by Byzantine
I wonder, sometimes, about other people. Sure, we all do when we see something that strikes us as particularly strange. But I have a real hard time letting go of it. Usually, I have to write it out to get it off my mind -- kind of like flushing the brain toilet.
Well, pardon my flush but this has been going around in my head for three weeks. Let me set the scene for you: We are driving through the Colorado Rocky Mountains on a very steep, downhill grade. There are runaway-truck-ramps every few miles. These ramps stand out even under the two feet of snow due to a liberal sprinkling of huge international orange buoys. And the signs proclaiming the ramps are well over twelve feet high. You just can't miss them. Mr. Magoo couldn't miss them.
With me so far? Okay. Now, picture a car parked right in front of one of those ramps. I mean, this car is smack dab centered, blocking that shocking uphill climb. And this lady is casually rummaging around in her trunk for God knows what, seemingly oblivious to the precarious position she is in. Inside the car her two kids seem determined to battle to the death over some toy they will probably both forget within five minutes. Blissfully, for them, unaware of where they are.
Now, the part that bothers me is whether or not she comprehends where she is parked. I mean, did she understand all the words on the sign (runaway, truck, ramp) separately but somehow they made no sense to her when they were strung together? Or, perhaps she didn't bother to read the signs; she sure as hell couldn't have missed them. But maybe, and this is the most likely proposition, she knew exactly where she was and thought, "Well, while I'm here, nothing will happen."
Nine times out of nine, when you see someone doing something that, to you, looks so obviously foolhardy, to them it's perfectly safe. They just don't get it that they are not blessed, are not followed around by a helpful fairy godmother to protect them and, most definitely, are not going to be saved by the Big Guy Upstairs for some future glory.
These people honestly feel invincible to the weird "freak" accidents that befall others. And yet, if they read about one, or see it on T.V., they will "tsk, tsk" and say that the person should have known better. Well, there's nothing like a little hypocrisy to make your day, right?
Anyway, about the lady. I guess she's okay. I watched the news carefully but, who knows? I concede that I might be more paranoid and aware of danger than the average person; I work for the Labor Commission and OSHA is part of us. After reading about the stupid, deadly accidents that are self-inflicted (one guy removed the safety bar on a hay threshing machine and was sucked in up to his waist) one has a tendency to see danger in a salad fork.
Now, the average Joe doesn't know about the restrictions on a erecting a cat walk, and I sure as hell don't expect him to (unless he's building one) but I expect everyone to have some degree of common sense. Just a smidgen, please. Honestly, would you park your car there? Or work on a machine designed to thresh hay into very small pieces without a safety bar firmly in place?
So, next time you see something that you know is potentially dangerous and you just can't get it out of your head -- flush.