11-01-2010, 11:45 PM
P5se Camelback Wrote:Stein, your comments in the third paragraph re: the "follow-up" article makes my point exactly!
The process of hero-building has begun ...
I did not say that there wasn't anything to grumble about in the articles. I said that there was not much cause to grumble about the railroad being blamed for killing innocent victims based on the articles linked to.
In my opinion there certainly is reason to complain about the newspaper in the followup article calling these people "artists". Defacing other people's property is vandalism, plain and simple.
And if I had done the interview with the founder of that Graffiti festival, I would have pressed him harder on the seemingly irresponsible attitude behind his statements. He seemed to feel that it was okay to go on the tracks as long as you had a lookout. I would have pressed him on why he did not feel responsible for the consequences of people like him encouraging young people to paint graffiti. "Experienced" people at age 17, my left foot.
But that still does not change the fact that the original article did not say what it was claimed it said - that the people struck were just poor innocent victims, and that the railroad was being blameed for the train being too quiet.
And it does not change the fact that there was no basis in either article for bringing in NIMBYs and quiet zones, how personal responsibility in modern society is going down the drain, and other standard complaints of aging conservatives.
It was an accident caused by stupid actions. That has happened before, and will happen again.
Also, it is not really an all that new development. Both my wife's dad and my own dad could easily have been killed by stupid acts around trains when they were teenagers - some 60 years ago.
Hanging by your hands from the railing of a road overpass, as a steam engine is passing below, is not necessarily a very smart and responsible thing to do. Doing so repeatedly is even more stupid.
Neither is getting into the cab of a steamed up engine and getting it moving, damaging the end wall of the goods shed of the station when you couldn't get it stopped. Or borrowing without permission a hand cart and going down the tracks to the next town a couple of minutes before the local train was scheduled.
Or driving cars at high speed on darkened country lanes.
They both were lucky enough to survive their foolish youth, and turn into reasonably responsible and respected adults, now being aged 78 and 75 respectively.
Youth will do stupid things. Sometimes they live to learn from their experiences. Sometimes they die.
Stein