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Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 2:02pm
by mw3230
Other than for disgustingly emotive, typical red top headline purposes why is it relevant that the deceased was a soldier and 'Afghan Hero'. It is a death on the road and a cyclist to boot. I am not more angry, sympathetic, outraged, saddened or anything else because of his occupation. Would we have felt the same had the headline read "Burglar killed on A338" Actually, I am angry but at the newspaper!
For the record, I have respect for all of the members of the armed forces serving in Afghanistan.
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 2:15pm
by meic
You forgot to say "on our side".
It is like the celebrity culture, if he wasnt an army Captain in Iraq, it wouldnt make the news.
As he is an army captain it is hard to make out that he was just an incompetent cyclist.
Like the army Major recently killed on the roads to the east, these "celebrity" deaths will change the perceptions that the public and the judiciary hold about such incidents.
The sentence handed out to the killer of the Major was noticably much harsher than is normal for such killings.
I am sure that if you did a statistical analysis of sentences you would see a marked correlation between sentences and both the victims' and the criminals' social standing.
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 2:23pm
by stoobs
Mind you, at least we "normal" cyclists do not attract the odium of canoeists, even if we are hard-done-by from time to time. Check what happened to The Canoeist of Seaton-Carew. Not a fraudster, oh no, but a canoeist!
Thank goodness that we're not at the bottom of the pile.
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 2:25pm
by mw3230
meic wrote:You forgot to say "on our side".
On our side, of course.
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 2:28pm
by mw3230
stoobs wrote:Mind you, at least we "normal" cyclists do not attract the odium of canoeists, even if we are hard-done-by from time to time. Check what happened to The Canoeist of Seaton-Carew. Not a fraudster, oh no, but a canoeist!
Thank goodness that we're not at the bottom of the pile.
I know what you mean. I got into trouble from my wife the other day for telling friends we were going
cottaging in Shropshire for a week in May I don't quite understand why but apparently that is no longer a cool holiday choice!
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 2:54pm
by stoobs
I see this has now made the BBC website.
In addition to the other comments here, I'd like to throw in the Highway Code, rules 212 and 213
I'm a bit against the use of the word "swerve" in descriptions in articles, but the expectation in the HC is clear.
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 3:09pm
by [XAP]Bob
stoobs wrote:I see this has now made the BBC website.
In addition to the other comments here, I'd like to throw in the Highway Code, rules 212 and 213
I'm a bit against the use of the word "swerve" in descriptions in articles, but the expectation in the HC is clear.
Link?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wilt ... 594682.stm
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 3:41pm
by cjchambers
The Mail have now joined in with
"Afghan hero who survived Taliban attacks is killed by a pothole on the A338" LinkI reckon the papers have been just waiting for a 'pothole death' story. FWIW, I don't think they've found it yet. This sort of nonsense makes me so angry with the way things are . . .
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 3:46pm
by meic
You often see them reporting that a driver has been killed by a tree or a wall.
So I suppose it is a logical progression to blame a pothole or the ground.
This story has so many different angles that nobody has even remembered to ask if he had a helmet on.
Although I dont suppose even his work clothes would have been enough.
Slightly off topic but when I was in the Army it was commonly said that more soldiers were killed on the roads in Germany that on the streets of Northern Ireland.
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 3:49pm
by largeallan
I don't know about anybody else but, I'm getting truly bored with this 'hero' word
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 3:58pm
by meic
Maybe I was jumping to conclusions about what happened.
According to the Daily Mail the cyclist crashed into the lorry.
I am still trying to figure out quite how you manage to do that.
The "hero" word is just a nice understandable shorthand for a member of the armed forces on our side which is sometimes a bit hard to remember.
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 4:11pm
by squeaker
meic wrote:According to the Daily Mail the cyclist crashed into the lorry.
I am still trying to figure out quite how you manage to do that.
Long lorry passing on your right: you swerve right (to avoid pothole) under the rear wheels?
Dunno, but I really don't like all the jumping to conclusions that goes on here (at times).
Sympathies to the Captain's family, tho..
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 5:30pm
by [XAP]Bob
meic wrote:Maybe I was jumping to conclusions about what happened.
According to the Daily Mail the cyclist crashed into the lorry.
I am still trying to figure out quite how you manage to do that.
Easy - the lorry is coming the other way - you swerve to avoid the pothole and forget to correct back in order to stay in your lane - you then run head on into the approaching lorry. Despite the massive energy difference I'd still say the cyclist crashed into the lorry.
Of course that's almost certainly not what happened here.
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 5:47pm
by eileithyia
I also find the hero term is a bit over used. What is "on our side" in terms of a war not on our soils and not a threat to our way of life.
Sorry my pacifist side coming out and I digress.
A soldier signs up to do a job just as anyone does, is he a hero because he does the job he signed up for?
As someone else has said is this death any worse because he is a "heroic" soldier.? Would it not be just as tragic if it were a retired person, a midwife or house husband?
Likewise I think we often jump to too many conclusions about an accident before all facts are known.
Re: Afghan Hero Killed on A338
Posted: 30 Mar 2010, 7:51pm
by kwackers
meic wrote:Maybe I was jumping to conclusions about what happened.
According to the Daily Mail the cyclist crashed into the lorry.
I am still trying to figure out quite how you manage to do that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eBT6OSr1TI