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Blood on Train Tracks Concerns MTA

In case you haven't heard, there have been a rash of people being killed on the subway.

According to the Daily News, eight people have been hit by subway trains over the last 13 days in a baffling spike of suicides, attempted suicides and accidents.

To learn more about this go to:

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/02/26/2010-02-26_blood_on_the_tracks_in_rash_of_subway_train_hits.html

If the stats are right, apparently those committing or wanting to commit suicide, find using the subway is the easy way out.

What a shame.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
This one eerily matches the statistic I know about February being the month with the disproportionately high suicide rates. Plus, this one has been a particularly brutal winter. Really sad stuff.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
I know, Uraniumfish. When I first read the report, I was shocked by the many suicides that were committed in subways. What makes subway trains an attraction for those committing suicide. I truly wonder.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
How morbid and grisly. My heart goes out to those poor people and their families.
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
They make a good point in the article that having someone jump in front of a train is traumatizing to everyone who experiences. How much more selfish can you get that trying to kill yourself in that way...I think this makes me angry more than anything else.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
I think killing yourself is selfish no matter how you do it - of course jumping in front of the train is ultimately horrible for those around you, but it's better than jumping out of a window and possibly taking others with you? Just trying to look on the bright side here, even if it is February.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
But you can hurt others by jumping too, right? If the train has to come to an abrupt stop? Can trains get derailed? Anyway, this is all too grisly. One more day, and we've all survived February!
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
I suppose there is a slightly grim bright side there, @neversleeps. One thing is suicide, which is selfish enough, but risking the lives of others is especially so!
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish, if the train is traveling at a tremendous speed, and it hits the brakes, it could derail, but most of the time the trains are not going that fast. It will just make a loud squealing noise when stopping. Plus people on the train will be forced forward. That wouldn't be too great, especially if people landed on top of each other.

Also, think how the train engineer would feel seeing someone jump the track in front of him, and he couldn't stop in time. He'd feel so bad, he might need therapy to overcome it.

I agree with all of you that committing suicide is a selfish act. If we only knew what they were thinking before committing such an act. Obviously, they are in some sort of mental or emotional pain to do that.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
I really can't imagine what kind of a head space you'd have to be in to jump in front of a train... I just can't even fathom it.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
I agree. It's so selfish. I would never recover if I witnessed something like that.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK: When you are down that low, you don't even think about it. All you want is to end the pain. You will find the most advantageous way possible to do it, that is not too messy nor loud. Being a part time counselor, I have had to deal with these issues. I actually had to talk a girl out of committing suicide once. After I got her off a train platform, I took her to my office personally, and had a long talk with her. I found out that all she wanted was to be shown love from her mother. Her mother worked at two jobs. The girl's father had just died and she had no one to take care of her. She felt abandoned. How would you feel in that situation.

I contacted her mother and had a long talk. I managed to get her mother and the girl together. After the mother found out what happened and they talked, the mother agreed to spend more time with her daughter. The mother quit one job and agreed to work longer hours at the first job. This allowed her to be home with her daughter more often. Do you know, I contacted the girl after two months and she had such a cheery voice to her. She was happy.

Imagine if I wasn't there when she was thinking of killing herself.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
If she was that easily talked out of killing herself -- I wonder how serious it was. Usually, people with suicidal inclinations don't really just get over it.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
Wasn't it Elizabeth Wurtzel who pointed out just how selfish and self-indulgent the nature of depression actually is? And she speaks from experience.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@JenMac: I never said how long it took. I only said I talked to her. Trust me. It did not happen in one session or overnight. It happened over the course of a few days.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: I completely agree with you. People who are depressed normally act out for selfish reasons. The self-indulgent is stuff you or I would not do. I've seen all kinds in my work.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
I wonder what percentage of suicides either don't intend to kill themselves or secretly hope someone will stop them? Most of the survivors, I'd reckon, and a tragic proportion of the "success" stories.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
Well, ajadedidealist, the overall rate was 10.9 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in 2006. According to the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) an estimated 12 to 25 attempted suicides occur per every suicide death.

