Ungrateful rescue victims

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2003-04-28 03:13pm

This has bugged me for a while now:

I am watching a show on discovery about rescuers that risk their life to save others.

One victim interviewed said “I thank GOD that I am alive.”

WTF!

Thank the man from the coast guard that jumped from a chopper put a rope around your waist and rescued you.

Without him you would be dead! Fucknut GOD will not save your life.

It is possible that him thanking the rescuer where edited out but somehow I don’t think so.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2003-04-28 03:48pm

There are the people who don't believe in free will. Thus what that Coastie did was not his doing.

Companion Cube · Post by **Companion Cube** » 2003-04-28 03:56pm

Was this interview very recently after the incident? If so, then the victim may not have been thinking straight.

OTOH, if this was a few weeks later, then the victim is a grossly ungrateful fool.

Faram · Post by **Faram** » 2003-04-28 04:01pm

3rd Impact wrote:Was this interview very recently after the incident? If so, then the victim may not have been thinking straight.

OTOH, if this was a few weeks later, then the victim is a grossly ungrateful fool.

At his home chatting.

Thats why I got pissed.

If it where in the chopper, hospital or a thing like that I can understand it. Stress, chock and stuff messes with your head.

But he was at home chatting with the interviewer and said it. GRRR

I hate fucknuts like him.

salm · Post by **salm** » 2003-04-28 04:12pm

depends on how he used it. thank god is not only a way to thank god but also an ideom. i use the german equivalent occasionally even though i don´t really want to thank god.

Queeb Salaron · Post by **Queeb Salaron** » 2003-04-28 04:24pm

>snore<

We've talked about this a million times.

First of all, people DO thank their rescuers in several different ways. I've known cases where only moderately well-to-do families send allowances of thousands of dollars a month to the men who rescued them or close family members.

Second, rescuers don't look for thanks. They do things like that for a living, get a paycheck, etc. The thanks of the masses are implied. People don't think of being a police officer or firefighter as a "cushy" job. It is widely recognized that these people do good work. They are thanked everyday for doing their jobs.

Third, rescue victims have every right to thank God, if they believe in Him. They can believe all they want that God helped the rescuers get there in time, or that the conditions of their rescue, though probably perilous, were not so much so that their fate did not lay in capable hands. Besides that, it is sometimes faith in God that keeps victims calm long enough that they didn't go into shock or arrest and die before they can be rescued. Knock on the religious all you want, but when people resign themselves to their fate in perilous situations, it's one less set of limbs flailing around needlessly wreaking havoc on those simply trying to survive.

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2003-04-28 04:38pm

I once heard about a person who sued their rescuer for ripping their shirt while saving them. That's selfish.

Queeb Salaron · Post by **Queeb Salaron** » 2003-04-28 04:40pm

Mark S wrote:I once heard about a person who sued their rescuer for ripping their shirt while saving them. That's selfish.

Very true. That's just ungrateful. But he's DEFINATELY in the minority.

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2003-04-28 07:46pm

If I ever rescue someone, and they say "Thank God for saving me", I will reply "actually, I'm Buddist. Budda sent me, you can thank him for saving you this time."

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2003-04-28 07:50pm

There was a similar article in the newspaper today about East Coast fishermen. One fisherman recounted a story about being caught in a horrible storm. They dropped anchor, the line broke, so they dropped a SECOND anchor (good to have a backup) and it held, but the boat was being tossed about on the waves less than 50 metres from the rocks, and they were afraid they'd be hurled onto them. A larger vessel eventually came and pulled them out, and the fisherman's comment was "the Lord saved us". It's always the same. I wonder why he feels the Lord cared about his life and not the millions of children who die of malnutrition and disease every year.

Shinova · Post by **Shinova** » 2003-04-28 07:52pm

Wicked Pilot wrote:If I ever rescue someone, and they say "Thank God for saving me", I will reply "actually, I'm Buddist. Budda sent me, you can thank him for saving you this time."

Then they'll do one of the following:

1. Say that God made Buddha send you to save him

2. Scream heathen and try to convert you.

Queeb Salaron · Post by **Queeb Salaron** » 2003-04-28 07:53pm

Darth Wong wrote:There was a similar article in the newspaper today about East Coast fishermen. One fisherman recounted a story about being caught in a horrible storm. They dropped anchor, the line broke, so they dropped a SECOND anchor (good to have a backup) and it held, but the boat was being tossed about on the waves less than 50 metres from the rocks, and they were afraid they'd be hurled onto them. A larger vessel eventually came and pulled them out, and the fisherman's comment was "the Lord saved us". It's always the same. I wonder why he feels the Lord cared about his life and not the millions of children who die of malnutrition and disease every year.

It's the supreme Christian cop-out: God works in mysterious ways.

Joe · Post by **Joe** » 2003-04-28 07:59pm

I rather like the line from the otherwise lame Devil's Advocate:

"God is an absentee landlord!"

(Pacino delivers it perfectly, too)

Admiral Valdemar · Post by **Admiral Valdemar** » 2003-04-28 08:05pm

"The Lord saved me! I shall thank him for this everyday of my life!"

"The Lord also fucked you in the first place, mister. If it hadn't been for that 'loving God' father figure of yours blowing the bridge in half just before you crossed it, we wouldn't need to tow your sorry arse out of there so you can praise the guy who did this to you in the first place!"

