5 ms·

In 2002, on my way to work in I think Berkeley (definitely somewhere in the Bay Area), I noticed some beautiful echoes in the subway station, and I stopped walk

In 2002, on my way to work in I think Berkeley (definitely somewhere in the Bay Area), I noticed some beautiful echoes in the subway station, and I stopped walking, stood still, and listened. A staff member walked up and asked if I was okay. I said yes. Maybe I explained what I was doing, I don't remember. A few minutes later three paramedics appeared, forcibly strapped me to a gurney, and took me to a hospital. I protested, of course. They were clearly not being paid to listen to me.

im3w1l 5y ago
How long were you in the subway station listening? What happened at the hospital? And did you get a bill?
- Jeff_Brown 5y ago
  Good questions. I imagine listened somewhere between one and ten minutes. At the hospital I remember nothing except that my arm was tied to a bar above my head for long enough that it hurt, and I had to plead to get them to restrain me some other way. I don't know whether I received a bill. Neither does my mom, who probably would have paid for it, as I was making peanuts. I wish I'd kept a diary. (I actually did a lot of writing that year, but it was of the creative sort. I held onto a box full of it for years. I went through it once and thought it was dumb, but kept it still. The second time I did that, years later, I confirmed my earlier judgment and decided it wasn't worth keeping.)
is_true 5y ago
That's exactly what people about to commit suicide do.
- Jeff_Brown 5y ago
  That's interesting. In any old place? I wasn't anywhere near the tracks; I was in a big underground space on my way out. I wasn't suicidal, but I was definitely unhappy that year. I don't know to what extent that showed. It may have been later in life that I developed my habitual friendliness with strangers. I do remember deciding shortly after that to learn to fear other peoples' potential fears. It's a pain in the ass, but optimal, I think.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
pope_meat 5y ago
...so, you're telling me that in these united states of america a bunch of goons took you by force and detained you from continuing your day for the crime of ... standing and listening to the sounds around you? I would burn half the city to the ground after getting out for that bullshit, at least they'd have a valid reason to commit me then. The idea that you could be hurting no one and be snatched up and taken somewhere against your will is extremely upsetting to me.
- Jeff_Brown 5y ago
  I was quite upset. Looking back I'm surprised I didn't seek damages in court. But that was before cell phones were ubiquitous, and I was in a new town where I didn't know basically anyone but my mom, and I don't have a photographic memory for faces. I felt powerless. Indeed, I believe I was.
dempseye 5y ago
Is this a joke or did it happen?
- Jeff_Brown 5y ago
  It happened. (BTW you know you can look through a commenter's history on HN to see if an interpretation of something they wrote is consistent with their character.)
kwhitefoot 5y ago
Without more context and the ability to verify this I have to assume that you made it up. The event is too extreme to stand without corroboration; at least it would be where I live.
- carapace 5y ago
  I was once crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on foot and about halfway across the view of the bay was so beautiful that I had to stop and drink it in. (Have you heard the phrase "arresting beauty" or "arrested by beauty"? That's how it was: I was captivated. It was just so beautiful!) Anyway, after maybe ten minutes a bicycle police officer came up and started talking to me. It took me a moment to realize that he was sounding me out for emotional distress, checking to see if I was suicidal. I gave him my best smile (easy enough as I was still in the thrall of beauty) and reassured him emphatically that I was okay, and thanked him for doing his (IMO very important) job and apologized for making him come out and check on me (no good reason not to be extra nice in the circs, eh?) and went on my way. I'm not blaming the OP for getting, uh, overbearing and unneeded help. I'm pointing out that our society has developed mechanisms to try to prevent suicide in the obvious places: GGB and BART (the "subway" in Berkeley.) > The Golden Gate Bridge is the most used suicide site in the world. > After years of debate and an estimated more than 1,500 deaths, suicide barriers, consisting of a stainless steel net extending 20 feet from the bridge and supported by structural steel 20 feet under the walkway, began to be installed in April 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Suicides https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Suicides

im3w1l 5y ago

How long were you in the subway station listening? What happened at the hospital? And did you get a bill?

Jeff_Brown 5y ago
Good questions. I imagine listened somewhere between one and ten minutes. At the hospital I remember nothing except that my arm was tied to a bar above my head for long enough that it hurt, and I had to plead to get them to restrain me some other way. I don't know whether I received a bill. Neither does my mom, who probably would have paid for it, as I was making peanuts. I wish I'd kept a diary. (I actually did a lot of writing that year, but it was of the creative sort. I held onto a box full of it for years. I went through it once and thought it was dumb, but kept it still. The second time I did that, years later, I confirmed my earlier judgment and decided it wasn't worth keeping.)

is_true 5y ago

That's exactly what people about to commit suicide do.

Jeff_Brown 5y ago
That's interesting. In any old place? I wasn't anywhere near the tracks; I was in a big underground space on my way out. I wasn't suicidal, but I was definitely unhappy that year. I don't know to what extent that showed. It may have been later in life that I developed my habitual friendliness with strangers. I do remember deciding shortly after that to learn to fear other peoples' potential fears. It's a pain in the ass, but optimal, I think.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

pope_meat 5y ago

...so, you're telling me that in these united states of america a bunch of goons took you by force and detained you from continuing your day for the crime of ... standing and listening to the sounds around you? I would burn half the city to the ground after getting out for that bullshit, at least they'd have a valid reason to commit me then. The idea that you could be hurting no one and be snatched up and taken somewhere against your will is extremely upsetting to me.

Jeff_Brown 5y ago
I was quite upset. Looking back I'm surprised I didn't seek damages in court. But that was before cell phones were ubiquitous, and I was in a new town where I didn't know basically anyone but my mom, and I don't have a photographic memory for faces. I felt powerless. Indeed, I believe I was.

dempseye 5y ago

Is this a joke or did it happen?

Jeff_Brown 5y ago
It happened. (BTW you know you can look through a commenter's history on HN to see if an interpretation of something they wrote is consistent with their character.)

kwhitefoot 5y ago

Without more context and the ability to verify this I have to assume that you made it up. The event is too extreme to stand without corroboration; at least it would be where I live.

carapace 5y ago
I was once crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on foot and about halfway across the view of the bay was so beautiful that I had to stop and drink it in. (Have you heard the phrase "arresting beauty" or "arrested by beauty"? That's how it was: I was captivated. It was just so beautiful!) Anyway, after maybe ten minutes a bicycle police officer came up and started talking to me. It took me a moment to realize that he was sounding me out for emotional distress, checking to see if I was suicidal. I gave him my best smile (easy enough as I was still in the thrall of beauty) and reassured him emphatically that I was okay, and thanked him for doing his (IMO very important) job and apologized for making him come out and check on me (no good reason not to be extra nice in the circs, eh?) and went on my way. I'm not blaming the OP for getting, uh, overbearing and unneeded help. I'm pointing out that our society has developed mechanisms to try to prevent suicide in the obvious places: GGB and BART (the "subway" in Berkeley.) > The Golden Gate Bridge is the most used suicide site in the world. > After years of debate and an estimated more than 1,500 deaths, suicide barriers, consisting of a stainless steel net extending 20 feet from the bridge and supported by structural steel 20 feet under the walkway, began to be installed in April 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Suicides https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Gate_Bridge#Suicides