The bridge collapse (again)

[pen_grunt]

Everything about the 35W bridge collapsing in Mpls sucks, and I understand that the first few hours were traumatic to some degree for pretty much everyone. It's unlike a building collapsing--because you could reasonably know that your relatives/friends weren't supposed to be in that building. With 35W, there was a CHANCE that anyone local could have been on that bridge at that moment. It wasn't a big chance, but still, a chance. Immediate uncertainty abounded.

Things that irritate me about these kinds of unfortunate tragedies however--the media being witty, and the media seeking blame.

The stupidest thing I heard on the news last night from a FOX 9 reporter: "It's just so ironic that this happened during rush hour when many cars were on the bridge." Then he kept saying that. Over and over. The irony...

I appreciate that it's difficult to do on-the-spot reporting and find the right words, but it is in NO way ironic that a bridge collapsed at a point in the day where it had the most weight on it.

Other things I kept hearing: Was it terrorists? Why didn't they inspect the bridge?

No, it wasn't The Terrorists. How sad that that's the first thing some people's minds jump to. OMG Paranoia! Even in cases of terrorism, my first thought isn't Terrorists. Maybe I'm naive, but I'm not drinking the Terrorists Are Everywhere! kool-aid.

Yes, they inspected the bridges. As recently as 2006. No one surmised that they were in imminent danger of falling on people.

I don't think this is anyone's fault, and I resent the cloud of blame floating around, looking for a place to settle. It sucks that it happened. There's no eloquent way of saying that. It sucks. It's tragic, but it's not anyone's (or really, any departments') fault.

Traffic going into downtown (I work on Washington and Marquette, and take 94 in from St. Paul) also kind of sucked. But I just don't have it in me to care about sitting an extra hour in traffic right now really--it doesn't seem all that important.

Comments

[luno.livejournal.com]

Fuckwit reporters who misuse the word "irony" need to be beaten to death with a dictionary.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

I second that motion.

I'm just going to wait patiently for the, "It's supposed to rain, so ironically some of you may get wet" report. It will come.

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

After my initial . . . anger . . . at getting home from the Twins game (which we lost, and no one cared . . . ) and seeing the banners below the Special Reports on the TV advising that there was "no indication" of terrorism . . . my anger at people jumping to terrorism . . . my next reaction to that reaction, if you will . . . is sadness. Because that, I think, *is* true terrorism . . . that people look at an obviously tragic situation like this and their FIRST thought is - not the heat, not the construction, not the fact that the bridge is 40 years old - but that someone might've or must've done this . . . that is terror. And - personally - I think it comes not from the tragedy of September 11, 2001, but from the encouragement of fear and suspicion in the American Public.

My first thoughts after the initial "are people okay"? . . . My thoughts turn to the contamination in the water, and the economic impacts of this artery being cut . . . *shakes head*

But then, maybe I'm naive, too . . .

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

I wholeheartedly agree. Continually convincing people that others are outside their front door...just waiting to get them and their families, that's cruel and terroristic--and if there ARE terroristic threats, that's aiding terrorism, NOT preventing it. It's incredibly maddening.

You can't have people in a state of constant vigilance, or that state of vigilance regresses to a norm--where people have their guard lowered again, but THINK they're being vigilant.

The level orange threat level is the new yellow. Red will be the new orange. Who cares? You can't THINK about that stuff on a daily basis and live your life normally--and isn't that the point of terrorism? To disrupt a normal life?

Terrorism didn't even cross my mind in the bridge collapse. My first thought, of course, was "where are my co-workers" (who had just left that area of downtown), my second thoughts, however, turned towards the positive--we can all be grateful that it's summer so that people in the water have a CHANCE to swim. If it were winter, this would have been very much worse all around.

I think that those that would have me thinking of terrorism first would call me naive for not doing so, but really, I think it's rather naive to jump on the terrorism bandwagon.

Additional annoyance from one of the rescuer interviews, "I think you do the American thing and help people."

No. You do the HUMAN thing and help people. Get the jingoism out of the tragedy please.

