4 ms·

Somebody is to Blame for This

38 points by bussetta 14y ago

bryanlarsen 14y ago
My 7 days of sequestration with 11 other people and a bailiff arguing a difficult case were the worst 7 days of my life, and my case wasn't as heart wrenching as Jeff's. First world problem, but it's not an experience I would wish on any one.
zaroth 14y ago
How can you tell that story and not conclude with the result of the trial? It's so well written, despite all the terror of the words, you can still almost imagine Jeff as one of 12, arguing against 'verdict for the plaintiff'.
- relix 14y ago
  Because it wasn't the point of the story, even though everybody was expecting it. I imagine Jeff left it out to focus on the message he's trying to send.
  - meric 14y ago
    "The unbearable grief demands that someone must be to blame for this unimaginably terrible thing that is happening to you, this deeply, profoundly unfair tragedy. But there's nobody" This might be a hint?
- regularfry 14y ago
  Now I urgently want this trial to be over. I'm guessing because there's no verdict yet.
  - VMG 14y ago
    > This trial was the story [...] It probably is. Also, aren't you legally prohibited to talk about the trial while it is on?
    - h2s 14y ago
      > Five weeks ago, I was selected for jury > duty in a medical malpractice trial. > I heard plenty of people get selected and > make up some bogus story about how they couldn't > possibly be fair and impartial to get out of > this five week obligation. The trial is over.
morganpyne 14y ago
I watched the Anthony Griffiths movie he referred to a while ago and it is heartbreaking. I'm normally a very reserved person who's partner is convinced my tear ducts dried up from lack of use years ago, but watching Anthony tell his story is like a punch in the guts. I didn't enjoy watching it, but I'm glad I did. It sure puts things in perspective.
- digitalengineer 14y ago
  Please consider yourself lucky you experienced this through a film. Last week I got to experience it in front of my eyes and afterwards again when telling my 6 y/old little girl her grandmother died. Your own grief is hard, your kid's grief is unbearable.
verroq 14y ago
People buy into the idea that the world is just, that everything happens for a reason (just-world fallacy). But sometimes bad things happen, for no reason, sometimes asshats win.
gsibble 14y ago
Tragedy is tragic, indeed. It's an important lesson we all learn and this is a great expression of it. Why a family decided to take their tragedy to a courtroom to force it upon others makes me upset though. And what this has to do with technology or startups is definitely beyond me. This should be on the fron page of Reddit, but HN? Why?
- kevingadd 14y ago
  It is likely the family had little choice in the matter. Death is expensive in the United States (and other countries, I'm sure), so sometimes the only way to avoid having your loss compounded with complete bankruptcy is to go to court and find someone to blame.
  - gsibble 14y ago
    Or settle out of court before it ever reaches trial. Trial means they were offered settlements and rejected them.
- zalew 14y ago
  > Why a family decided to take their tragedy to a courtroom to force it upon others makes me upset though. maybe sth to do with this http://hackerne.ws/item?id=4558309 http://hackerne.ws/item?id=4558309
- ak39 14y ago
  I bumped up my life cover yesterday by a factor of 4. That's the lesson for startups here. Year 1-3 means that you are losing everything. If you die during that time, you better leave your loved ones with something to take home for your obsession with windmills.
ak39 14y ago
Whew, heartbreaking. But like that great Indian liberator once quipped: "Life is dhukka". Let us liberate ourselves from the clinginess of existence. I am not one to advocate open and public emotional outpourings, although I contradict this view when I write poems which I then send to my closest friends ... I'm ok with this contradiction, I'm not neurotic. ;-) However, one can see why it is totally legitimate for Anthony Griffith to do so. He is in his own words a clown. And his entire point was that a clown can sometimes ... should sometimes ... make you cry. I tip my hat to this brave man. I would have a beer with this man any time!
vacri 14y ago
A slightly strange conclusion. You don't need to blame somebody or something to grieve. I understand the point of blame in the court case, but the author is talking about 'somebody must be to blame [for this loss in the prime of life]'. Blaming someone can make grieving easier, but that doesn't mean that there has to be blame.
jofo25 14y ago
I was just stunned by the first comment by Matt "Only thing I can write is "I should have heeded to your warning"". How can someone have such bad taste.
junto 14y ago
The linked video of Anthony Griffith talking about his daughter dying of cancer whilst trying to support his family through the business of making people laugh is quite possibly the most heart wrenching thing I have ever seen in my life. It reminds of the clown. That disturbing painted fake smile. No wonder they still freak me out.

