So let's talk about Facebook for a while, shall we? More specifically, let's talk about this story that was floating around yesterday, repeatedly being framed as a "sweet love story" because the couple died holding hands. Yes, that part is touching. Kind of. In a tunnel vision sort of way.
However, let's look at the big picture here. What really happened is a driver who should never have been behind the wheel that day failed to yield at a stop sign, causing a collision resulting in fatal injuries to himself and his wife, and injuring another couple as well. He could have killed those people in addition to himself and his wife. Which, let's face it, is exactly what he did. This is a man who was already facing pending action to have his driving priveleges revoked, who knowingly got behind the wheel anyway. I have lost far too many family members and friends (4 just in my immediate circle of family & friends) in car crashes due to the actions of other dangerous drivers to find this story to be anything but a tragic, unnecessary cautionary outrage.
And everybody spreading it around FB and calling it a sweet love story is making me very cranky. Especially extended family members who have been to some of those memorial services with me. We should all know better.
But then again, I feel like I find myself feeling that way about a lot of things lately. Must be election season.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Big Picture
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
And now I feel like a bit of an asshole for posting a shorter, grouchier version of this blog post on FB last night when the link surfaced in my feed for the 37th time (what? Me, exaggerate?) with commentary about how sweet it was. It just so happened that my breaking point with it was a few minutes after an extended family member shared the 'sweet love story' link. I guess I got my point across because she just sent me a FB message apologizing for her insensitivity given what my family has been through (and she really only kn
...knows about one loss in particular). So now I kind of feel like an asshole for making her feel bad. But, then again, I was right and everyone else was wrong, so if that makes me an asshole so be it. ;-)
I had the exact same reaction. I read the story and thought "Why the hell was this man driving??"
Right?! How did everybody else miss the part about how he drove right past a stop sign causing the collision in the first place! And landed other people in the hospital as well.
I'm currently injured & on medication that leaves me having no business behind the wheel of a car, so guess what? I haven't been driving anywhere, even if I felt like I could just make a quick trip to the store or whatever. Even when the cabin fever is making me crazy & I just need a latte already & my favorite coffee shop is less than ten minutes away. Why? Because I shouldn't be driving and I don't want to be responsible for hurting myself or anyone else, or worse.
Post a Comment