If you would like to know more here is a link to the stats:

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/suicide-in-the-us-statistics-and-prevention/index.shtml
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist I think you're probably right.... It seems like a lot of attempted suicides are probably desperate cries for help/attention, rather than someone actually wanting to end things completely.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK: You are right. When helping people, I found this out myself. Everyone has a born need for attention. They want affection and love. This is only natural. And when they don't get it, they seek ways to get the attention.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@Everybody Actually, one of the definitions of mental illness is the ability to carry out your own suicide. Which is why psychiatrists will often ask patients, do you want to kill yourself, as a diagnostic tool. If the answer is yes, the next question is always, How would you do it. If you're as far as having a mental picture and have picked out your method of choice, you are automatically classified as mentally ill and put in hospital. I think in NY they're required by law to keep you in hospital a minimum of 10 days if you answer yes.

@BroadwayBK So I think only the attempted suicides are pleas for help, the people who succeed really truly wanted to go through with it. Strange to think about it, but most of us have a self-protective mechanism that keeps us from stepping over a certain line.
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish I wonder if selfishness and crazyness are related...?
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Interesting, @uraniumfish - I never knew that. How strange and unsettling...
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@DBlack They seem to go hand-in-hand, don't they?

@Uraniumfish That's a really good point.

Does it seem strange to anyone else just how many people are classified as clinically depressed? I mean, we all get a little sad sometimes, but is there really a major need for antidepressant commerciasl to constantly be on national television? Sheesh.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
Neversleeps: I completely agree. I know way too many people on anti-depressants. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they don't need it. I just feel as though the drugs are getting used as a first resort instead of a last. And, it's really hard to get off those once you're on.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: Not really. There is no need for antidepressants. Doctors are such pill pushers. Even psychiatrist emphasize to take this or that for your illness. I happen to live down the street from a mental hospital and find it unsettling the many people that are allowed to roam the streets.

I was just wondering, Uraniumfish. Your comments show you know something about mental illness. Were you a psychiatrist at one time, or maybe a social worker, or counselor? I was just curious because I work as a counselor part time (mainly when called), and I have spoken to and seen the strangest stuff with people. You would be surprised how many people, who are on drugs and they don't need to be. It is pitiful to say the least.

Here is a true story that happened about couple years ago, or roughly that time. I was called to a scene (Brooklyn Bridge) where a person was going to jump off the bridge to the cold depths of the water below. I played reverse psychology on the guy and tried to force him to jump. He yelled and pushed me away and told me no one was going to force him to do anything, and he climbed down and began to walk away when the cops grabbed him, placed him in a squad car and took off. I just shook my head. I was escorted by the cops to their nearest police station in Manhattan.

What an experience that was. I'll never forget it.
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps Yeah, they do seem to go hand in hand.

@JenMac and NeverSleeps My foreign friends have pointed out how this seems to be very American, the idea of being depressed to the point where you need to be medicated. My French friend was talking about how a lot of people in NY went on medication after September 11. As he said, "Well, duh, of course you'd feel depressed after living through an experience like that! It's only normal!" His point was in Europe they don't necessarily rush to medicate you just because you feel bad. It's a natural part of life to feel bad and it's considered normal. In his opinion, Americans are totally intolerant of any kind of difficult emotions.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@ hhusted I've been none of the above, but had a couple of friends who were clincal researchers, and we've talked about how mental illness is diagnosed. Plus a close friend had an aunt who was schizophrenic, so the topic in general seemed to be floating around in our conversations, since she was concerned for her aunt.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@DBlack I would agree with those sentiments. Really, how prevalent can clinical depression be? Surely things aren't that bad in the world's richest nation that we all need to go out and seek medical attention. It's like Americans expect life to be like one of those cheesy Hollywood movies they are always watching.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@JenMac Yeah, that's my point - medicine should be reserved as a last resort, while I think many people would greatly benefit from a better diet and some freakin' exercise.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
ALL of the commercials for medication annoy me. Lipitor? Boniva? Even that yogurt with something "regularis," it all sounds so ridiculous. Loved this, though: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/25/saturday-night-live-takes-on-drug-ads/
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps Hah, totally agree with the better diet and friggin' exercise thing. I have a friend who's a doctor, a general practitioner, and she said half her job involves telling people basic things like, "It's a good idea to go outside your apartment once a day," or, "You should try to include at least one or two vegetables into your diet." No wonder people are sick, mentally and physically.

