Child run down in China
- Thread starter Retired_Can_Soldier
- Start date
As are most of us.
The point remains that it's easier to get outraged at something that happens 'far away' to 'others', and therefore we don't have to look at ourselves too deeply. It's more comforting to say 'what's wrong with those other people' than to look at our own society and say 'what's wrong with us'.
Which is why stories like this gain so much traction. It's easier to stomach, we can safely sit at home and be outraged.
The point remains that it's easier to get outraged at something that happens 'far away' to 'others', and therefore we don't have to look at ourselves too deeply. It's more comforting to say 'what's wrong with those other people' than to look at our own society and say 'what's wrong with us'.
Which is why stories like this gain so much traction. It's easier to stomach, we can safely sit at home and be outraged.
Hit and runs are universal. Panic and fear of reprisal is universal. Lack of concern for others is universal. As I stated earlier "What is wrong with PEOPLE?".
My husband says that TV news stated that the hit and run vehicle driver has been arrested and some witnessess as well. Probably only due to world wide outcries. It's been on the news several times over several days.
People are cold now Iggy. They don't care who they hurt or how they do it. They don't care what they say. Look at the 21 year old that just killed the 4 teenagers in Alberta. Because he was drinking (said the news), he feared more for himself and he ran rather than taking responsibilty for his own actions. What he did is just as vile.
Bud if this had happened in Fredericton I would have felt exactly the same. It is a horrific spectacle.
I truly cannot believe anyone, let alone 14 people could walk on by. I'm not wringing my hands, I'm beside myself that anyone could be indifferent to this.
I'm not one to deny that people suck: thats why I love animals.
I see a difference in the case of this little girl in China and the driver in the accident by Grande Prairie. The kid in GP (and yes although legally and adult, I am old enough that think of 21 yr olds as kids) fled the scene to try and avoid repercussions of his actions, namely the punishment for impaired driving. This is a pretty common response in hit and runs: panic and seeking to avoid punishment. Conversely the Chinese driver didn't appear to fear the repercussions of his actions as much as he feared the financial liability of leaving the girl alive, hence the deliberate running over with the other wheel. I think both are character flaws, and reprehensible, but they are not on the same level.
That bystanders in the Chinese case, refused to act, and then justified their actions by berating and accusing a woman who tried to get help for the girl of acting in the hope of financial gain, just adds to the ugliness. Again apathy is all too common in North America too (we've all seen the cases of people left laying on our city streets at various times), but this again hits a new level when its not just a case of not wanting to get involved but actively disuading others from getting involved.
We're not angels by any means, but this case in China is well beyond what we see here.