perfect example of the callousness of humanity

[BlaqueKatt]

story here (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081128/ap_on_re_us/wal_mart_death)

NEW YORK – A Wal-Mart worker was killed Friday when "out-of-control" shoppers desperate for bargains broke down the doors at a 5 a.m. sale. Other workers were trampled as they tried to rescue the man, and customers shouted angrily and kept shopping when store officials said they were closing because of the death, police and witnesses said.

someone dies because of their greed, and they don't care-is this what this world is coming to?

[Lace Neil Singer]

All those selfish and greedy customers should have been arrested and charged with obstruction. How incredibly callous! All those who had a hand in that poor worker's death should be held jointly responsible and charged with manslaughter. It just sickens me when I read stories like this. -.-

[vanima]

they should all go to jail

[Amethyst Hunter]

I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it here too: there will certainly be a special place in hell for those people who steamrolled that poor guy.

I hope they can use security footage to nail some of those bastards. Make an example of 'em that tells the rest of the SCs "Knock this shit off NOW. NO MORE of it EVER."

[miffed]

To play devil's advocate, think about how hard it would be to stop moving or avoid an obstacle when a large crowd is pushing at your back. You may see someone down on the ground, but the horde behind you doesn't and they are in a hurry to move forward.

Tragic, yes. I'd say that's one of the worst ways to die, but I don't think anyone in that crowd can be directly blamed.

[vanima]

from what i understand he was trying to open the doors and they shoved through... pretty much breaking the door down to get to the sales...


seriously.. i love a sale.. but i refuse to act like a 2 year old to shop

[Greenday]

Tragic, yes. I'd say that's one of the worst ways to die, but I don't think anyone in that crowd can be directly blamed.

I have no problem with placing the blame on the entire crowd.

[powerboy]

I have no problem with placing the blame on the entire crowd.


Same here.

[Boozy]

Where was Walmart security? Where were the police?

I have been at peaceful political demonstrations with half as many people, and the cops were there for crowd control - in riot gear. Where were they yesterday?

I think it says something about the current political and social climate that riot squads are called in during peaceful anti-war protests, but are absent when a crowd that size is working themselves into a froth because their lives are meaningless without cheap electronics. Because All-Mighty Capitalism must never be hindered under any circumstances, no matter who gets hurt.

What Walmart did yesterday was, in my opinion, criminally negligent homicide. They set up the conditions for riotous crowd behaviour ("We're offering HDTVs at some ridiculously low price, but there are only five of them, and its first come first serve!") and then threw a man in front of the door. I'm certain there will be a civil suit, but what I'd really like to see is criminal charges laid against that store's management.

[Slytovhand]

This story has given me reason to change my signature.

[tropicsgoddess]

That's just downright sickening to read about the pure callousness, selfishness and greed those "people" harbored. The man died and those assholes didn't give a rats ass about anything but to do their own Black Friday shopping. :mad: Motherfuckers. :mad::mad:

[vanima]

That's just downright sickening to read about the pure callousness, selfishness and greed those "people" harbored. The man died and those assholes didn't give a rats ass about anything but to do their own Black Friday shopping. :mad: Motherfuckers. :mad::mad:

its horrid...

I mean.. ffs.. you just trampled a man to death.. and you don't give a shit?


wtf is wrong with people...

[Rapscallion]

wtf is wrong with people...

Radix malorum est cupiditas.

Rapscallion

[AFPheonix]

Yet another reason I like to shop on the internets anymore around the holidays.

[smileyeagle1021]

You know, my mother doesn't understand my anger with Wal*mart over this... she holds the store blameless, after all it was the riot that killed him... and for what it's worth, whether or not the civil laws punish them, there is a special place in hell for every person shopping at that store that morning, but that doesn't change the fact that Wal*mart management set up the situation... personally I'd charge management with inciting a riot... let's not skirt the issue, a door buster sale is just that, a sale to encourage people to bust down the doors, and guess what, people did EXACTLY what management wanted... had this worker not been killed the corporate headquarters would be giving the manager a medal for getting so many people in the store spending money at once.

[Flyndaran]

Inciting a riot? That's some serious hyperbole. Did any company ever excplicitly or even implicitly suggest that their customers should injure or even kill others? I seriously doubt that.
Having a huge sale is not inciting a riot by my definition.
Calling it such is insulting to all those injured in real promoted riots.

[AFPheonix]

Perhaps not, but management and upper management responsible for that store and others like it should be preparing better for situations like this.

Honestly, how hard is it to have decent crowd control systems in place, and perhaps a ticket system for the more in-demand items?

That Wal-Mart is responsible in part by setting that poor guy up for failure by it's lack of due diligence. You can herd people. We are controllable.

[smileyeagle1021]

Inciting a riot? That's some serious hyperbole.

as per dictionary.com a riot is described as "a noisy, violent public disorder caused by a group or crowd of persons" alternatively "violent or wild disorder or confusion."
by dictionary definition what occurred at wal*mart was a riot.
this situation was a result of a backfired marketing ploy, it's a known fact that by advertising limited quantity door busters they will have a mass of people who likely will be disorderly, so to say that they incited it isn't that much of a stretch.

so, over dramatic, most definitely, hyperbole, not as much as you'd think.

[MadMike]

Inciting a riot? That's some serious hyperbole. Did any company ever excplicitly or even implicitly suggest that their customers should injure or even kill others? I seriously doubt that.
Having a huge sale is not inciting a riot by my definition.
Calling it such is insulting to all those injured in real promoted riots.

I have to agree with you for the most part, but I still think some heads should roll just because they put that one guy in front of the crowd, with no protection of any kind.

Normally, I'm the first person to say something like "the store/restaurant/bar/etc didn't force people to do x, which caused y to happen", but in this case, the company was far from blameless.

[Flyndaran]

I have to agree with you for the most part, but I still think some heads should roll just because they put that one guy in front of the crowd, with no protection of any kind.

Normally, I'm the first person to say something like "the store/restaurant/bar/etc didn't force people to do x, which caused y to happen", but in this case, the company was far from blameless.

Oh of course, certainly not morally blameless, and somewhat negligent in their complete lack of planning. It's just does not rise to the level of criminally, or civilally, liable.

Unless the individual patrons have been proven to commit such crimes and shown a complete inability to control their actions, then no company should assume their customers will murder people. They should make some precuations to protect their employees as well as store property. But should haves are musts.

as per dictionary.com a riot is described as "a noisy, violent public disorder caused by a group or crowd of persons" alternatively "violent or wild disorder or confusion."
by dictionary definition what occurred at wal*mart was a riot.
...
so, over dramatic, most definitely, hyperbole, not as much as you'd think.

Remember that legal terms are often clarified, or even at odds with, words as they are commonly used and therfore defined in dictionaries.