sorry but i dont think canada needs to institute a new&inproved safety standard for ski helmets because Natasha Richardson died. Also, CTV: your segment on the matter sucked. simply sucked.
— rip N.R.
This article appears in Mar 19-25, 2009.
stop shoving safety down my throat. enough. seriously.
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Typical media frenzy. God knows how many of us grew up surviving without helmets and the bubblewrapping parents do today. How many times has this happened compared to the times it hasn’t happened? Was the helmet an absolute guarantee that NR would have survived? If this poor lady hadn’t been famous, no one would have noticed.
What bothers me even more is that nobody ever does anything until something bad happens. Then everyone goes flailing their arms in the air and acting heroes implementing better laws for the good of the people. It’s a shame that precautions can’t be taken beforehand to actually PREVENT these accidents. However, this was a bizarre incident. I’m afraid to trip on a rock while walking now.
well they did the same with bikes and skateboards…
so pretty soon I figure we’ll all be wearing helmets while driving cars…. then they’ll figure pedestrians could use em too so we’ll all need to wear them every day.
It’ll be like putting on socks, just one more thing every morning.
THEN, for our own safety, we’ll have to have them on in our own house… because that’s where most accidents occur.
nanny state people, slowly but surely.
If we don’t protect ourselves from ourselves, we’re all going to die (sarcasm intended)! Helmets have their place: in activities like driving a motorcycle, even driving a bicycle. I see those as good things. But zZz is right: we’re slowly turning into a nanny state. Not just because of the helmet thing, but stupid stuff like the recent crosswalk laws enacted.
I think helmet laws are a good thing. For any sport or activity involving high speed or heavy physical contact, it should be mandatory to wear a helmet. If helmets aren’t needed for skiing and snowboarding, then they’re not needed for biking and skateboarding. If they’re not needed for biking and skateboarding, then they’re not needed for motor-cycling, which would mean that seatbelts aren’t necessary either. TTFN, your point is a little over the top. Sure, lots of us survived without helmets, but plenty of people survived before seatbelts were necessary too. Does that mean we should make them optional? zZz, you say we’re turning into a nanny state, but I garuntee that you’d be one of the first to cry foul if the government did away with safety regulations at the work place. How would you feel if your employer no longer had to ensure you had a safe working environment? It’s the responsibility of ourselves and the government to make the world around us a healthier and safer place to be. If they weren’t doing their job at all, you guys would be posting bitches about that. And when they are doing their job, well, you get this bitch.
It’s called Darwin’s Law, NW.
Darwin’s Law would only apply is EVERYTHING were allowed to take it’s natural course. But, since that’s been thrown askew by seatbelts, bike helmets, etc, do you really think it still applies to skiing and snowboarding? And not to sound like a totally heartless bastard, but you have mentioned in the past that your significant other is in a wheelchair, with prominant health problems. So you’re really not one to be calling in the idea of Darwin’s Law aka Survival of the Fittest.
yes, I have often wondered what the computers would do if my employer didn’t have them chained down to my desk…..
Would they unite and attempt to take over the world a-la terminator? or just have one big silicon orgy?
“ooo baby, hit the function key again… yeah, like that….
now unseat my RAM…. oooooooo…. now take off my heatsink fan but be careful or my CPU will overheat……”
NW, I’ve had some pretty horrible jobs… and my employers didn’t always ensure safe working environments… and I didn’t cry foul. So there.
And I’m talking bad….. I’ve seen the bones in my hand.
Luckily some stitches did the trick instead of using the Duct Tape like my boss suggested.