@BroadwayBK That ad was hysterical.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@DBlack Really? People don't even leave once a day? Or eat any vegetables? Ahhh, no wonder those pharm companies are making a killing. And how depressing to do all those years of med school to end up just giving common sense advice all day. At least she gets to charge for it...
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@DBlack Glad you enjoyed.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
In reality folks, it is both the fault of the doctors and us. The doctor loves to shove drugs down our throats because they get a kickback for each drug they push. But it is also our faults as human beings for eating incorrectly. You know the drill. Eat from each of the four food groups, exercise regularly, don't smoke, avoid or consume less caffeine, and don't drink alcohol, or do it in moderation. But do we do it? No. I have a direct connection with a certified nutritionist and doctor who specializes in natural nutrition methods, and he told me that if we only ate the correct way, we would put doctors and pharmacies out of business. He told me it is a conspiracy with the medical profession and the pharmaceutical companies. Frankly, after doing extensive studies, I believe he is right.

I am beginning to write a book on how to live right. Hopefully, I'll have it done before this year is over. In the book, I, along with my certified nutritionist, will present straight-up facts that everyone should know about nutrition. Once you read my book, you will never look at food the same way again.
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps Well I don't think she sees it as especially depressing because she's the type who genuinely wants to help people. You know how those type are, always doing thankless work and not expecting much in return...She makes a decent living, but if she'd wanted to make the big bucks she would have become a surgeon.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
Well, I'm glad it works out then. I personally might go crazy if I had to tell people it's a good idea to go outside at least once a day, every day, over and over again.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
Instead of telling people the same thing over again, just record it and when the patient comes in, have them listen to a recording, get the fee and the patient leaves. :) Just a little bit of dry humor.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@everyone this just came in .. seems a girl was killed by the No.6 train at 77th Street and Lexington Avenue in my neighborhood.. not clear whether she was pushed or was playing ... OMG!!
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/girl-fatally-struck-by-train-at-77th-street/?src=twt&twt=nytimes
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: You beat me to it. :) Yeah, my girlfriend was a couple of minutes from getting on the train. If she had, she would have seen it. Do you imagine what that would have done to her emotionally?

Besides that, I am sorry it happened. It is sad to hear anyone doing such a thing.

By the way, there is an update. The police have confirmed it was a 40 year old woman. How tragic.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Ugh...the phrase "crushed to death" really disturbs me. What a horrible end.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK: And when I close my eyes and visualize it, I get nauseous. Imagine if we were there to see it.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@hhusted and BroadwayBK 77th and Lexington is my go to subway station I imagine I would have been totally traumatized if I had witnessed that accident.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@everyone apparently the lady who was killed was a lawyer who lived in Stuyvesant Town and she jumped on the tracks to retrieve her gym bag!!!!!
http://www.dnainfo.com/20100312/midtown-east-kips-bay/woman-killed-by-6-train-was-lawyer-who-lived-stuyvesant-town
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@uptowngirl What! How can anyone be so stupid?
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish I don't believe in talking ill of the deceased..but she was crazy to jump on train tracks for a stupid gym bag!
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
@uptowngirl Seriously, how can a bag be worth your life? Don't people know any better?
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
I wonder if there was more in the gym bag then what people have been telling. After all, not to take light of the situation, but why would she be so desperate to go after a gym bag. I mean, usually the only thing in a gym bag are trunks, top, smelly towel, and maybe stuff like soap or perfume. That isn't enough to get killed over.

And since she is a former attorney, maybe she had something secret in that bag she did not want anyone to know about. Oh well, I guess it is my imagination running wild on me.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@hhusted believe me I had the same chain of thought... we will never know now..
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
It seems suicidal to even THINK about going down into those tracks, gym bag or no. I know if my bag fell down there, I would just consider it lost forever and move on. No way on this earth I'd get down there and try to retrieve it. What could she have been thinking?
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
I guess she never paid attention to those signs that are everywhere, telling people to get an attendant if they drop something in the tracks.

I had a friend who stupidly and drunkenly fell off the platform and onto the tracks. He landed right on his own backpack, breaking a bottle of red wine that was inside of it. He got out okay, but his carelessness was really infuriating.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
And isn't the third rail electrified? That's reason enough to not ever go down there, especially because I have no idea which one is the electrified one.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: The third rail is electrified only if you touch the inside. According to an MTA rep, there is 500 volts running through that rail. The outside is okay. It is insulated. If the outside were electrified the track would short from the rain and snow.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Everybody the New York post in its Saturday edition listed the contents of her gym bag which contained keys, deodorant, sneakers and a cell phone. Its crazy to think that she lost her life over these easily replaced items. Btw what do you have to do when you happen to drop something accidentally on the tracks? do you call the attendant or contact the MTA by phone? Do they have ways and means to retrieve your belongings if need be?
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@hhusted I assumed as much - but why do they always warn you about the electrified third rail if it can't harm you?