38 points by bussetta 14y ago

My 7 days of sequestration with 11 other people and a bailiff arguing a difficult case were the worst 7 days of my life, and my case wasn't as heart wrenching as Jeff's. First world problem, but it's not an experience I would wish on any one.

zaroth 14y ago

How can you tell that story and not conclude with the result of the trial? It's so well written, despite all the terror of the words, you can still almost imagine Jeff as one of 12, arguing against 'verdict for the plaintiff'.

relix 14y ago
Because it wasn't the point of the story, even though everybody was expecting it. I imagine Jeff left it out to focus on the message he's trying to send.
- meric 14y ago
  "The unbearable grief demands that someone must be to blame for this unimaginably terrible thing that is happening to you, this deeply, profoundly unfair tragedy. But there's nobody" This might be a hint?
regularfry 14y ago
Now I urgently want this trial to be over. I'm guessing because there's no verdict yet.
- VMG 14y ago
  > This trial was the story [...] It probably is. Also, aren't you legally prohibited to talk about the trial while it is on?
  - h2s 14y ago
    > Five weeks ago, I was selected for jury > duty in a medical malpractice trial. > I heard plenty of people get selected and > make up some bogus story about how they couldn't > possibly be fair and impartial to get out of > this five week obligation. The trial is over.

morganpyne 14y ago

I watched the Anthony Griffiths movie he referred to a while ago and it is heartbreaking. I'm normally a very reserved person who's partner is convinced my tear ducts dried up from lack of use years ago, but watching Anthony tell his story is like a punch in the guts. I didn't enjoy watching it, but I'm glad I did. It sure puts things in perspective.

digitalengineer 14y ago
Please consider yourself lucky you experienced this through a film. Last week I got to experience it in front of my eyes and afterwards again when telling my 6 y/old little girl her grandmother died. Your own grief is hard, your kid's grief is unbearable.

verroq 14y ago

People buy into the idea that the world is just, that everything happens for a reason (just-world fallacy). But sometimes bad things happen, for no reason, sometimes asshats win.

gsibble 14y ago

Tragedy is tragic, indeed. It's an important lesson we all learn and this is a great expression of it. Why a family decided to take their tragedy to a courtroom to force it upon others makes me upset though. And what this has to do with technology or startups is definitely beyond me. This should be on the fron page of Reddit, but HN? Why?

kevingadd 14y ago
It is likely the family had little choice in the matter. Death is expensive in the United States (and other countries, I'm sure), so sometimes the only way to avoid having your loss compounded with complete bankruptcy is to go to court and find someone to blame.
- gsibble 14y ago
  Or settle out of court before it ever reaches trial. Trial means they were offered settlements and rejected them.
zalew 14y ago
> Why a family decided to take their tragedy to a courtroom to force it upon others makes me upset though. maybe sth to do with this http://hackerne.ws/item?id=4558309 http://hackerne.ws/item?id=4558309
ak39 14y ago
I bumped up my life cover yesterday by a factor of 4. That's the lesson for startups here. Year 1-3 means that you are losing everything. If you die during that time, you better leave your loved ones with something to take home for your obsession with windmills.

ak39 14y ago

Whew, heartbreaking. But like that great Indian liberator once quipped: "Life is dhukka". Let us liberate ourselves from the clinginess of existence. I am not one to advocate open and public emotional outpourings, although I contradict this view when I write poems which I then send to my closest friends ... I'm ok with this contradiction, I'm not neurotic. ;-) However, one can see why it is totally legitimate for Anthony Griffith to do so. He is in his own words a clown. And his entire point was that a clown can sometimes ... should sometimes ... make you cry. I tip my hat to this brave man. I would have a beer with this man any time!

vacri 14y ago

A slightly strange conclusion. You don't need to blame somebody or something to grieve. I understand the point of blame in the court case, but the author is talking about 'somebody must be to blame [for this loss in the prime of life]'. Blaming someone can make grieving easier, but that doesn't mean that there has to be blame.

jofo25 14y ago

I was just stunned by the first comment by Matt "Only thing I can write is "I should have heeded to your warning"". How can someone have such bad taste.

junto 14y ago

The linked video of Anthony Griffith talking about his daughter dying of cancer whilst trying to support his family through the business of making people laugh is quite possibly the most heart wrenching thing I have ever seen in my life. It reminds of the clown. That disturbing painted fake smile. No wonder they still freak me out.