Good new and Horrilbe news

[tyrant196]

So, Friday a friend of mine who i went through basic training with was hit by a car while riding his bike. He may now be permanently paralyzed from the waist down. And before he was even in stable condition the battalion commander called a formation and used him as an object lesson in a saftey briefing. He then brought out the bicycle to show the "

Comments

[cthulhu_shuman]

What a bastard the commandor is!

[whitechocchip]

ok ... first of all the car was stopped when he collided with it. In my opinion, he was negligent in not using the proper ammount of reflective safety gear and not having a headlight(which he had broken a week before). He was also going too fast because he was going downhill. He liked to go fast, even bragged about getting up to 60 mph on that bike, but I had always thought him to be more careful.

yes, it's sad that he was hurt, but I do not fault the commander for informing the soldiers of what can happen if they are not careful. If I was hurt like that I would want people to know what happened, to impress upon them to be more careful. Everyone always thinks that it won't happen to them, and sometimes when it happens to someone they know that makes them think a little.

[cthulhu_shuman]

I wasn't there, I don't know anyone involved, and I only know what Tyson posts here, and now what you have posted here. I'm not weighing in on whether or not I think it was the bicyclist's fault, I don't understand what you think reflective tape would have done to stop him from smacking into the side of a stopped car, but again, I don't know the story except the fragments here. Assuming the fragments are accurate, I do, however, think it's fair to say that it was very insensitive for the commander to just whip around and use him and his accident to make a point. He's a real person with a horrible, very real traumatic problem, a person who might have been dying for all anyone knew at that point, and to use his accident like that is kind of a dick move. I mean, it's not even a useful safety lesson. Wear MORE gear (he wasn't even wearing none) and have a headlight? That's not worth hauling out a friend's mangled bike and basically saying he's stupid. He deserves more respect and concern than that. Anyone does.

[whitechocchip]

You misunderstand

in the words of the Beatles, all together now

[tyrant196]

I love you all, i really mean that. Everyone who reads this journal has been there for me at some time or another. However, i will politely ask that people stop fighting on it. I think everyone has their thoughts and opinions, and nothing at this point is going to change them. People are entitled to their opinions and ideas. However, I get enough arguments and fighting in my life as is. So everybody take five and go listen to the beatles song listed above. Then go find someone to cuddle with and think puppy and kitten thoughts.

peace.