Good Grief
I just got back to St.Louis to find that I'd missed the big news: apparently a Cardinals pitcher killed himself driving drunk into a flatbed tow truck while talking on his cell phone. The fact that a sportsman drives drunk is not exactly news - we already had Leonard Little kill a woman while driving drunk here, and he got away with a slap on the wrist. I'm willing to bet, however, that all the coverage I missed talked about the sad loss and the impact on the team. I don't think any of the local news channels would have the balls to suggest that if you drive at twice the legal limit and don't pay attention to the road then you're a prick. You killed yourself? Well, tough shit.
You see this kind of thing pretty regularly with teenage driving deaths. A lot happen at night, mostly involving excess speed and often drunkenness as well. When they get reported on the local news the tone is always one of sadness as they state that grief counselors will be at whatever school they attended, to help other students deal with their loss. There was one just the other day - high school quarterback killed in single car accident, drink and speed involved; the school was holding a moment of silence for him. (Note to high school: moments of silence are appropriate for alumni killed in action, not moron kids who drink, drive and wreck).
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I can't help thinking that this is partly the reason we have all these deaths. Teenagers are stupid; I know I was and I'm pretty sure you were too. When someone drives drunk at night and kills themself the appropriate reaction might be to remind other students that this is what happens, and not to try that shit themselves. Instead we get grief counselors to divert their thoughts from any real lesson about consequences. Everyone leaves flowers at the roadside and no-one points out that dickheads like them kill innocent people every day, often without serious consequence to themselves.
And by the way, how big a loss is it for them really? Aren't we raising an entire generation of grief junkies, pansies who collapse at every sign of mortality? If you lose your mum or brother you experience real grief. Maybe if you lose a really close friend. But some kid you talked to occasionally? Thinking it's sad that somneone dies is not the same as being incapable of getting up in the morning and going to school! These are the same candy-arsed little twats whose self-esteem has been protected their whole lives. Better not tell them off for driving drunk - might damage their self esteem...
Anyway, back to our drunken sports stars: I don't subscribe to the idea that sportsmen have to be role models for the rest of society. I just want them to be locked up like any other fucker if they drive drunk. If you don't want to be held to a higher standard that's fine; just don't ask us to let you risk killing people with impunity just because you can hit a fucking ball over a wall.
This didn't turn out to be a funny post did it? Next time I'll go back to flatulence and testicles, promise...
Copyright 2007 Edward Bison
You see this kind of thing pretty regularly with teenage driving deaths. A lot happen at night, mostly involving excess speed and often drunkenness as well. When they get reported on the local news the tone is always one of sadness as they state that grief counselors will be at whatever school they attended, to help other students deal with their loss. There was one just the other day - high school quarterback killed in single car accident, drink and speed involved; the school was holding a moment of silence for him. (Note to high school: moments of silence are appropriate for alumni killed in action, not moron kids who drink, drive and wreck).
Maybe I'm in the minority, but I can't help thinking that this is partly the reason we have all these deaths. Teenagers are stupid; I know I was and I'm pretty sure you were too. When someone drives drunk at night and kills themself the appropriate reaction might be to remind other students that this is what happens, and not to try that shit themselves. Instead we get grief counselors to divert their thoughts from any real lesson about consequences. Everyone leaves flowers at the roadside and no-one points out that dickheads like them kill innocent people every day, often without serious consequence to themselves.
And by the way, how big a loss is it for them really? Aren't we raising an entire generation of grief junkies, pansies who collapse at every sign of mortality? If you lose your mum or brother you experience real grief. Maybe if you lose a really close friend. But some kid you talked to occasionally? Thinking it's sad that somneone dies is not the same as being incapable of getting up in the morning and going to school! These are the same candy-arsed little twats whose self-esteem has been protected their whole lives. Better not tell them off for driving drunk - might damage their self esteem...
Anyway, back to our drunken sports stars: I don't subscribe to the idea that sportsmen have to be role models for the rest of society. I just want them to be locked up like any other fucker if they drive drunk. If you don't want to be held to a higher standard that's fine; just don't ask us to let you risk killing people with impunity just because you can hit a fucking ball over a wall.
This didn't turn out to be a funny post did it? Next time I'll go back to flatulence and testicles, promise...
Copyright 2007 Edward Bison
posted by Mr Bison at
5:40 PM
<< Home