I admit to being a bit mesmerized by the news footage on CNN and so for a few hours today I watched and waited for the tsunami to arrive. It was quite entertaining watching the newscasters become more and more frenzied as the time of estimated arrival drew near. They were like sharks in bloodied waters, switching from one camera viewpoint to another and snipping at their consultants as they tried to explain the mechanics of tsunamis. In the middle of one particular interview, a man was stammering his explanation when the newscaster interrupted him in a very clipped manner only further compounding his ability to communicate effectively. It wasn't that the man was ill-spoken, most anyone would have stammered when attacked with questions and then interrupted mid-stream. It was as if the poor man was barraged by a tornado of these barbed questions, only because (from what I surmise) he wasn't being sensational enough for the newscaster.
And then it happened. As one of the camera views panned across a beach, I saw a man surfing! I jumped up a bit in my seat to make sure I saw what I thought I saw, and yup- it was a man in the water surfing! At first the newscasters just ignored it, like the proverbial elephant in the kitchen, but as time went by and it just became more and more obvious, one of them finally says, "There is a guy on the beach. Maybe he doesn't have a radio or a TV or computer, so doesn't know about the tsunami. Or, maybe he just doesn't have any sense. I wish I could just shout at that guy." To which I thought to myself, no- don't shout at him. If he can't figure out that there is something wrong when NO ONE IS ON THE BEACH or if he just prefers to ignore all sense in order to get a surfing thrill then he should be left to his own devices. Just keep the camera on him and I'll pop some popcorn- we can then all see how "great" it is to surf in something akin to a flash flood. The dummy.
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2 comments:
I just finished a conversation with one of the other coffee shop regulars who hadn't heard of the quake and tsunami scare yet. The risk was markedly lower along the PNW coast than Hawaii, but OregonLive posted a picture of people walking on the beach, having gone around a sign specifically warning them to stay off the beach.
No one "deserves" to die of stupidity, but for many it seems like a miracle they haven't.
You are correct, no one deserves to die for their stupidity. However, when their stupidity puts others (i.e. rescuers) in harms way I tend to think they should be left to their own devices. If a tsunami is coming and they insist upon "surfing" in it, I don't agree with sending out any rescue units when they have clearly ignored all warnings.
We all have our moments of stupidity, every last one of us. The difference from plain stupidity to that which is mixed with a selfish sense of "thrill-seeking" is what draws my ire. :)
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