09-13-2019, 06:30 PM
(09-13-2019, 07:08 AM)danbrotherston Wrote:(09-12-2019, 10:42 PM)jeffster Wrote: It's possible had the cyclist had worn a helmet this would have not made the news.
I think you pretty much are proving this *is" victim shaming. "people doing stupid thing" "gullible people need to be reminded not to do dumb things".
So yeah mentioning the helmet is shaming the cyclist (victim) for doing "dumb" things. How is this still a discussion.
By the way, you have no idea if this would still be reported. You don't know what the injuries are you are assuming they are head injuries because you believe wearing a helmet will usually mean one can walk away from being hit by a car. This belief isn't based in fact.
If you re-read what I wrote, I said "it's possible".
This is the definition of "possible": possible is something that can happen, something that can be done, or something capable of existing. You can use possible to talk about anything that might happen.
Therefore, it is "possible" that the cyclist NOT WEARING a helmet was critical with him having life-threatening injures. It is also "possible" had he been wearing a helmet we would not be having this discussion. It is also possible that wearing a helmet or not would have not made a difference, so why the police mentioned this then become a mystery.
That said, it doesn't take a genius to guess what happened when looking at the Jeep -- clearly someones head hit the windshield. The chances of this not causing life-threatening injures and these serious injuries being something else are highly unlikely. But I suppose anything is possible.
You are also mentioning that this cyclist is a 'victim', so what makes you think that? We don't know the circumstances, but you are making it appear that the driver of the Jeep did something illegal, how do you know that? If the cyclist rode his bike onto Victoria St with no regard for vehicular traffic, that he's only a victim of himself.
As far a "victim shaming", you should also consider the other victims: the driver of the Jeep who may have not done anything illegal, the first responders who have to deal with the mess, as well as the cyclist's family.
I still believe though that this isn't victim shaming, it's just another reminder why we should do all we can to protect ourselves when out and about. For example, in yesterdays news:
Quote:Waterloo Regional Police say an 18-year-old male is dead after a serious collision in Heidelberg early Thursday morning.
First responders were called to the scene on Lobsinger Line around 6 a.m.
Police say the male driver from Mitchell was travelling east and not wearing his seatbelt when he lost control of his pickup truck, entered a ditch on the north side, and was ejected.
Victim shaming? I doubt any would think so, especially considering the man is dead. It was a single vehicle accident, by the way, so totally preventable to begin with, but it is very possible he'd be alive had he worn a seatbelt.
If these news articles can change the mind of one person to use safety devices, then they have done a great job.