Sunday, July 12, 2009

Motorists Drive Around Dying Man

the Fishwrap reports that a guy was shot several times on the sidewalk along Reading Road in Avondale at rush hour. He fell into the street and the motorists just drove around him. That is, people didn't stop and try to protect him or help him. Presumably somebody called the police. They probably had to put their current conversation on hold to do so.
This is pretty much what we can expect in our car-centric society. Everybody just kinda glides along in their steel and glass bubbles, their controlled environments complete with 100 watt, 14 speaker stereo system and heated leather seats. Toss in a heaping helping of telephones, internet, streaming video, talk radio.....
The stuff going on outside just starts looking like a game projected onto the windshield of the car.
Over time, driving really starts to insulate you from the communities you live and work in. A lot of people on Reading at rush hour are probably just passing through anyway and don't care about the people living and dying there. They just drive by. Did they pause to at least Twitter, "HAH ! Dead as punk out in the street on Reading !".
I seriously wonder if the crime was reported to the police or if people just reported an obstruction in their commute.
Commenters on the Fishwrap website applaud the death as the guy had a police record. But how would they know he had a record if they were just driving by hoping to not get any blood on their car ? Did they take off their tin foil hats for a moment to listen to the voices ?
Dumbasses shoot each other over trivial BS all the time. This isn't really about them. this is an indictment of "the good people". You know, the ones with jobs, the ones who pay taxes, the ones who don't walk.

Fishwrap story here.

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