@uptowngirl That is really disturbing. And doesn't it seem like a gym bag would stay beneath the tracks if the train were to go over it? There is a lot of space between them and the ground, it seems like. Unless of course it was balanced right on the track? Yeah...maybe I should stop thinking about this. There is no way that I would go down there for anything. I think you would have to get an attendant, as you can't really make a call in the subway it seems like the fastest way to get some assistance.

MTA suggests telling the agent at the booth: http://www.mta.info/nyct/safety/
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
I didn't think there was anything in the gym bag worth saving - I might be really pained if my cell phone fell into the tracks, but I wouldn't think twice about not going down there to get it!
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps I have to stop thinking about it as well, I was just wondering the other day if I would have done something to save her if I had witnessed the event. After all I could have been there as it my go-to-subway station. If she froze and flattened herself against the platform couldn't people have hauled her up? also at that station you can actually see the train coming in at a fair distance I wish she had checked before jumping on the tracks.. I am becoming too morbid now..
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: The reason they warn you about the third rail is to keep you off the tracks altogether. They figure if they told you that you could get electrocuted, you might be hesitant about going on the tracks.

@Uptowngirl: When you are scared, your mind goes into shutdown mode and you don't think at all. You just observe. I know, because I studied the human mind for years. There are cases where people do react and do something. That is because these people are not scared. They don't allow fear to bother them. They see someone in need of help and take action.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
People's reactions to things are really bizarre. It would never cross my mind to jump down after my bag even if I knew the next train was 20 minutes away. It's not worth it. And, I seriously can't believe that no one tried to pull her up. I know that different people react differently in a panic situation - -but every single person on that platform shut down? That's so incredible to me . . .
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@JenMac: We wasn't there. We don't know what happened. Maybe people saw what she did and assumed she would make it back. Maybe one person did go toward her, but saw the train approach and backed off. We don't know. It is a shame no matter what. I agree with you that someone should have been brave enough to help her.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@JenMac my thoughts exactly it does seem strange that she wasnt helped to safety.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Maybe someone did try to get to her, do we know that they didn't?
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK: That is what I stated in my comment. We don't know what happened. Perhaps someone could have tried but got scared when the train approached.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK, hhusted and JenMac I was at the 77th Street and Lexington station today for the first time after the incident and noticed that the platform is quite high above the tracks. Don't know if all platforms are the same at all stations in NYC but if that poor lady was to have been helped it would have been quite a task.Maybe some people did try as Broadway BK says we will never know now. Today I just stood far behind the yellow line and didnt crane my neck out for the no.6 train as I usually do.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uptowngirl: I remember reading the article and according to witnesses, the only part of her head that was visible was the very top and the fingers. That was it. Oh, my, I can't even imagine what got squashed. Was it her head or the entire body.

I hate to ask, but did you see any blood around the spot where she was killed, or maybe torn flesh, or anything like that. Sorry for being so graphic.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Apparently the train came unexpectedly, so any passenger jumping in to help her would have been suicidal. THey tried to help her lift herself up to safety after she didn't listen to their first exhortations to lie down, face flat, so that the subway would pass over her, but not in time...
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@hhusted No I didnt see anything but I am sure the MTA ground staff cleaned it up asap.

@ajadedidealist If you say the train came unexpectedly , then here's another reason to support the installation of those electronic indicators which stations in London and other cities are equipped with which tell you exactly when the train is going to arrive.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
Oh my god, it's just so terrible. All I keep thinking is . . ."over a gym bag?!!!!"
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@uptowngirl That is a really good point - our train system is crap, really.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@NeverSleeps: Yes, our MTA is crap compared to other trains. Even the BART train is better. When I was in San Fran last June, I rode the BART and you knew when it was coming. Plus, the train was so clean.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Hmmm... I've only briefly been to San Francisco, but it didn't really seem like BART was as extensive as the trains we have here, though their system was much cleaner.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK: When did you go to San Fran? I went there late last year, and the BART had expanded a great deal.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
@Neversleeps - at least it's better than the London Tube. Major lines are always closed for repairs/maintenance/etc - it's so hard to get around!
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Ajadedidealist; I do not know anything about London, but from what you described, it seems that the subway lines are running inconsistently. Is that a fair assumption?
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist I think the London Underground is especially bad on the weekends when they are forever doing engineering works on the lines though last time I was there I was stuck at Bond Street Station on a week day because they suddenly shut down the entire Jubilee Line because a commuter fell ill! I panicked for a minute but then was guided by the staff to use the Northern Line which also serves my destination of London Bridge station. All in all I learned a new route to get home as I almost always use only the Jubilee line.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@hhusted I know that BART has expanded outside of the city, but I am talking about within San Fran - it's often better to just take the bus there.

