Some serious questions I have about the drowning incident in Florida...

[Archae]

First, why was the guy in the pond in the first place?
Was he trying to kill himself?

And why is he always described as "developmentally disabled" but no one ever brings up his criminal record?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029355637#post27

Those teenage kids were bastards. They should have at *LEAST* called 9-11, but my guess is they were too baked to even think of that.

Maybe more will be answered later.

[XRubicon]

1. Yes, his criminal record should be brought up. He didn't deserve help.

Good thing they let him drown.

[Archae]

3. I didn't say that. He *DID* deserve at least a 911.

But like I said, maybe those teens were too baked to even think about that.

And again, what was the guy even doing IN the pond?

[XRubicon]

6. I hear you, but no mater how he wound up in the pond or

if he was diminished or a criminal- they should have at least called 911. At least.

[Archae]

7. I agree. 100%.

They were no doubt too baked to even think of that.

[dixiegrrrrl]

21. "what was the guy even doing IN the pond?"

Doing his best to not drown???

[Archae]

22. I've since learned...

The guy was despondent, his girlfriend left him, and it looks like he tried to kill himself, at least at first.

It just bugs the shit out of me the words and actions of the kids.

[dixiegrrrrl]

25. Esp. a group of equally disturbed lil fucks. n/t

[EarthFirst]

2. Maybe his voting record would be appropriate as well! nt

[magicarpet]

4. Did he brush his teeth regularly or did he let it lapse ?

Did he gargle first thing in the morning ?

[Warpy]

5. The teenaged kids likely thought it was all a joke

because that's the way teenagers think, especially the average male in his mid teens. They thought he'd surface and walk out of the pond, ha ha, great joke.

They were under no compulsion to jump in after him, risking their own lives. One would hope that at least one of them might have the decency to call 911, but again, teenagers just don't think like that.

I have no idea why the man went into the lake. I do know no one deserves to die with a bunch of clueless brats laughing at him. I sincerely hope there are parents that will deal with these young jackasses appropriately.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

8. Agree.

They should have called 911.

I'm a decent swimmer but no way could I save someone that far out.

[lunamagica]

17. If that were true, why weren't they shocked when he did die? They just kept on laughing

[Warpy]

23. My guess is that they were afraid to, that the first one who stopped laughing

would be the first one who realized somebody just died. Or they'd just looked at those face tats and dehumanized him, completely.

Just a guess.

What I do know is what teenagers are like. They don't think like adults. Their brains aren't fully rewired until they're in their 20s.

[lunamagica]

26. I know many teenagers -I was one myself- and I know most are capable of feeling

Last edited Sat Jul 22, 2017, 02:48 AM - Edit history (1)

empathy and compassion. Countless teenagers have done heroic acts. To try to justify this monstrosity by saying their brains aren't fully developed is incomprehensible to me. 14 and 15 year olds -and kids younger than that- are capable to distinguish right from wrong.

My guess is that these guys are sociopaths. And the worst sociopaths were once teenagers too.

[Warpy]

27. One at a time, maybe. In a pack, no

Guess you forgot that part.

And statistical outliers don't disprove a statistic.

[lunamagica]

31. The pack mentality isn't exclusive to teenagers. Adults do it too.

And in any case, the outliers here are those sociopaths. They don't represent the general teeenage population AT ALL.

[KT2000]

9. my policeman nephew

says that it is becoming common for people to film crimes, such as people getting beaten up & accidents, rather than calling 911. Another nephew and his friends stopped a man who was beating a woman in a parking lot. He said there were people filming the incident on their phones rather than calling for help. The woman was severely beaten.

America is changing.

[dsc]

28. I think both should be done if a person can't intervene

I can understand if a person who is 5 foot 5 and weighs 130 doesn't want to intervene in a beatdown being given out by a person who is 6 foot 230 pounds of pure muscle. But that person should call and record. The call for help and the record for evidence for the criminal case.

[Judi Lynn]

10. How exemplary of you to be concerned with why his criminal record wasn't mentioned

in the newspaper reports of the filthy disrespect the kids paid to a fellow human being as he cried for help in the midst of drowning.

How white does a man have to be, and how many times does he have to go to your church a week before he is worth living the life he was given?

Where would you draw the line on who is to be rescued? Would you rescue any previous prisoners, or only white collar ex-convicts?
Since Nixon didn't have any tattoos you could see, would you throw him a rope? His vice-president, Spiro Agnew? Bernie Madoff?

Truly decent of you to be concerned enough to share your suspicions about those of us who knew he had been in prison but didn't try to spread it around to try to degrade him after his terrified death?

