WOW!!!!!!!

Excellent post.

quote:

Originally posted by Gabriel:
Each, in their own way, ia a victim. The cretin who stole the pump is the one and only criminal in this story.

Today's mantra - we are all victims. Someone please take care of us!

You know, the more careless I am, the more it seems folk take advantage of me. I wonder why that is, and who could possibly do anything about it?

Point well taken.

To avoid being victims at school, all students should immediately drop out and stay in bed all day.

To make sure nothing bad ever happens at the school itself, GBW should be torn down and Honeysuckle hill leveled. But make sure you're on the school board so you can make sure no money is spent doing this; I'd hate to think that anyone would become a victim of higher taxes.

To make certain that no reporter ever again “spins” a story to make it a wee bit mor interesting than it really is, all news organizations should be banned immediately. If we could not read about crime victims, there would be no crime. Or victims.

I want to make sure that you are never the victim of an automobile accident. Please sell your car. And do not walk anywhere, you might become the victim of a hit-and-run driver.

And everybody--please go live in a very deep hole in the ground, so you won't become a victim of a meteor that falls out of the sky. I don't know what you can do to prevent yourselves from becoming flood victims when your caves leak after a heavy rain. Make more CO2 so as to speed up a global warming drought, I suppose.

I'm just waiting to hear the insulin pump thief's defense that he (she?) was actually the victim here. “I thought it was an iPod!” (Because, as everyone knows, stealing iPods is not only OK, it's encouraged.) “I didn't mean to steal that BMW — I thought it was a Chevy!” “I didn't mean to rob that bank — I thought it was a 7-11!” Poor baby.

Probably the best example of reductio ad absurdum I've seen in a while.
You seem to have a real knack for it.

Glenbard West, like most high schools, has a long, rich history of theft. This is no secret. In hindsight, and I am sure the victim will agree, it was a silly move to leave the pump lying around. But most teens don't realize that their friends, coworkers, or school staff would steal. Some are taught, some are not. Can't fault her for having a positive view of her fellow castmates/teachers/maintenance workers. That being said, I'd be much happier if the pink device was an MP3 player rather than an insulin pump. That said, stealing is stealing, IMO.

Dinsdale, that is one of Gabriel's strong suits.

So, it sounds like there are not lockable storage areas in the backstage area for the actors. While some things need to be easily accessible, there should also be a way for students to lock up valuables...is there storage for the actors/actresses where items can be locked?

That said, the last show Madeline starred in, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," had costumes that were less elaborate and therefore not rented. It is my understanding that those costumes were all altered slightly so that there was a pouch in each one that could hold her pump. I don't know if it was the fact that the costumes for this show were rented and therefore not "alter-able" or if it was the mere physicality of this role that caused her to decide that having those lines from the pump hanging around might cause a problem. Either way, she typically wears her pump.

Bottom line: People should be able to leave their items DURING A PERFORMANCE in the BACKSTAGE area without having to worry about things being stolen.

1. I do think the school should have put out a phone call or at least an e-mail blast to parents....heck, maybe even on this bulletin board, notifying everyone that the pump went missing. Perhaps it would have turned up if it was publicized more loudly and earlier.

2. The school could provide lock-able lockers in the backstage area (unless these already exist and if that's true, I withdraw this suggestion).

3. The school could have a teacher or another reliable person keep watch over the backstage items during a performance. Obviously, it would be crazy to ahve someone doing this at every rehearsal but at least for the performances it would probably be a good idea.

How's that for summing things up?

quote:

How's that for summing things up?

Pretty good. But I always tell my kids - and feel myself - that it is one thing to say what "ought to be" the case, and quite another one to inquire what you personally can do about something.

When my kid left his bike locked at West overnight and it got stolen, it sucked, maybe the cops and school security should have done more, andthe theif is a jerk. But the bottom line is if he hadn't left it there overnight (and had no compelling reason to) it wouldn't have gotten stolen.

He walked until he saved up enough money to buy a replacement. I guess I'm a bad dad.

“Victim” is a word with meaning. Crimes are real, and they tend to produce very real victims.

Yes, we can protect ourselves from some possible eventualities, but--like it or not--we humans tend to think that things will always happen to “the other guy.” Few of us would ever fasten our seat belts if we were not required to, by law.

Children and teens, especially, believe they are invincible and immortal. In any case, putting locks on doors only motivates the bad guys to break windows. As noted above, padlocks on lockers lead to thieves with bolt cutters.

My gripe with people claiming to be “victims” is when the criminals claim that they did what they did because they are “victims of society” or they were “victims of an unhappy childhood” or whatever. There are actual victims--and there are those who misuse the word by claiming to be “victims” when they are criminals who know better, and nothing more.

quote:

Originally posted by Gabriel:

Yes, we can protect ourselves from some possible eventualities, but--like it or not--we humans tend to think that things will always happen to “the other guy.” Few of us would ever fasten our seat belts if we were not required to, by law.

Gabe, please don't try to make me think so poorly of my fellow man. Am I so unique in thinking and acting as tho can depend on no one can take better care of me and mine than myself? Or that a considerable amount of crap is going to come my way no matter what precautions I take?

I refuse to accept that the majority of my species acts as irresponsibly as you suggest (despite ever-present evidence to the contrary!)

I've heard through the grapevine that the insurance company came through with a brand new replacement pump. All is good again.