Show compassion

IN the years BS (Before Smartphones), the sight of a teenage girl being attacked on a busy street would surely have triggered a prompt intervention by some passers-by. But since the smartphone became ubiquitous in society, such gestures of human compassion and civic-mindedness can no longer be relied upon.

The natural human instinct to help one another during a crisis was not evident in Galway at the weekend when witnesses to the violent assault of a teenage girl opted to record the scene on their phones instead of going to her aid.

The insatiable appetite for ghoulish and sensational material on the internet has made many of us slaves to the device, turning us into amateur film-makers and voyeurs on permanent look-out for scenes of novelty and distraction, rather than empathetic human beings.

Extreme or unique internet content has the potential of ‘going viral’, winning posters bands of new followers, which boosts their online profile and can turn them into social media ‘influencers’.

But the price is high: we risk producing a callous and desensitised society where people put their humanity on hold for a shot at producing mass entertainment.

The Mayor of Galway City, Councillor Niall McNelis, refused to succumb to the new imperative and actually ran to the girl’s rescue when everyone else was filming the incident.

He has to be congratulated for his grit and courage.

Cllr McNelis received a punch to the face for his trouble, but he at least has the distinction of performing his civic duty.

The spectators who filmed the teenager and the mayor in turn being assaulted should bow their heads in shame.