Totally missing the point

[MrCrowesGarden]

I'm sure that many of you on here that live in St. Louis heard about the crash in St. Charles that killed two.

If not, here.

I went to the same high school as these guys. I won't pretend that I knew them at all, but apparently several of my friends and acquaintances did.

It sounds like from everything I've read that they were speeding and that alcohol was involved. While I suppose I feel sad to some degree...I guess as much as I should feel for strangers...I feel mad more than anything else.

The Facebook memorial group that someone started for these guys has several photos uploaded to an album. Just about every last one of them shows them with cans of beer and bottles of liquor.

I'm not stupid enough to think that's not what young 20 year old guys do and I'm sure it's just to remember good times gone by, but considering the cause of the accident, they couldn't find one picture of these guys where they aren't drinking?

I'm not going to go on a crusade, but it seems like everyone misses the point of this unfortunate accident. I can't find the right words for it, but it just feels like they died in vain.

[tothebeach08]

Young people don't always use the best judgement. Obviously the guys in the car didn't and now it seems maybe their friends aren't either. The friends are probably just all picking out their favorite photos and are looking at it that way and not really even clearly seeing what they are doing. Chances are they've never been in this situtation before. Someone more responsibile willl probably get ahold of them and help them out. It's always sad when something like this happens. It's like every parents nightmare.

[TheoSqua]

yeesh, if they were from your highschool means they were from mine too.

And yeah, St. Charles kids especially are really stupid about drinking and driving. I don't really have a problem with kids drinking like that, but they need to be responsible enough to at least not drive, or to have a designated driver.

I'm 22, and myself and all of my friends are capable of it. They could, too, if they only thought it was important.

[InvincibleCakeEater]

I have 0% pity for people who die of an OD, drinking and driving, suicide, etc. Darwinism at it's finest. A few years out of high school a very good friend (played baseball with him for 15 years) took some pills and drank too much and died. I feel bad for their loved ones and that's it. I lost a lot of friends because apparently I wasn't sad enough, but hey, he did it to himself.

[Cronos]

I have 0% pity for people who die of...suicide

Hmm. Have you ever known anyone personally who committed suicide, not in a case when alcohol/narcotics were involved?

[cardsfansince82]

I have 0% pity for people who die of an OD, drinking and driving, suicide, etc. Darwinism at it's finest. A few years out of high school a very good friend (played baseball with him for 15 years) took some pills and drank too much and died. I feel bad for their loved ones and that's it. I lost a lot of friends because apparently I wasn't sad enough, but hey, he did it to himself.

Yeah, compassion is so overrated anyway. People who aren't as fortunate to be equipped with your innate ability to cope with emotional issues and exhibit self control don't deserve to live.

[jeffbgoofy]

I have 0% pity for people who die of...suicide

Hmm. Have you ever known anyone personally who committed suicide, not in a case when alcohol/narcotics were involved?

yeah, my friends brother-in-law hung himself last Thursday cause he was sick of making excuses and got caught in a lie.

[jim]

I have 0% pity for people who die of an OD, drinking and driving, suicide, etc. Darwinism at it's finest. A few years out of high school a very good friend (played baseball with him for 15 years) took some pills and drank too much and died. I feel bad for their loved ones and that's it. I lost a lot of friends because apparently I wasn't sad enough, but hey, he did it to himself.

I've deleted several of my responses to this, trying to find just the right words to respond in a civilized manner. Let's put it this way, even though I can come across with a weird and sarcastic sense of humor and can sound a little "crotchety" at times, very rarely is that what is in my heart. I'm a pretty laid back guy more or less in person. I can count on one hand in the two years I have been here where a post genuinely got under my skin to the point of angering me.

I've posted over 15,000 times, and have probably read more than 100,000 - yet this post stands alone. I mean, you just took it to an entirely new level, one I didn't even think existed. Congratulations.

Darwinism... Wow.

[tothebeach08]

No one should judge someone else. You have no idea what goes on in someone else's life. There are people who simply cannot cope when horrible things keep happening to them or they continue to make bad decisions. One of the biggest health problems the U.S. faces, is that it is way to difficult to get people who need mental health assistance hooked up with the right people who can help them. And that's not just "their" problem, that is a problem for everyone. People reach the end of the line and can't take it anymore and are so overwhelmed by all of it that they see no other way out. People outside of their situation look at them and can clearly see oh they need to do this and this and this and then everything will be fine. It doesn't work like that when your in the middle of a bunch of problems that you are not equipped to deal with. We, as human beings, have the ability to feel compassion and love for others. Whether or not we choose to use those gifts is ultimately our decision. It's easy to be around for your friends when the times are great and everything is fun. The true test of a friendship and a person is where are you when the times are bad, when someone needs you to catch them when they fall. Will you be there, will you be a true friend, or will you make them feel bad about themselves for not being able to just help themselves.

[TimeForGuinness]

I really think we need to flip-flop the drinking age and driving age in this country.

16 to drink
21 to drive