<p>I can forgive McQ’s initial reaction. We all say, now, that we would have intervened, but in fact, in the real world, when faced with a shocking situation where we should intervene, a lot of us don’t. We go into shock, and our brains are literally incapable of rational thought. Even though in hindsight everyone can see that the right response is to separate the rapist from his victim without taking much care to avoid slamming him into a wall or otherwise harming him, take the child to a place of safety and call the police. It’s so obvious.</p>
<p>But in the moment of emergency, lots of people panic and screw up. I don’t defend this-- he didn’t do the right thing-- but I understand it. People screw up in emergencies all the time.</p>
<p>What I can’t understand, what I can’t forgive, is his subsequent actions. OK, he panicked, he froze. But later, when he was driving home, why did he not stop and call the cops then? When he got home, why didn’t he dial 911? On hearing the story, how could his father not say, “Hang up and call 911 right now, son”? I can’t help wondering if he had reached his mother rather than his father, if she would have given different advice.</p>