[peterwwillis]

> I know San Francisco is a tight-knit community, and we like to think that we’d jump to help one another.

Really? Have you SEEN the homeless population there? Who the fuck is helping them?

> But what the hell was that? I’ve read all the psychology books. I know the typical explanations.

....then why are you asking? It's bystander effect, plain and simple. If you're expecting San Franciscans to go against human nature just because they write code, sorry, ain't gonna happen.

Get some pepper spray and some self defense classes and learn to fight dirty. Don't blame other people for not saving you; they have no obligation to.

> Is this how disconnected from the real world we’ve become?

It's how disconnected the author has become. I'm glad she's now got perspective on how the real world works. (I'm also glad she came out of that safe and sound; sounds like a really scary fucked up situation)