# The elevator murder experiment: what would you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 6, 2013, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184 "2013-03-06T12:49:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2013, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/41 "2013-03-08T05:04:34Z")
Not a lot of time there to think, it would mainly be a reactive situation for mine. I’m a reasonable size but not a naturally aggressive person. My first reaction would probably be to yell at the one doing the choking. If he looked up at me and kept going, I’d walk in and kick him straight in the head, try to take away the thing he was using to do the choking, then step back and call the cops. ---
**Author:** ![48Willys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/db5fbb/32.png) [@48Willys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/48Willys)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/42 "2013-03-12T19:56:08Z")
Yes, one can say that they would do this, or that, in such a senario. In real life, faced with just this senario, one does what comes to them at that time. I would like to say I would jump in with a well planted size 12 boot. In my experiance when I was in a similar situation, I did indeed use my boots to “handle” the situation, that time. My buddy who is bigger and meaner then me in that particular situation just stood and stared. Neither of us would have guessed that he would have “choked” when confronted with the need for action. He is, after all, a combat veteran. I have not lost any respect for him over this. So you just never know how you will react. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/43 "2013-03-12T20:51:52Z")
If female victim, male attacker: Grab attacker from behind and choke him. If male victim, female attacker: Stay the hell away from domestic disputes. If two guys fighting: Yell “STOP!”, reach in pockets. With right hand, toss victim my pocket knife. With left hand, pull out phone. “OK, CONTINUE. This is so going on YouTube.” ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/44 "2013-03-12T21:07:26Z")
I hope I would punch who I think is the assailant. I fear I may run away. I know I would yell at them to stop it though. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/45 "2013-03-13T00:27:09Z")
Why hasn’t anyone commented on the fact that the ‘victim’ was not really in immediate danger. The ‘victim’ had his hand under the rope. You can clearly see this several times in the video. Anyone seeing that would assume that the victim was at least standing his ground and not at risk of actually being immediately strangled or passing out. I think that has a lot to do with how the people reacted. Had the rope been actually around the guy’s neck and actually choking him, I think the people would have reacted differently. In the first situation (hand under rope) I would call the police and yell for help. In the second situation (rope around neck), I think I would be more likely to try to knock out the ‘attacker.’ (As in, I would not have sprayed CO2 on him, I would have smashed the canister into his head.) Since this is a movie promo, I’m sure they’ve edited down to the responses that they wanted to use. So, if there were any stronger acts, it is quite possible they were left on the editing room floor because they don’t serve the purpose of the promo. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/46 "2013-03-13T00:34:51Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Midday news is reporting this video was a viral video promotion for some new movie, not a legitimate “experiment”. [http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/local\_news/water\_cooler/elevator-murder-experiment-video-dead-man-down-youtube-video-goes-viral](http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/local_news/water_cooler/elevator-murder-experiment-video-dead-man-down-youtube-video-goes-viral) That was my first thought when I was watching it. Some of the people were not very good actors. Actually that was my second thought. My first thought was that I already knew that Merv Griffin is the Elevator Killer. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/47 "2013-03-14T21:13:49Z")
Probably yell at the person in shock and then run and pound on doors to get help. I don’t think I would put myself at risk alone in such a situation. On the other hand when faced with a home invasion I did try to chase after the burglars before yelling to wake up the rest of my family. But I blame that on not thinking clearly when I first woke up. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/48 "2013-03-14T21:39:42Z")
You know, n all likelihood the “victim” has it coming. Strangulation is personal. Let them settle their differences in private. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/49 "2013-03-15T18:17:58Z")
It is of course a lot easier to be bold at the keyboard than in real life, but my teaching experience has if anything made me to bossy with adults, which I try to remember. I also explain things too much with too many analogies and examples. I think that if I thought I had a chance at stopping it, I would approach. It’s hard to block a punch to the face with no hands, and hard to strangle someone with one hand warding off a punch. My 65 year-old mother reacted with her ICU / CCU nurse training and ran at the guy stealing from her car, instead of hiding and calling the police. Emergency personnel and military people will run toward the problem to fix it instead of away. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2013, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184/50 "2013-03-15T18:53:52Z")
[Something very similar actually happened to me](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14975543&postcount=37). > [@](#): > > … I personally experienced almost this exact scenario some years ago when I stepped of an elevator and right into a hallway between two fighting people. They were both armed, kinda. One had a piece of wood about the size of a baseball bat, and one had taken a fire extinguisher off the wall and was swinging it like a club. The wood guy hit me (by accident, I’m pretty sure, he was in mid-swing) and then they both stopped, and I did too, as we were all pretty much in shock. And then I took the wood out of the one guy’s hands and took the fire extinguisher out of the other guys hands, because it seemed like a good idea and these guys both seemed to realize that things had gotten out of hand. > > It turns out they were both boyfriends of the woman who lived down the hall from me, and one or both had just found out about the other. So they probably started with a lot of shouting and chest thumping, and I can only be grateful there wasn’t something more serious underlying it. … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-elevator-murder-experiment-what-would-you-do/652184.md?page=2)