@ajadedidealist Agreed; another thing that is better about the subway vs.some European trains is that it runs 24 hours a day - even if it can be a long wait during early morning hours.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK; Oh, I see. Yes, the BART does stop at two places in San Fran. After that you have to take the bus everywhere. I talked to someone at the BART and was told they are planning for expansion in the city itself, but that wouldn't get done until by 2015. They said the plans were approved, it is just getting the funding from the state to help pay for some of the work.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
Uptowngirl: I remember going on the subway to my home, when I lived in the Bronx. I had to get to 180th St stop. Well I got as far as the Grand Concourse and was told the train would go no further. No one would tell me how to get to 180th St. Finally, a MTA employee told me I had two choices. I could take a shuttle to 180th St, or I could catch a cab. I couldn't find the shuttle so I ended up taking a Livery cab. I shared one with a nice lady. Each of us paid $10 for the ride.

That was a nightmare experience. I'm glad I don't have to go through that anymore.
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Do other cities with underground systems have the same kinds of problems with people jumping in front of trains, or is this only a NYC phenomenon?
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Is jumping in front of trains a huge problem? I mean, how many people actually become train fatalities in a year?
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK Here's the statistic directly from the article:

"In each of the last three years, there were between 89 and 98 people hit on the tracks."

Not exactly an epidemic, but still a lot of people. I don't know how other cities fare with this, though.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Ah, that's what I get for glossing over things...
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@DBlack I think this phenomenon is quite common in other cities as well. In Mumbai where I used to live people have a bad habit of crossing the rail tracks of overground trains as they dont like to walk up the overhead platforms. Many of these foolhardy souls are killed unfortunately but even then they dont head warnings and continue to cross this way.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Everyone more deaths on the subway - an 18 year old was struck and killed by the no.1 train on 116 street and another body that of a woman was found on the N line in Bensonhurst on Sunday. That body was clad only in panties apparently when a train passes over you your clothes are blown off due to the force hence only the panties and police presume the women fell while she was walking between compartments. The MTA statistics indicate that the city has already experienced 36 subway deaths this year far more than the total of 90 in 2009. A sobering thought for sure!
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Oh, that's just awful! The one-legged woman, right? What's happening to this city? Or are we just more aware now that we blog/post about it - maybe this stuff has always been going on...
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
I hope it's just that we talk about it more.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Uraniumfish: As for jumping in front of trains, I have no idea if this is a local problem or nationwide. Perhaps a bit of research is in order.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist yes that's case the papers mentioned ..truly awful...though today a guy jumped off the Empire State Building . Thought that the observation deck was covered for this very reason. Maybe he jumped from one of the offices that are located in the building? Anyway I think people are quite down and out in the city right now.. jobs still are hard to come by and if you dont have an income in NYC it can seem like hell..
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
That's so selfish, @uptowngirl (the suicide - not you, of course). Not only is he harming his loved ones - family and friends, but he is also imperiling the LOADS of tourists likely milling around outside the building; he could have "landed on" one of them and caused some serious damage or even killed someone!
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Everybody: It seems this city is full of crazy (no pun intended) people.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
Even if he didn't hurt anyone; can you imagine just standing on the street and seeing that?! So incredibly selfish.
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NeverSleeps
NeverSleeps 2yrs+
@uptowngirl OFF THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING! Man, I really need to pay more attention to the news. It is seriously scary to think about the consequences of being under some fool when he decides to jump...