"But... Hmm, that may make sense..."

*Tow truck wire snaps and releases the idiots car which plummets and smashes into the river with a satisfying thunk and sploosh*

"Hmm, act of God."

Moral of the story: God is just as capable of killing you for omnipotent kicks as well as saving your stupid life.

A Lucifer safety concern parable.

Post by **weemadando** » 2003-04-28 08:47pm

There was a storm that produced such heavy rains that the river had exceeded flood stage threatening one neighborhood where this one crotchety old man lived. He ignored the warnings of the police when they came around advising the residents to evacuate the area, his reply to the authorities being that the Lord would provide for him.

The floodwaters started rising, getting deeper and deeper.

The old man started praying to the Lord asking that God would spare him from the impending flood and shortly after he started praying he was distracted from his prayers by a noise outside of his house, he looked out the door and noticed that the water flooding down his street was now about half a meter deep and the noise that had distracted him was coming from a military truck, the National Guard having been called out to aid in the disaster. The soldiers pleaded with the old man to accompany them to higher ground and safety, but as before with the Police, he rejected their assistance telling them that the Lord would provide.

The floodwaters continued to rise, getting deeper and deeper and now the first floor of the old man's house was completely inundated and he was forced to seek safety on the upper level of his home. Continuing to pray, asking the Lord to save him from the flood, he was again disturbed during his prayers by a noise. It was the local fire department emergency workers in a boat just outside his window who also pleaded with the old man to let them take him to safety but as before he told them to go away that the Lord would provide.

Well the waters continued to rise and he was forced to climb out the window onto the roof of the house and perched there he continued to pray when out of the blue there comes a Coast Guard helicopter whose crew once again tries to reason with the old man and rescue him from the flood, but once again refused citing his faith in the Lord.

So as the waters continued to rise, the old man was swept off of the roof of his house and he perished in the waters.

The next thing he knew he was in heaven before almighty God, and he fell down on his knees and cried out "Oh God, why did you forsake me and let me drown in that flood?"

God replied, "My dear child, I didn't forsake you, I sent the Police to warn you of the danger, I sent the military to evacuate you, I sent a boat load of firemen to take you to safety, and I even sent a helicopter to rescue you off of that roof, what more did you expect?"

Grand Admiral Thrawn · Post by **Grand Admiral Thrawn** » 2003-04-28 08:50pm

How come people often thank God for saving them when others died?

Wicked Pilot · Post by **Wicked Pilot** » 2003-04-28 09:03pm

Grand Admiral Thrawn wrote:How come people often thank God for saving them when others died?

Those who died had to be either homos or Catholic.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2003-04-28 11:22pm

Darth Wong wrote:It's always the same. I wonder why he feels the Lord cared about his life and not the millions of children who die of malnutrition and disease every year.

Oh, the Lord cares about those children's lives. Cares about ending them, that is.

XPViking · Post by **XPViking** » 2003-04-29 12:42am

I honestly fail to see how a person who says "Thank you, Lord" for being rescued is putting himself above those who are suffering or somehow believes that his own life is more important. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the fact that there are people who think like that, but for murphy's sake, it's a way of expressing gratitude.

Perhaps what might be happening is that person who was rescued realized how precious life is and maybe is wondering what their purpose is or something. I suppose having a close call with death will do that.

XPViking

Queeb Salaron · Post by **Queeb Salaron** » 2003-04-29 08:48am

XPViking wrote:I honestly fail to see how a person who says "Thank you, Lord" for being rescued is putting himself above those who are suffering or somehow believes that his own life is more important. I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the fact that there are people who think like that, but for murphy's sake, it's a way of expressing gratitude.

Agreed. In fact, I'd take it a step further and say that the REAL asshole would be the rescuer that said, "Hey, pal, God had nothing to do with it. I saved you, not him."

Hmm. I'm gonna hafta think about that a little more before I say anything else. But feel free to counter-point me on that.

Perhaps what might be happening is that person who was rescued realized how precious life is and maybe is wondering what their purpose is or something. I suppose having a close call with death will do that.

::shrugs:: I suppose that would be the case for some people. For me, it was a reason to stop doing coke, not a reason to call my entire existence into question. But to each his own, I suppose.

Oddly enough, it was AFTER I stopped snorting coke that I left the Catholic church. Hmm.... Funny how that is.

Alyeska · Post by **Alyeska** » 2003-04-29 10:28am

Queeb Salaron wrote:Agreed. In fact, I'd take it a step further and say that the REAL asshole would be the rescuer that said, "Hey, pal, God had nothing to do with it. I saved you, not him."

Fuck no. If some ass hat were to say it was an act of God that saved them and not me, I would let them have it.

Queeb Salaron · Post by **Queeb Salaron** » 2003-04-29 01:48pm

Alyeska wrote:Fuck no. If some ass hat were to say it was an act of God that saved them and not me, I would let them have it.

Well, I agree. But the man being interviewed didn't say, "It was JUST God who saved me," but rather implied that God had an important hand. Yes, I too would be angry if I rescued someone, and he totally ignored the effort I expended in saving him and gave all the credit to God. But I don't think that's the case here.

I will take that into consideration, though.