Polite Savages (tm)

Jumper 2

This past Friday I was driving to work at about 9AM listening to FM 93.9 WNYC, our local NPR affiliate, when the news broadcaster announced that there was a man up on the cables of the George Washington Bridge threatening to jump.  She reported 2 hour delays from all approaches in and out of the city.  I groaned to myself in the car.  Full story.   There was a part of me that felt sorry for him but there was a bigger part that cursed him for choosing rush hour to attempt this attention grabbing act.  I hate to say this but I will.  I think he was desperate for attention.  If you really wanted to do it and were a considerate person, wouldn't you pick a time, say in the middle of the night, to do this so you could avoid inconveniencing tens of thousands of people who have jobs to get to, kids to take care of and places to go.  Call me mean, but if I were to attract attention, I might try something a bit more chic, like something a la Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan or David Hasselhoff.  You know like commit scandalous acts in front of paparazzi or have my daughter make a video of me at my lowest and then have it accidentally leaked on YouTube. 

If you have seen the Hoff's video, then you may enjoy this hilarious spoof on YouTube.

Typhoid Mary

A fundamental principle of good manners is being considerate.  Thinking of others and how your behavior might impact someone else.  While I'm not saying that you need to be paranoid about every little act, there are some acts that baffle me.

For example, let's look at the case of Andrew Speaker. a lawyer, a member of the State Bar of Georgia.  I tried to find some bio information but his website is shutdown to due to excessive band-with demand.  I read on the New York Times Website that:  "Officials of the federal Centers for Disease Control said they contacted Mr. Speaker while he was on vacation in Italy after they learned that he carried the dangerous strain of the disease, and advised him to turn himself in to Italian health authorities. Instead, he made his way to Prague, flew from there to Montreal, and then drove across the border into New York, to avoid being stranded outside the country by his name appearing on a United States no-fly list. Once in New York City, he was persuaded to go to a hospital, and has been cooperating with federal health authorities since then." 

I'm glad that Mr. Speaker came to his senses and gave himself up to the authorities.  His transporting an infectious disease (and mind you, it was not infectious laughter) around the world could have harmed directly and indirectly thousands of people.

I cannot pretend to be in his head but I am frakkin' curious.    So Mr. Speaker, if you do happen to read this, give me a call.  Let us know what was going through your head. 

A View on the View

I have to be honest. I do not enjoy watching “The View.”  The constant controversy is just too real for me.  However, just because I don’t watch it doesn’t mean that I don’t know what’s going on. 

Just today, Ms. O’Donnell and Mrs. Hasselbeck were having another one of their notorious arguments about the Bush Administration, the War in Iraq etc . . . and one of them was offended by the other.  Read about the action on AOL News.

From what I’ve seen, I can’t say that I like either one of them very much, but that doesn’t mean anything.  I’m sure that they are both lovely in real life and that their onscreen personas are just simply that. 

However what was so interesting was that guest host, Alicia Silverstone, “snubbed” Mrs. Hasselbeck right after the tumultuous segment by giving a hug to everyone but the Hasselnator.  I’m not going to try to analyze what that meant.  It could have meant anything from “You dress is ugly” to “I just didn’t see you because I thought I was looking into a mirror.”  But as a guest on a show, you really should try to greet every host the same way.  Show the same affection.  After all it is entertainment and nothing is quite as real as it seems. 

Jumper Followup

I forgot to mention that the jumper was talked off the balcony's edge and was taken away in the ambulance pictured in my post from yesterday. 

Jumper

Today at 6:10PM my significant other, Jim, called me.  “Michael!  Come to Seventh Avenue and Thirteenth Street right now!"  My initial reaction was why should I leave the comfort of home after a day’s work not to mention I was in the middle of whitening my teeth.  However, I had to abandon my teeth whitening and jump on the subway.  A man was poised to jump from a top floor apartment. 

I confess that I have a morbid desire to witness human tragedy.  I didn’t want to arrive on the scene to see a body bag on a stretcher, but I needed to see him, on the edge.  Maybe by seeing him in person, I could better understand why someone would choose to end their life.  There have been times in my life when I’ve been very down and out but I never contemplated suicide.  It was not an option for me.  The only option was to struggle and pull myself out of the morass.  Was this nature or nurture?  I don’t know.   

But what I do know is that almost every modern religion deems suicide a major sin with few exceptions.  Life is sacred and should not be wasted.   

Religious Views on Suicide from Wikipedia

The act of suicide is selfish.  It is an act that causes disruptions to traffic, news media and people just going about their business.  But seriously, it is also a unilateral act that deprives those around the jumper a husband, wife, significant other, mother, father, brother, sister, teacher, student, or any of the limitless roles that one can play in someone else’s life.  So don’t do it. 

Paris as Role Model

Over the years, my feelings for the public persona of Paris Hilton have vacillated from disgusted to amusement.  I even came close to admiring her for her achievement of the singular goal of fame.  However, her latest escapade of flouting the legal system offends even the numbest conscience.  Being caught DUI and then driving in spite of a suspended driver’s license is not only illegal but a blatant disregard of other people’s lives.  I cannot help but infer that Ms. Hilton has no grasp of the consequences of her actions or the example that she sets for young people around the world.  Her conduct could have killed another human being or destroyed someone else’s livelihood.  I wish that I could afford that luxury.  Unfortunately, no one can.  I hope that public opinion will no longer imply or endorse her behavior as representative of a decent human being.