The bystander effect demonstrates the tremendous tension between our social selves and our individual selves. Left on our own, we mostly do the right thing. But in a group, our moral selves and our social selves come into conflict, which is painful.
Diffusion of responsibility—the rule of nobody—is a common feature of many large organizations, where almost nothing is done alone.
From the book, Willful Blindness by Margaret Heffernan
Why stick your neck out when no one else is willing to do so?