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Terrible Tragedy For Balt. Sun Desker

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by Flying Headbutt, Dec 9, 2007.

  1. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    You sort of proved the opposing point to your quieres, BBJ. It doesn't make it any better whether it's an athlete or a Baltimore Sun desker. It's not that questioning what happened here is offensive. It's that we read a newspaper story without all the information and then make statements that are essentially judgements about a person's character. It's sort of like when people said, "Why didn't the students at Virginia Tech charge the gunman? Why did they line up and get killed? If it were me...."

    Well, you really have no idea what happened. Maybe the parents bedroom was on the ground floor. Maybe he tried to go upstairs to save his kids and was lost in the smoke. Maybe he and his wife thought they could get outside and use a hose on the building or pull the kids out with a ladder from the second floor. Everyone thinks they would be heroic and calm and rational in a crisis, but the truth is, they rarely are. I'm quite certain that Steve Young would gladly have died in that fire if his kids could live on. I think that's true of any parent.

    There are times to ask questions and demand answers, certainly, but subtlely questioning the courage of the parents because they survived and their children did not I think crosses a line.
     
  2. BBJones

    BBJones Guest

    Double Down, I certainly didn't question anyone's character. I can't help wondering what happened, that's all. You guys are acting like I said the parents intentionally let their kids die or something. That's simply not the case.

    All your "maybes" are exactly what I'm talking about. When we hear a story like this, it's our nature to wonder what the answers to those maybes are.
     
  3. shockey

    shockey Active Member

    :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(

    extra hugs for my three boys today.
     
  4. Flying Headbutt

    Flying Headbutt Moderator Staff Member

    And you're just enough of an ass to verbalize it instead of just feeling sorry for the family?
     
  5. BBJones

    BBJones Guest

    Ok, Flying Headbutt, next time there's a school shooting, a bridge falls into a river or some other tragedy, let's all just feel sorry for the families and not ask what happened. Great idea.

    Please resume your name-calling now.
     
  6. wickedwritah

    wickedwritah Guest

    I won't go as FH did, but you did press on with the issue after letting it sit out there at first. Might've been easiest, and best, to just back away.

    A friend of mine works at the Sun ... I'm going to check in with him and see if anything is being done to raise cash for the family.
     
  7. BBJones

    BBJones Guest

    Point taken.
     
  8. Baltimoreguy

    Baltimoreguy Member

    I'm sorry to have used the word scummy in referring to people who questioned the parents' conduct in this case -- I don't believe in name-calling. But from what I've heard, the father was literally on fire when he jumped out the second floor window, sustained a broken hip and had smoke inhalation that put him in the ICU, yet still managed to tell the firefighters to look for his kids when they arrived.

    My guess is that he was trying to get to them when he f-ing caught on fire and had to turn back. This story would not be made any better if the parents also had died in the fire.

    Please double check your smoke detectors, particularly now when you're more likely to have candles and/or Christmas lights up and plugged in overnight.
     
  9. henryhenry

    henryhenry Member

    no words.
     
  10. Gold

    Gold Active Member

    BBJones: My father was a fireman, and he always told me there were stories of people who would escape from a fire unharmed, but then would lose their lives because they went back to save a dog or pictures or something like that. Fire can move so quickly you don't have time to think. He always told me that even people who did escape, losing your house by a fire was one of the most traumatic events which could happen to a person.

    It's OK to ask the question, but you should have some compassion and try to understand what can happen in this sort of situation.
     
  11. EStreetJoe

    EStreetJoe Well-Known Member

    http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/mcintyre/blog/

    An opportunity to contribute
    Many of you have asked how you might to contribute to Steve Young and his family during their distress. The Sun has set up a fund through M&T Bank so that employees and friends of the family can make such donations.

    Employees can make checks payable to the Young Family Fund and take to the Cash Office on the fourth floor at the Calvert Street office. Donations from people not employed by The Sun should also be in checks payable to the Young Family Fund and mailed to this address:

    The Baltimore Sun

    C/O Young Family Fund

    501 N. Calvert Street

    Baltimore, MD 21278-0001

    Attn: Cashier's Office

    In addition, the Tribune Co., which has an established employee relief fund, has made a substantial contribution to the family to assist them as they struggle to recover from this terrible misfortune.

    Steve remains a patient at Sinai Hospital.

    And people continue to write about their responses at the first post on this site. It might do you good to go back to look at the comments, which may touch your heart with their affection and concern and deep sadness.
     
  12. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    Here is the obit for the two kids. Picture will break your heart.

    http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bal-md.ob.young12dec12,0,6490597.story
     
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