The disturbing video shot by Times of Malta showing a group of people egging on a desperate man to jump off the Valletta bastions is a sorry mirror of a society which is fast morphing into indifference and callousness.

The footage of bystanders telling a man sitting perilously on the edge of the wall to “get on with it”, while filming the spectacle, should force us to try to establish the root cause of such crass and uncaring attitudes.

It would be a mistake to tarnish everyone with the same brush. There are tens of thousands in Malta doing untold good to society and the environment they work in. It is also a relief to note the widespread condemnation and disgust in reaction to Friday’s incident and the way the rescuers on the scene handled the situation.

This man in distress was talked off the bastion in Valletta by the police and rescue workers but not before onlookers goaded him to jump. Photo: Jessica Arena

But the reality is that the ugliness we witnessed is prevalent daily on our streets and on social media to the extent that many have become desensitised to the road rage, disrespect, online hate speech and trolling that have become our staple diet.

What happened on Friday is the climax of a chronicle of disgraceful events in the last few months: we saw a black migrant thrown into the sea in Gozo as the crowd cheered on; journalists and activists abused and trolled for speaking their minds; a worker savagely dumped by the roadside by his own employer after he was badly injured on a construction site. And you might recall the disturbing reaction to a church painting paying tribute to Lassana Cisse who was killed for being black. This is not OK, and the sooner we rid ourselves of the belief that these things “happen everywhere”, the more hope there might be for the next generation.

The first thing we need to do is acknowledge we have a problem and realise that the false narrative of benevolence we sold of ourselves for centuries is turning to be a hoax

The first thing we need to do is acknowledge we have a problem and realise that the false narrative of benevolence we sold of ourselves for centuries is turning to be a hoax. Just because we dig into our pockets to donate money for L-Istrina every year does not absolve us of our sins.

Part of the problem is perhaps down to the fact we live in a densely-populated. overbuilt, noisy and traffic-choked island, coupled with the lack of open spaces, which contribute in no small way to our fiery tempers and mayhem. 

But there are other issues many experts and studies blame for the growing intolerance: the education system and our infatuation with social media.

Our education system prioritises academic success over well-being, empathy and basic knowledge. It does not encourage us to call out what’s wrong, with the result that many fear reprisals for speaking out. We need to keep emphasising the importance of critical thinking to encourage us to probe,  question and call power to account and debate without the need to resort to insults.

What we witness in the streets is the physical manifestation of the rampant online abuse. Malta is infatuated with Facebook, a platform designed on algorithms which are now proven to promote the spread of hate and tribalism.

All of the above is framed within a hyper-capitalist world where compassion, care and generosity are sacrificed at the altar of money.

Standalone policies are worth little under there is an emphasis on education, the need for cultural change and effective law enforcement.

After watching Friday’s incident, many resorted to social media to say we have hit rock bottom. We might not be there yet because there remain many fine examples of humanity at play in Malta.

But we are certainly on a slippery slope, and the one thing we can all do is acknowledge that we have a serious problem. And we need to do something about it.