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This reminds me of the story of the young man who was walking to get his mail when a helicopter fell out of the sky and killed him. Articles immediately blamed

This reminds me of the story of the young man who was walking to get his mail when a helicopter fell out of the sky and killed him. Articles immediately blamed him for listening to his iPod, as if regular people know the subtle (?) sounds of a failing helicopter overhead. https://en.m.wikinews.org/wiki/Pedestrian,_three_others_killed_in_helicopter_crash_in_British_Columbia https://en.m.wikinews.org/wiki/Pedestrian,_three_others_kill... People's rush to blame the victim never ceases to amaze me. I think that people see that the victim did X, and they don't do X, therefore they'll never suffer a similar fate, and they need to proudly proclaim it to the world. Maybe it's related to magical thinking and the just world fallacy.

yoyohello13 1y ago
The reality of random, unavoidable death is one of the most terrifying aspects of the world. So coming up with reasons for the death, or ways to avoid it helps people cope with the existential dread that they too could die randomly one day through no fault of their own.
- rightbyte 1y ago
  I am making up numbers but wearing headphones surely at least doubles the risk of randomly dying to falling helicopters. You get oblivious to traffic.
mhb 1y ago
So the moral of this straw man is that it's not risk-increasing to walk around oblivious to your surroundings?
- snozolli 1y ago
  Thank you for the excellent example of victim-blaming. Tell me, what does a failing helicopter falling out of the sky sound like? I need to know what I'm supposed to be listening for.
  - mhb 1y ago
    It sounds like a straw man. When you're crossing a street, it would be prudent to be able to hear cars.
    - snozolli 1y ago
      I don't think you know what straw man means. He was killed by a crashing helicopter, not a car. People expect cars on the road, not helicopters. Deaf people cross the road all the time. People wearing headphones or earbuds cross the road without difficulty regularly. I ride motorcycles with silicone earplugs and have no problem hearing traffic, because car tires against asphalt alone makes a tremendous racket. Again, what does it sound like when a helicopter is falling out of the sky onto you? I need to know so that I can stay safe.
      - mhb 1y ago
        Let me break it down for you. It's nonsensical for someone to be penalized for increasing their risks by wearing headphones. Nonetheless, it is sensible to be more aware of your surroundings by being able to hear what's going on around you. There are plenty of other sounds which can be helpful besides a car's tires loudly screeching as it's about to hit you. The reason your example of a helicopter noise is a straw man is because, while it doesn't make sense to take precautions for a helicopter crashing on you, that is irrelevant to whether it makes sense for more likely situations. Riding a motorcycle and wearing silicone earplugs! Tell me you're not the guy to take safety advice from without telling me you're not the guy.

yoyohello13 1y ago

The reality of random, unavoidable death is one of the most terrifying aspects of the world. So coming up with reasons for the death, or ways to avoid it helps people cope with the existential dread that they too could die randomly one day through no fault of their own.

rightbyte 1y ago
I am making up numbers but wearing headphones surely at least doubles the risk of randomly dying to falling helicopters. You get oblivious to traffic.

mhb 1y ago

So the moral of this straw man is that it's not risk-increasing to walk around oblivious to your surroundings?

snozolli 1y ago
Thank you for the excellent example of victim-blaming. Tell me, what does a failing helicopter falling out of the sky sound like? I need to know what I'm supposed to be listening for.
- mhb 1y ago
  It sounds like a straw man. When you're crossing a street, it would be prudent to be able to hear cars.
  - snozolli 1y ago
    I don't think you know what straw man means. He was killed by a crashing helicopter, not a car. People expect cars on the road, not helicopters. Deaf people cross the road all the time. People wearing headphones or earbuds cross the road without difficulty regularly. I ride motorcycles with silicone earplugs and have no problem hearing traffic, because car tires against asphalt alone makes a tremendous racket. Again, what does it sound like when a helicopter is falling out of the sky onto you? I need to know so that I can stay safe.
    - mhb 1y ago
      Let me break it down for you. It's nonsensical for someone to be penalized for increasing their risks by wearing headphones. Nonetheless, it is sensible to be more aware of your surroundings by being able to hear what's going on around you. There are plenty of other sounds which can be helpful besides a car's tires loudly screeching as it's about to hit you. The reason your example of a helicopter noise is a straw man is because, while it doesn't make sense to take precautions for a helicopter crashing on you, that is irrelevant to whether it makes sense for more likely situations. Riding a motorcycle and wearing silicone earplugs! Tell me you're not the guy to take safety advice from without telling me you're not the guy.