A fork of Rural Dictionary
The Penny Effect is where girls take pictures of themselves looking down and spot a penny on the ground. The luck from said penny gives their pictures whatever they need to be posted.
Girl 1- I saw where Jenny went to the wishing well in her last selfie. Girl 2- Yeah, so no matter where she looked down, the pic was gonna be perf. Girl 1- Abusing the Penny Effect. Girl 2- Bitch.
The phenomenon observed where bystanders will ignore, film or otherwise not get involved in an emergency or life threatening situation involving innocent people out of fear of legal prosecution or physical harm. First referenced by news outlets in the aftermath of a woman on a NYC subway getting burned alive by an illegal migrant.
"Invoking fears of legal backlash, the Daniel Penny Effect loomed large as bystanders watched helplessly during a horrifying Brooklyn subway attack where a woman was set on fire."