What the fuck is wrong with people?

[BlackShanglan]

Good man, Liar. Well done for you and your teenaged cohorts.

 

[fairysong]

I just got back from a round of food shopping. Whenever I'm out of cashew nuts of pickled garlic, I get grumpy, so it was time to refill the storage. Winter is here big time and the streets are a lethal combination of clear, slippery ice and a thin layer of snow effectively concealing the most dangerous spots. So you walk with care.

Now, I live not far from my grocery store, a 150 meter stroll downhill. I see the parking lot and entrance all the way from my house. And what I saw there, as I walked towards it, was truly disturbing. A small figure, an chouched down old woman, caught a "blind spot" in the pavement, slipped and hit the asphalt hard. She didn't get up, but remained where she fell. I couldn't see if she moved at all.

It was a busy afternoon, so there were plenty of people around, scurrying in and out of the store, to and from parked cars, and so on. I thought for sure that they'd rush over and see how the old lady was doing, to help her up, etc.

Nothing. Not a reaction from anybody. They just passed by, getting on with their business as if notying had happened. A young girl took notice and tugged on her mom's jacket to make her slow down, but was swiftly ushered on by both parents. Ten, maybe fifteen people passed by the old woman, but noboby did anything. Confused, I increased my pace to get to her and make sure she was ok. Maybe she had been offered help by the passer-by's but declined it? Yeah, that must be it. Right?

Wrong. When I got to her, she was still lying there, breathing heavily. I asked her if she was all right.

"I think I have broken my wrist" was the reply. "Please help me." And then something in a language I didn't recognize.

A gang of local teens, the kind that would, stereotypically, be suspected of robbing little old ladies like this one, had also run over with the same concern as I had. One of them recognised her by her mumblings as Kurdish, same as he was, and he tried to calm her down in her own languare, while I called for an ambulance.

"Did you ask any other people for help before me?" I then asked her.

She had. They had looked at her, and hurried on. So, it was a street gang of shoplifting macho wannabe teens, and me, that gave a damn, that had the decency to stop and help an old woman who had fallen and hurt herself. Not other senior citizens. Not families. Not career suits. Not even the store employees collecting chopping carts from the parking lot.

I haven't felt like punching someone in the face for ten years, but it was close this time, when the family with the little girl who wanted to help came out of the store, passing by with as little as a glance as the medics loaded the woman into the ambulance. I didn't, though, but I gave them a loud piece of my mind about their behaviour. I don't think I got through to them, but maybe their daughter realized that what mommyand daddy did was a bad thing.

Fucking cynic world I have to live in.

#L

I think that people often thinks that someone else will help and go on their way. When everyone thinks that then no one ends up helping cause it is no longer "their concern". People just forget normal human kindness and that is so sad.

to you cause you are one of the good ones.

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Ofcourse no-one helped that old woman. Swedes live by the rule "mind your own business".

You make me less ashamed of being a Swede, Liar.

 

[SeaCat]

Liar, Stella,

I have the looks which scare little kids into eating their vegetables, and teenage girls want to stay home. Yet i am out there stopping and helping people. I like you want to help, and do help.

You have, if anything gone up in my esteem, (Is this possible?) and I salute you.

Cat

 

[oggbashan]

Shovelling sidewalks

Well done, liar and teenagers.

In my town, business owners used to shovel ice and snow away from outside their premises whenever it snowed (which is rarely). It was even required by the town council until WWII.

Shops used to have canvas awnings that shaded the sun and provided shelter from the rain.

Now - If a business owner cleared the sidewalk (UK = pavement) of snow and ice and the wet pavement froze again into black ice THEN if someone slipped over - that someone could and probably would sue the business owner because his action had led to the ice. If the business owner does NOTHING he cannot be sued for the dangerous state of the pavement. The business's insurance company would not cover the liability.

If the canvas awning spilled rainwater on to a passer-by, that person could claim for dry cleaning or replacement of damaged clothing. So there are few awnings left. They can't be insured.

There are some people, and I know of at least two in my town, who make a comfortable living from 'accidents'. One has changed his name by deed poll and has had to move house three times to continue his fradulent claims because the insurance companies recognised his name and address. The few make society less caring by their greedy attitude to 'blame'.

The fear of being sued didn't stop me from clearing the sidewalk outside my business but shop managers who are employees cannot afford to disobey their insurance company's directives.

Og

 

[patricia51]

Awwww... I think I'm blushing, lol.
And you aren't old. You're CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Ducks, and runs far far away*

They don't come any cuter than Mat...that's for sure

 

[matriarch]

They don't come any cuter than Mat...that's for sure

Patriciaaaaaaaaa.......................!!!!!!!!!

Behave, woman!!!!
I is not cute.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[minsue]

Patriciaaaaaaaaa.......................!!!!!!!!!

Behave, woman!!!!
I is not cute.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

*cough* BULLSHIT *cough

 

[Stella_Omega]

Liar, Stella,

I have the looks which scare little kids into eating their vegetables, and teenage girls want to stay home. Yet i am out there stopping and helping people. I like you want to help, and do help.

You have, if anything gone up in my esteem, (Is this possible?) and I salute you.

Cat

Liar, I know from this board how big a heart you have. I've seen you in action here- such as this small venue may be.
Cat,
you spend a lot of time and effort to help people. And you need help as badly as they do, and have been known to accept help yourself, with the kind of grace that brings joy to the giver. I salute you. my friends!

 

[Belegon]

I knew this was a bizarre country........that settles it, we're moving to UK.

that settles it, I'm visiting before you leave...

 

[BossySon21a]

The US is a very litigious society. In some states, you can be sued if you accidentally injure someone, or aggravate an injury, while trying to help them.

It's not just theoretical, either. It has happened more than once, with huge settlements. The California Supreme Court recently made a ruling in favor of one aspect of the practice, too.

There are some aspects of the USA's tort system that border on pure evil.

 

[fieryjen]

Whoah, dude. This thread is over three years old.

Not that it isn't a good thread to be read again, but still.

 

[Guest]

I know.

I got excited for a moment because of a Shang sighting.

 

[OhMissScarlett]

When I scrolled over it, I was thinking it reminded me of a thread Liar started a long time ago, lol.

 

[cantdog]

Thread archaeologists. They exhume one every so often.

I wonder what the keyword was? "fuck wrong"?

 

[Guest]

Thread archaeologists. They exhume one every so often.

I wonder what the keyword was? "fuck wrong"?

Well, at least they mentioned fucking.