How Martial Artists Can Stop a Knife Attack: Lessons from Real-Life Cases
- James Hiromasa
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
The July 7, 2015, edition of The Washington Post described an incident in which a man on a moving train allegedly punched a passenger until he fell, then stabbed him repeatedly in the torso and arms until he died.
As the crime unfolded, other passengers in the coach watched; not one intervened.
The tendency to not get involved, dubbed the “bystander effect,” is becoming the norm these days, particularly in big cities where a sense of community doesn’t exist. Rather than helping the person in distress, people simply ignore the assault — or start recording it.
In rural settings, there still exists enough of a community feel to make people rush to help neighbors in need, especially among the older generation.
But in metropolitan areas, you encounter more and more stories like the one above from Washington, D.C. It seems everyone is waiting for someone else — be it the government, police or anyone with authority — to help first. Sadly, that seldom happens.