It Seems Cold

This morning on the radio there was a story about the latest hurricane to strike the Caribbean nation of St. Lucia. At the end, the broadcaster informs us of one American tourist who is reported missing and presumed dead.

Next story.

In fairness, it’s radio. It’s also Canadian radio so why do we care about this faceless American whose family is likely in a panic wondering about their whereabouts of their daughter, mother, sister, niece or aunt.

But the same thing happens in local traffic reports.

Someone is dead due to an accident on Hwy. 401, which means traffic is stopped and won’t improve until long after the rush hour.

How rude of that person to get into a car accident, die and inconvenience the rest of us trying to get to work that day.

I realize it’s the traffic report and that is why people are listening, but it often doesn’t become news either.

And to me, it just seems cold.

Someone is dead. Dozens of other people will no longer be the same and we glazed over the end of their story for headaches about our morning commute.

It just seems cold.

Why Are We Surprised?

There was an awful story on the news yesterday about a 61-year-old woman who was raped and beaten unconscious while visiting her mother’s gravesite at Toronto cemetery.

People are outraged and disgusted.

I agree with the feelings. What I don’t understand is people’s surprise and outrage that it should happen at a cemetery.

Let me clarify.

A cemetery is a place of peace, as one woman said. It’s bad enough losing your loved one, but then to be attacked while reflecting on your loss and remembering that person is disgusting.

But why are people surprised a lowlife, who obviously doesn’t care about people, would attack a woman in a place where no one is around.

People are using normal, sane judgments on a person who is neither normal nor sane.

What is obvious to us is not obvious to a person who could rape and beat someone unconscious.

We are learning today that 10 months ago, a homeless elderly man was beaten to death in the same cemetery.

I don’t remember hearing much about this.

Are people also outraged and angry an old man was beaten in a place of peace?

Apparently not.

I feel sickened by the story of the woman who remains in hospital and I hope her physical and emotional health recovers quickly. I do not wish to make light of her suffering as I can’t imagine what she is going through.

However, I think we need to feel disgusted, saddened and angry by every story that shows people can do completely terrible things to each other.