putting themselves in dangerous situations, or at least in exhilarating
situations.
But those aren't the people I'm referring to. I doubt the woman in TX would
have considered herself a daredevil or risk-taker; her last words that
reached someone else as she rode out the hurricane (Rita?) were [to the
effect], "I think I've screwed up" (her battered body was found in the
wreckage, a distance away from where there was little evidence of her
house). From the reports, she didn't stay home for the thrill, but because
she didn't believe the warnings.
The people I'm speaking of are the people who just act stupid, in spite of
the evidence or the facts. They text while driving. They drive without
wearing seatbelts. They drive with kids loose in the car. They cross busy
streets mid-block without looking. They have casual, unprotected sex. They
take drugs, and even share needles with strangers (and where's the quality
control on the drugs?). They smoke (even through their cancer-necessitated
stoma). They keep practicing the health habits that caused their heart
attacks. They continue to fill themselves with beer and carbohydrates even
though diabetic. They hear gunfire so they go outside to see what's
happening.
We know of the five swept away by the tsunami that they'd gone to the beach
to see the tsunami (as opposed to not having heard the warning, or like the
many in Japan, didn't have the time to escape). We don't know (although
someone could ask four of them) whether their motive was
thrill/death-defiance, or that they simply did something stupid even though
they'd been warned. So we can't speak specifically to which group they fit,
but we can speak to the two groups.
One group (those you describe) know the dangers and seek the thrills while
doing all they can to minimize the actual risks. I would see that as a
"lifestyle choice".
The other group (those I've described) should and could know better, but
their actions indicate that they didn't, or that they chose not to know or
they chose not to care. They were acting motivated by "I want to" or by
"it's too much bother", in willful disregard of the facts, of the real
potential consequences of their actions.
Alluding to Lin "channeling" Rick, and quoting Forrest Gump: "Stupid is as
stupid does."
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lewack, Mark A." <Mark.Lewack@opm.gov>
To: <californiadisasters@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 3:16 PM
Subject: RE: [californiadisasters] falling into the ocean
I'm also avoiding discussion about one's belief system, that is personal.
Although I am in DC now, I lived for 8 years in California (SF Bay Area &
Long Beach) while I was in the Coast Guard. I can attest that Californians
who surf or spend a lot of time by the seashore are undaunted by the dangers
of rip tides, tsunamis, and other oceanfront phenomena. The same can be
said for bungee jumpers at the Royal Gorge in Colorado (undaunted by the
dangers of a 1,000+ ft drop); parachutists jumping from a moving aircraft
several thousand feet above the earth's surface and skiers tackling the
advanced slopes. There is an exhilaration, an adrenaline rush, etc. of
placing one's life in danger. These are extraordinary individuals, not
Average Joes like me who prefer to escape danger rather than embrace it. I
prefer seeing the world at ground level, out of harm's way. I prefer the
kiddie roller coaster to the ones with loop de loops and major heights.
Here in DC we have our thrill-seekers too, but luckily we don't get too many
hurricanes, tsunamis, or even earthquakes. The closest experience to a
tsunami we experienced in downtown DC, was when Hurricane Isabel caused
massive flooding in 2003. It was perfect timing for arrival of a major
storm, unusually high tides and copious amount of rain and wind (from the
ideal direction to push a massive amount of river water over its banks).
Mark Lewack
Emergency Actions Coordinator
FSC, Security Services & Emergency Actions
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
202-606-5415/202-345-4640 (cell phone)
------------------------------------
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