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Unless there is some deep insight in the article, I feel like the person's identity is not something we need to know. It was a terrible situation. What benefi

Unless there is some deep insight in the article, I feel like the person's identity is not something we need to know. It was a terrible situation. What benefit comes from knowing? Are we supposed to judge that person for not wanting to suffer slowly instead of taking a faster route? Or are we supposed to commend his bravery or sacrifice?

d0mine 6y ago
People prefer a personal story over statistics.
srean 6y ago
> Are we supposed to judge that person for not wanting to suffer slowly instead of taking a faster route? Speak for yourself there. As for me, identity makes him a person, a possessor of human qualities, something more than an increment operation on a counter.
- kryogen1c 6y ago
  > Speak for yourself there. What do you mean by this? OP's implication seems reasonably obvious. Are you saying it made more sense not to jump?
  - srean 6y ago
    That the call to be judgmental is OP's personal construction that he/she is trying to ascribe to others who likely do not share that trait.
- rendall 6y ago
  Agreed. It would humanize him to know who he was, what his interests were, who loved him I judge no one there. They all endured a terrifying tragedy that I hope never to comprehend. I cannot imagine what I would do if my choice were to burn in a fire or plummet hundreds of meters, but whatever my choice would be, I would begrudge no one their choices
gammarator 6y ago
Most of the article explores the question of exactly this reaction--why do we instinctively look away, even two decades later?
Termious 6y ago
Uh, if you think the article is about discovering the falling man's identity, then you didn't really read the article.
freedomben 6y ago
Especially these days when people are often so desensitized to violence, I think attaching identity does a good job of restoring our sense of humanity. When it's a distant person you know nothing of, their death may not be meaningful. When it's a husband, a father, a son, a daughter, the value of the life feels higher to us. As someone who thinks our world could greatly benefit from a big dose of empathy, compassion, and caring, I'm glad people are trying to tell these stories.
watwut 6y ago
> Are we supposed to judge that person for not wanting to suffer slowly instead of taking a faster route? Or are we supposed to commend his bravery or sacrifice? What about none of these? Why the need to assign value judgement to decision that person had to make and that did not affected other people?
- srean 6y ago
  Sometimes one just needs to say thank you.

d0mine 6y ago

People prefer a personal story over statistics.

srean 6y ago

> Are we supposed to judge that person for not wanting to suffer slowly instead of taking a faster route? Speak for yourself there. As for me, identity makes him a person, a possessor of human qualities, something more than an increment operation on a counter.

kryogen1c 6y ago
> Speak for yourself there. What do you mean by this? OP's implication seems reasonably obvious. Are you saying it made more sense not to jump?
- srean 6y ago
  That the call to be judgmental is OP's personal construction that he/she is trying to ascribe to others who likely do not share that trait.
rendall 6y ago
Agreed. It would humanize him to know who he was, what his interests were, who loved him I judge no one there. They all endured a terrifying tragedy that I hope never to comprehend. I cannot imagine what I would do if my choice were to burn in a fire or plummet hundreds of meters, but whatever my choice would be, I would begrudge no one their choices

gammarator 6y ago

Most of the article explores the question of exactly this reaction--why do we instinctively look away, even two decades later?

Termious 6y ago

Uh, if you think the article is about discovering the falling man's identity, then you didn't really read the article.

freedomben 6y ago

Especially these days when people are often so desensitized to violence, I think attaching identity does a good job of restoring our sense of humanity. When it's a distant person you know nothing of, their death may not be meaningful. When it's a husband, a father, a son, a daughter, the value of the life feels higher to us. As someone who thinks our world could greatly benefit from a big dose of empathy, compassion, and caring, I'm glad people are trying to tell these stories.

watwut 6y ago

> Are we supposed to judge that person for not wanting to suffer slowly instead of taking a faster route? Or are we supposed to commend his bravery or sacrifice? What about none of these? Why the need to assign value judgement to decision that person had to make and that did not affected other people?

srean 6y ago
Sometimes one just needs to say thank you.