The bankers are starting to jump?

[Manedwolf]

The first one just offed himself.  No problem with that. The second was a selfish pr__k for making the poor train conductor kill him. That always bugs me. It's not a "tragedy", it's damned selfish.

Is this likely to be a rising trend?

CHICAGO -- Real-estate executive Steven L. Good was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound Monday in his Jaguar in a forest preserve outside Chicago, said the Kane County Sheriff's Department.

Mr. Good, 52 years old, was chief executive of Sheldon Good & Co., one of the nation's largest real-estate auction firms. His father founded the company in 1965.

In a prepared statement Monday, Sheldon Good President Alan Kravets called it "a testimony to Steve's leadership that Sheldon Good & Co. remains well positioned for the future [and] poised for significant growth."

As chairman of the Realtors Commercial Alliance Committee, Mr. Good said last month in an industry outlook news release that market conditions were "very challenging."

Billionaire Merckle commits suicide

By James Wilson in Frankfurt and Andrew Jack in London

Published: January 6 2009 15:26 | Last updated: January 6 2009 19:10

Adolf Merckle, one of Germany’s wealthiest men, committed suicide after weeks of talks with creditors designed to save his businesses from being consumed by disastrous investments and the global financial crisis.

The billionaire, 74, was said by his family to have been “broken” by the sight of his business empire, which ranged from pharmaceuticals to cement, crumbling. He died on Monday evening, apparently hit by a train a few hundred metres from his home in southern Germany.

[crt360]

The second was a selfish pr__k for making the poor train conductor kill him.

The train conductor killed him?

[Manedwolf]

The train conductor killed him?

If you throw yourself in front of a train, there's no way the train can stop in time, and the poor conductor (or engineer, sorry) has to deal with the emotional impact of not being able to have stopped the train. They COULD, possibly, but it'd likely derail the train, so they don't. They don't slam on the brakes if someone stands on the tracks, because it would endanger all the rest of the passengers. Even emergency braking takes a fairly long distance, and normal braking can take miles. They just have to let it hit them, even if they see them standing there. And then the train has to stop for several hours for an investigation, often.

If it's a windows-front train, they get a nice view and hear the thumps and other unpleasant noises, too.

It is not the person killing themselves, it's putting someone else in a situation where they can't do anything but let the machine they're controlling kill them. It's selfish.

[anygunanywhere]

I read an article about a train engineer recently with 15 years experience that had hit 6 or 7 cars. He stated emphatically that it didn't bother him beyond his not understanding why people were not safer when confronted with a million pound+ train.

I really don't think if someone stepped in front of a train I was driving it would bother me all that much either unless I had to scrub the splatter off of the front.

It is a pity that these folks find this difficult to live through.

Anygunanywhere

[Scout26]

The train conductor killed him?

Okay, technically the engineer.  But forcing another person to participate in your suicide is pretty damn selfish.   If you want to off yourself, fine.  Take the pistol into the the other room or off into the woods and do the honorable thing.   But don't traumatize another human being by stepping in front of a train, bus, car, truck or cop and having them off you.

[grampster]

There is nothing honorable about the act of suicide.  In fact, it is the ultimate act of selfishness.  The emotion of despair is an inward emotion during which the person thinks of nothing but himself.

[Balog]

There is nothing honorable about the act of suicide.  In fact, it is the ultimate act of selfishness.  The emotion of despair is an inward emotion during which the person thinks of nothing but himself.

I'll say with the exception of pedophiles and others who may have mental diseases that cannot be effectively controlled. If you know you won't be able to stop yourself hurting others, and there is no way to treat it then suicide is the only honorable course. Well, I suppose self-imposed banishment would work too.

[HankB]

I heard that the second guy was despondent because he'd lost about 4 billion dollars, leaving him with "only" 9 billion dollars.

I guess he couldn't bear the thought of living under a bridge. 

[agricola]

Dont forget the trauma that the poor police officer / fireman / medical staff has to go through when they have to pick up the bits that are left when someone is hit by a train.  Not only is it spectacularly messy but it can require a long walk with a progressively heavier bag.

edit:  to change "heavy" to "heavier"

[Scout26]

Dont forget the trauma that the poor police officer / fireman / medical staff has to go through when they have to pick up the bits that are left when someone is hit by a train.  Not only is it spectacularly messy but it can require a long walk with a progressively heavy bag.

BTDT

[Bogie]

I have a friend who does the run between St. Louis and Chicago. He says they hit quite a few toward Chicago. He's pretty much down with the concept of "Hey, I coulda stopped. Somewhere in the next mile or so."
 

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

There is nothing honorable about the act of suicide.  In fact, it is the ultimate act of selfishness.  The emotion of despair is an inward emotion during which the person thinks of nothing but himself.


often true  but not always  think of folks who are terminal and wish to spare families expense and pain
the hemlock society offers some points

[RoadKingLarry]

I suppose there are a few instances where it might be acceptable, facing a long, painful and debilitating illness is one possibility but if you got to do it do it in a non-messy way. No guns to the head or jumping off of high buildings and such.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

I suppose there are a few instances where it might be acceptable, facing a long, painful and debilitating illness is one possibility but if you got to do it do it in a non-messy way. No guns to the head or jumping off of high buildings and such.

in a way our current laws don't help much  and there is a dichotomy in having a pro choice movement  unless you are a consenting adult then you get no choice

[RevDisk]

There is nothing honorable about the act of suicide.  In fact, it is the ultimate act of selfishness.  The emotion of despair is an inward emotion during which the person thinks of nothing but himself.

I've met a number of folks whom suicide would be preferable to their lives.  Abusive SOB's, multiple count rapists, kid touchers, war criminals, etc.   The world, along with their own soul, would have been better off if they had off'd themselves prior to their crimes.  Unfortunately, such types rarely do. 

[Waitone]

I wonder how many of the victims were "suicided".  Rumors have it certain Madoff clients will find the money before the federales do seeing how voluntary social organizations are not burdened with concepts like due process.

[MicroBalrog]

There is nothing honorable about the act of suicide.  In fact, it is the ultimate act of selfishness.  The emotion of despair is an inward emotion during which the person thinks of nothing but himself.

There are situation in which I would consider killing myself. I would probably prefer that to life imprisonment, for example.

Eventually, I own my life. Nobody has a greater claim on my life than I do. It's not crazy to kill yourself in some circumstances.

This is, of course, not to be taken as an implication that suicide is a good thing.

[BlueStarLizzard]

i wouldn't say that suicide is completly selfish.

i would say that most suicides commited probably are. but then our culture has a major taboo against it, so usually the folks doing it are breaking a taboo for their own 'benifit'. and as others have pointed out, some of those things truly give them the right to be selfish, like a painful terminal illiness.

however, i would define most (real) martyrs as suicide and most would say that that is not a selfish act. also their are cases were someone does it to honestly benifit their family or the world around them and those are not always selfish.

now as to these blokes the articles are about, selfish, shallow and stupid would be my opinion.

[Jocassee]

In a prepared statement Monday, Sheldon Good President Alan Kravets called it "a testimony to Steve's leadership that Sheldon Good & Co. remains well positioned for the future [and] poised for significant growth."

Liar.