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

Precisely. Precisely, Exactly, Precisely.

And yes - similar thoughts of how much worse it could've been had any number of things been different . . . had it not been so warm, had we gotten that storm, had the freeway not been already mostly shut down, had so many people not been already avoiding that route because of the continuing construction, had traffic been flowing freely at 60-75 mph rather than basically stoppped . . . et cetera . . .

It's also sadly amusing to flip channels and hear the differences in language choice among the news stations . . . personally, I'm a fan of Kare11/NBC. Fox is the worst. 5 is somewhere in the middle, and I don't get 4 on my TV. . .

[irishsbuffy.livejournal.com]

The media will do anything for ratings. Having spent three years in radio and Irish worked in TV. Reporters are not the sharpest tool in the shed.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Like parading the bus load of kids on the TV over and over again--even though none of the kids were injured? Cripes, they had a reporter stationed where the kids were safe. . . and just kept reporting on that story.

Yes, I care that cute little kids could have been hurt--but they weren't, so let's get onto some real information, okay?

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

. . . to be fair on the kids thing, though . . . I think they were getting a massive influx of inquiries about that bus specifically, because it stuck out in the footage, and people naturally gravitate towards wanting to know about the innocent kids. But, yeah - still.

Similar Thoughts . . .

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

Read masklady's entry here.

Re: Similar Thoughts . . .

[mamajenzie.livejournal.com]

Well heck. I never get to be original anymore...

Re: Similar Thoughts . . .

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Somehow, in situations such as this with thoughts such as these, it's nice not to be original in thought.

It's scary to think that our own government is creating a state of terror for its citizens, but I rather like not being alone in not buying into it.

Re: Similar Thoughts . . .

[mamajenzie.livejournal.com]

I was teasing about the originality... :)

It's a good point though. I get so sad/frustrated for my friends who jump on the terrorist wagon...

Re: Similar Thoughts . . .

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

As per usual, a very good point.

Re: Similar Thoughts . . .

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

*raspberries* It wasn't to say you're not original (is okay Jen, you're vewwy original!) . . . more just a connection of like-mindedness. :)

Re: Similar Thoughts . . .

[mamajenzie.livejournal.com]

And I totally appreciate it.

[lisa-e-is-me.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad you're okay, and yes, I completely agree with everything you said. I didn't think about terrorism at all until I heard some one say the word, either, and even then I rolled my eyes and said, "Oh, come on. This is not terrorism." The media just won't be happy until we've all covered our windows with plastic and duct tape.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

I think I speak for everyone in MN when I say that we don't have anything that is really worth blowing up to make a national terroristic statement.

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

Hey! *I* kinda like it here! ;p

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Of course, as do I. And it's not like we don't have anything worthwhile--just not worthwhile to terrorists as a statement. Not, really, even the MOA.

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

Excepting, of course, that a bridge can fall down of its own accord and people automatically jump to thoughts of terrorism. Apparently. :( Sounds like they've already done their job on people in this area; they don't *need* to blow anything up! *grumble* (That grumble is not directed at you . . . )

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Well, at least I don't have to worry about them blowing up my favorite statue of F. Scott Fitzgerald in Rice Park. Though it would be interesting to see where they stuck the dynamite. . .

And I know exactly what you mean. Though most people I talk to are equally appalled and frustrated with the "terrorism suspicion first" attitude displayed by the media--suggesting that it may be more the media than the people. Than again, these are people I surround myself with, so it's a very biased sample.

[llythefaerye.livejournal.com]

Yeah . . . maybe . . . but then again, we tend to be fairly jaded, biased people. :)

[pointedthings.livejournal.com]

My favorite idiot was the talk radio personality who said that the problem was investment in mass transit. The money for the light rail should have been used for roads, which are the most important part of the transportation system. So he blamed all the "progressives" that funded lightrail for making the bridge collapse.

[pen-grunt.livejournal.com]

Hmm, it would seem to me that no one on the light rail is dead at the moment, so it was probably a GOOD investment that kept more people off that road.

*sigh* I hate post-tragedy speculation and blame.