experts advise that instead of yelling "RAPE" or "HELP," which receive disappointingly low responses, the distressed should yell "FIRE!" Apparently, crowds are less callous towards a conflagration than a confrontation; it's almost certain to draw immediate attention.
** Another way to counter this is instead of yelling "CALL THE POLICE!" at a crowd, you should point to a ''specific person'' and say "YOU! Call the police!" since in the former circumstance's people are more likely to be afflicted by the BystanderSyndrome.
** This is called "The Bystander Effect" - Wiki/TheOtherWiki has an article on it [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect here.]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': In "Pre-School", Butters demands [[AbusiveParents his parents]] to let him in when he's being beaten up by Trent Boyett, but they refuse to do so, with his mom saying she will instead go upstairs ''so she won't have to hear his screams''.

* 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?"

* [[{{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]]

* In RealLife this is a common phenomenon in cities, wherein no individual in a crowd wants to step forward and get involved with someone else's problem. People have been mugged, raped, and even ''given birth'' in broad daylight on crowded city streets while being completely ignored. Some experts advise that instead of yelling "RAPE" or "HELP," which receive disappointingly low responses, the distressed should yell "FIRE!" Apparently crowds are less callous towards a conflagration than a confrontation; it's almost certain to draw immediate attention.

->'''Bob Parr''': He is getting mugged!
->'''Mr. Huph''': Well, let's hope we don't cover him!

!!Examples

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