There’s a shocking video that has people talking. Titled, “緊急走行を妨害する歩行者Unreasonable walkers interfering with an urgent run“, it shows an ambulance with its sirens blaring. But the thing is, when it comes to a six-way crosswalk (likely in Shibuya, Tokyo), the pedestrians just keep walking, preventing it from going through.

And it’s not just one or two people either, but dozens, maybe hundreds of people completely ignoring the ambulance, crossing the street at a normal walking pace.

Not surprisingly, many user comments express anger and disappointment:

“‘Bonds’. Yeah right. lol” (referring to a widely used key phrase about relationships after the tsunami disaster last year).
“It looks like people are crossing because everyone else is doing it. More than morality, I wonder if it’s just individuals not being able to think on their own.”
“We can’t make fun of China at this rate lol”
“It’s not possible that every one of those people lack common sense. It’s probably the result of some psychological phenomenon.”
“Maybe they should install water cannons in big city ambulances.”
“I couldn’t stand it if this happened to someone I loved. I wish people would realize that they improve the person’s chances just by stopping for a few seconds. I wonder if they didn’t learn anything about helping one another from the disaster last year. There should be close-ups of the people in the video.”

Among English comments:

“Is this real? I thought Japanese people were supposed to be good. I’m sure people in America would stop right away for an ambulance.”
“Whoah, this is pretty shocking. This is opposite from what I’ve heard about Japan.”
“How disappointing. I respect how Japanese people behaved after the big earthquake. But this is damaging, for sure.”
“Group psychology. Could have happened anywhere.”

So there you have it. This video is shocking people all over the world, not just in Japan. It goes without saying what you’re supposed to do when you encounter an ambulance with its sirens on. But if everyone around you just kept walking like in the video, what would you do? I think it’s worth some serious thought, since someone’s life might be at stake.