if you’re ever in trouble yourself, don’t make a general plea for help. A general plea will only cause people to diffuse the responsibility. If you’re in desperate need of help, you should: (1) directly point to someone so that you destroy her cloud of anonymity within the crowd, and (2) give her a specific and direct request, such as to call 911. This strategy is the proper way to “persuade” someone to help you when the circumstances are dire.
