5 ms·

I have a hard time understanding both cheating at a marathon and killing yourself over being discovered to have cheated in marathons. I wonder if there is a re

I have a hard time understanding both cheating at a marathon and killing yourself over being discovered to have cheated in marathons. I wonder if there is a relation between the two in terms of the psychology required - an intense desire for public approval.

trgn 5y ago
Same personality that is attracted to a profession with built-in prestige, say doctor or lawyer. This story would be way less believable if he were an artisan of any sort.
- geranim0 5y ago
  how can you cheat at being an artisan
  - daniel-cussen 5y ago
    Lol, I just saw some dude trying to sell Mate cups at crazy prices. They were good cups, though...so I suppose you cheat by selling something that looks like bronze when it's really not? Just sell crap quality.
  - cko 5y ago
    An artisan cheating at marathoning, not a doctor cheating at artisaning.
  - avereveard 5y ago
    well one thing that comes to mind is all the "crafts" on etsy that are just aliexpress flips
  - mardifoufs 5y ago
    Buckle up: https://dallasfood.org/2015/12/mast-brothers-what-lies-behind-the-beards-part-1-tastetexture/ https://dallasfood.org/2015/12/mast-brothers-what-lies-behin...
  - ceejayoz 5y ago
    Ask Starbucks’ “Artisan Breakfast Sandwiches” that question.
barsonme 5y ago
> I have a hard time understanding both cheating at a marathon and killing yourself over being discovered to have cheated in marathons. No, it wasn't because he was discovered. It was because he was being harassed by folks and media. To make it worse, people harassed his employers so much that they distanced themselves from him. I'm not surprised somebody wasn't able handle an Internet and media mob.
prettyStandard 5y ago
It's called anomic suicide. When your whole sense of identity (in this case running marathons) is ripped away from you (whether or not you cheated) you no longer have a reason to live. Unless you have other things to live for family, work, whatever. Other senses of identity and self. https://www.mdis.edu.sg/blog/four-types-of-suicides https://www.mdis.edu.sg/blog/four-types-of-suicides
Maursault 5y ago
> and killing yourself over being discovered I'm not clear on the suicide. Usually when men commit suicide, it is not survivable. I don't see how jumping into an an empty LA river channel would be considered "unsurvivable." Standing at the brink, I'd expect someone like him to realize, "this is no good... I might survive." Isn't it possible he was pushed? He did have future plans to deliver lunch to his wife.
- loeg 5y ago
  > I don't see how jumping into an an empty LA river channel would be considered "unsurvivable." The bridge is maybe 18 feet above ground level and the river bed is maybe 35 feet below ground; about 53 feet of total fall, on to concrete. That's a very big fall, and his advanced age makes it even more dangerous. I don't think the theory that male suicides are rationally evaluating success probability is especially sound. But even under that theory, it's a hard fall.
kodah 5y ago
> I have a hard time understanding both cheating at a marathon and killing yourself over being discovered to have cheated in marathons. I think, generally, the abuse that's occurring here is that people willfully raised the profile of a perceived wrong. Lobbying the people who run the races or local papers that ran stories about him to correct those things is appropriate. The national media showing up and people trying to bully or harass him crosses over into ethically bankrupt behavior under the guise of "justice".

trgn 5y ago

Same personality that is attracted to a profession with built-in prestige, say doctor or lawyer. This story would be way less believable if he were an artisan of any sort.

geranim0 5y ago
how can you cheat at being an artisan
- daniel-cussen 5y ago
  Lol, I just saw some dude trying to sell Mate cups at crazy prices. They were good cups, though...so I suppose you cheat by selling something that looks like bronze when it's really not? Just sell crap quality.
- cko 5y ago
  An artisan cheating at marathoning, not a doctor cheating at artisaning.
- avereveard 5y ago
  well one thing that comes to mind is all the "crafts" on etsy that are just aliexpress flips
- mardifoufs 5y ago
  Buckle up: https://dallasfood.org/2015/12/mast-brothers-what-lies-behind-the-beards-part-1-tastetexture/ https://dallasfood.org/2015/12/mast-brothers-what-lies-behin...
- ceejayoz 5y ago
  Ask Starbucks’ “Artisan Breakfast Sandwiches” that question.

barsonme 5y ago

> I have a hard time understanding both cheating at a marathon and killing yourself over being discovered to have cheated in marathons. No, it wasn't because he was discovered. It was because he was being harassed by folks and media. To make it worse, people harassed his employers so much that they distanced themselves from him. I'm not surprised somebody wasn't able handle an Internet and media mob.

prettyStandard 5y ago

It's called anomic suicide. When your whole sense of identity (in this case running marathons) is ripped away from you (whether or not you cheated) you no longer have a reason to live. Unless you have other things to live for family, work, whatever. Other senses of identity and self. https://www.mdis.edu.sg/blog/four-types-of-suicides https://www.mdis.edu.sg/blog/four-types-of-suicides

Maursault 5y ago

> and killing yourself over being discovered I'm not clear on the suicide. Usually when men commit suicide, it is not survivable. I don't see how jumping into an an empty LA river channel would be considered "unsurvivable." Standing at the brink, I'd expect someone like him to realize, "this is no good... I might survive." Isn't it possible he was pushed? He did have future plans to deliver lunch to his wife.

loeg 5y ago
> I don't see how jumping into an an empty LA river channel would be considered "unsurvivable." The bridge is maybe 18 feet above ground level and the river bed is maybe 35 feet below ground; about 53 feet of total fall, on to concrete. That's a very big fall, and his advanced age makes it even more dangerous. I don't think the theory that male suicides are rationally evaluating success probability is especially sound. But even under that theory, it's a hard fall.

kodah 5y ago

> I have a hard time understanding both cheating at a marathon and killing yourself over being discovered to have cheated in marathons. I think, generally, the abuse that's occurring here is that people willfully raised the profile of a perceived wrong. Lobbying the people who run the races or local papers that ran stories about him to correct those things is appropriate. The national media showing up and people trying to bully or harass him crosses over into ethically bankrupt behavior under the guise of "justice".