[MLAA]

11. This thread sucks

A man is drowning, his criminal record has nothing to do with it. Was there something I missed in the reporting that suggested the kids were high?

[Dorian Gray]

12. Jesus.....

[USALiberal]

13. How in the HELL does his criminal record make any difference in this story???? n/t

[Skittles]

20. I did not make that connection either

no indeed

[WhiskeyGrinder]

14. We can certainly rely on you to ask those tough questions.

[Archae]

15. I did get most of the answers I was looking for.

The guy was in the pond because it appears he was trying to kill himself.
(Had a bad breakup with a girlfriend.)

According to a couple reports I did read, the kids were smoking weed, and were probably too baked to remember the guy, later.

The fact that bothers me the most about this whole story is how one or more of the kids put the video on social media.

[lunamagica]

18. If they were too baked to remember the guy, how did they manage to put the video on

social media?

[Archae]

19. That's what puuzzles me too...

Unless they simply didn't give a shit.

Which makes it even worse.

[lunamagica]

16. Why does it matter?

[Ken Burch]

24. Why does it matter if he had a criminal record?

Would these kids have known if he had one?

[radical noodle]

29. There is a pack mentality

According to a friend who teaches psychology at the college level, people (and especially young people) will behave differently in a pack than alone. Being in a group makes it okay to do things they'd never consider on their own. That's not a defense, just a possible explanation.

[no_hypocrisy]

32. + 1

Group psychology a/k/a social psychology, the way that a mob will behave versus an individual.

[jberryhill]

30. The best way to address inappropriate adolescent behavior is prison

Bottom line here is that these kids should all be locked up for a few years on the harshest terms possible, regardless of whether there is a law that fits what is disturbing about their behavior.

Police and prisons are the best way to address most social or psychological issues.

This is DU - the motto is "lock em up".

[cwydro]

33. I don't think there's any hope for those kids.

Sociopaths.

[magicarpet]

34. The Lions and gladiator effect..

Place the gladiator in the middle of the ring with only a loin cloth and a dagger to defend himself.

Unleash six hungry Lions into the ring.

The crowd goes mad with excitement cheering and screaming for the Lions to rip and tear more human flesh. The pain and the agony and the diminishing ability of the gladiator to fight off and finally succumbing to the ravenous Lions is a thrilling and delightful spectacle for the audience to behold.

Bread and circuses - then, courtesy of Caesar. Tweets and legislation that decimates the poor ushering them to an early death - now, courtesy of tr-dump and his minions.

Civility, compassion, empathy and common sense are no longer in fashion. Most sit by without the slightest concern for what is fair, what is proper, what is just, and gleefully watch humanity regress. Often contributing to the demise of society in subtle but consistent ways. While intentionally unraveling the very fabric that weaves and holds us together and in place as a functioning society.

Look in the mirror and reflect ~ a state of sub-human-ity is our destination unless we rapidly chart an alternate and more sensible and sustainable course.

We allowed greed and gluttony to derail us. And share, and teach, and propagate those deplorable attributes to the entire world - hoping and encouraging them to become just like us.

The word DOOM is written across our not so distant horizons~ most can't see this reality just yet. By the time they do and then finally take action ~ the point of no return might well be beyond us.

[Boomerproud]

37. Your post is the best of the thread.

I agree with everything you wrote and I can't think of any arguments against your last statement.

[magicarpet]

38. Thank You.... I guess ?

As we all weep for America and what it has become.

[bedazzled]

35. This sort of thing is not unprecedented, unfortunately

A similar incident occurred in Milpitas California in 1981. A teenager murdered a girl, then invited ten classmates to view her body. After two days, someone finally called police. They made a movie of it, which is quite disturbing. I suppose that scenario is not quite awful as this...

[KG]

36. I lulz'd

again.

[Alea]

39. My guess

They didn't realize how serious the situation was until it was too late. Then realizing what they had just witnessed without doing anything but video and laugh about it, and they fact that they were smoking weed, made them afraid to call 911. Especially since you can't call 911 anonymously on a cell phone. They might have felt bad about it but just didn't want to deal with the police.

I'm not buying it that they were too baked to remember what they just saw. I don't do drugs but I've seen plenty of pot baked people and never saw anyone "too baked" to remember what they just saw. I have seen people smoking weed that would be too paranoid to deal with the police, or call 911 in a case where they will have your name and force you to answer questions regarding your actions.

As far as posting it on social media, heck that what teens do. No matter what, it gets posted on FB.

I'm not excusing them for not calling 911 and/or laughing about the situation, but I can see why they may have chosen to just bug out and not deal with the popo.