@everyone Ever been up to the top of the Empire? Seems like it would be hard to get over all of that railing on the observatory deck. Unless he went out another way? A window?
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@Everyone He has been identified as a Yale Student- Cameron Dabaghi and he jumped from the observation deck itself.. can you imagine how horrified all those tourists must be who witnessed the incident?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/31/empire-state-building-suicide-jump_n_519490.html
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Yale's having quite a tragic year. My former classmate, who was there, passed away this year as well.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@ajadedidealist I am sorry to hear that.. what's it with these Ivy League schools though? for there have been a spate of suicides as Cornell as well this year.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@uptowngirl; I just read the article at the Huffington Post. I feel sorry for the guy. He must have been in very severe emotional pain to commit suicide. Considering he was attending a very prestigious university, I would think someone would have paid attention to his attitude and demeanor.
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JenMac
JenMac 2yrs+
Isn't it the pressure cooker of an Ivy League? These kids are under so much pressure. I mean, nowadays they have to plan their college when they're like six years old. And, then they get there and it's so competitive, and there aren't even any jobs waiting when they're done.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
As someone who went to a pre-Ivy boarding prep school, I can say that the pressure-cooker environment is INTENSE. We had 20-30 kids a year (out of 1000) going on "medical leave" for stress, depression - and those are just the ones who were the worst-case scenarios. Plenty of people had drug addictions, eating disorders, etc. - and even more developed serious issues in college (a RIDICULOUS proportion of people from my school take time off, transfer (not always a sign of issues - although it speaks to the pressure to get to a BETTER university), or drop out. I think my alma mater was a great, great, school, but the pressure-cooker environment does cause serious issues
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Uraniumfish
Uraniumfish 2yrs+
Then there was that story about the Harvard girl who went nuts and bludgeoned her roommate to death. And was it at Harvard or at Yale that that guy murdered his graduate student supervisor and stuffed her inside the chemistry wall? Those are only some of the more lurid ones I remember hearing. But during my time at Columbia, not one but two kids killed themselves by jumping. Come to think of it, no, it was three. Sheesh.
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
Now jumping off the Empire State Building you HAVE to be seriously deranged. Just the idea of looking down from that height scares the begeezus out of me. Do you think that guy was going for the glamor of dying that way? Are people that ridiculous and selfish?
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Right... I have a friend who went to Brown and he was relieved to get into the real world of banking. Apparently banking is a world away and much easier than attending Brown.

But I went to a crappy state college in Florida and people were prone to jumping off buildings there, too. Maybe not as often, however.

@DBlack I definitely think he wanted to do it for the sensationalism. That was actually my first thought.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Everybody: According to a friend of mine, Yale has had 30 suicide attempts in the last 5 years. He did not tell me how many of them were successful though.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@Everybody: I almost forgot to mention one thing. In this day and age, parents put so much pressure on their kids to be overachievers. This way their kids to be better than they did. So they pressure them to conform. They force them to attend a college or university they may not like, paying most of the expenses. No wonder kids are depressed. Look what they go through.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
Uh... I think it's a good thing to encourage your kid to go to college. What else are they going to do, flip burgers? Work at AT&T?
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@BroadwayBK LOL, yeah, all my parents ever did was insist I go to college and work hard to make something of myself, and that TOTALLY screwed me up!
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@DBlack and BroadwayBK: In my comment above, I was not suggesting parents should not encourage their kids to go to college, I am saying they should not put so much pressure on their kids to go to a college the parents want. If the kids want to go to college, at least allow them to choose the college they want, not what the parents want.

@DBlack: How is it you are screwed up? Are you alive and breathing? Do you have a job? Are you in a relationship? Do you have a place to live? If your answer to most of these questions is yes, you are not screwed up. You are actually living better than many people in this city and in this country.
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@hhusted I do agree about parental pressure to overachieve especially true in Asian families where if you are not a lawyer/ banker/doctor then you dont amount to much. Asian parents love to boast that their son/ daughter is 'doing very well' i.e. earning truckloads of cash.
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Oren
Oren 2yrs+
I was nearby the 116th st station when that suicide came in. Scary scary stuff.
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BroadwayBK
BroadwayBK 2yrs+
@DBlack Ha, ME TOO!
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@hhusted That was a joke, dude.
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DBlack
DBlack 2yrs+
@uptowngirl Although that kind of pressure can be overbearing in certain families, it's still probably good for the kids to have pressure that's positive. Think about all the slums out there in the world where there's so much pressure in a negative sense not to ever do anything else but stay in the slums.
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ajadedidealist
ajadedidealist 2yrs+
Yeah - I mean, of course I'm under the requisite "pressure from home" - but I'd rather be pushed to go to a good university/get a great career/etc than to be pushed to stay in a ghetto and do drugs with my friends
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uptowngirl
uptowngirl 2yrs+
@DBlack agreed...
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
@DBlack: I agree that positive reinforcement is good for kids. It encourages them to do good and to achieving greater goals.
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hhusted
hhusted 2yrs+
But at the same time you don't want to spoil them rotten and let them get away with anything.
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