Path: utzoo!hoptoad!amdcad!decwrl!labrea!husc6!psuvax1!burdvax!sdcrdcf!ism780c!mikep
From: mikep@ism780c.UUCP (Michael A. Petonic)
Newsgroups: alt.flame
Subject: Willson and Lawsuit (revisited)
Message-ID: <8699@ism780c.UUCP>
Date: 25 Jan 88 23:30:39 GMT
Reply-To: mikep@ism780c.UUCP (Michael A. Petonic)
Organization: Interactive Systems Corp., Santa Monica CA
Lines: 43

Well, I think I may have been a bit harsh on Willson because there
were things about the case that I didn't quite know about and
no one bothered to point out on the net.  However, less than an
hour ago, a more mature member of the company explained something
that made me see the Willson Fiasco in a different light.  I don't
totally empathize with his cause, but I can feel for his situation.

Here's the beef as explained by my coworker...  Stopping movable
objects with your body comes from Ghandi.  He'd started this idea
of passive resistance.  It was assumed that both members of the
opposing ideas would be civilized and if nothing else, would
act in a civilized way.  So, Willson assumed that the train 
operators were civilized enough to stop the train.  This idea
fails miserably if one of the parties is not acting in a
civilized way or if they'd never heard of this idea (such as
myself).  

The clencher for me was that I though that Willson sacrificed his
legs for the cause.  This is not the case.  I am now under the
imression that Willson DID try to get out of the way, but by
the time he realized that the train wasn't going to stop, he
was wrapped up so much in the lotus position, he couldn't get
away in time.  This is a tragedy.  And he's not the only one
who feels the grief, no doubt.  I'm sure the train operators didn't
feel too good about it, also.

However, the point I don't agree with is Willson suing the
operators.  Some can argue that Willson never expected the
train not stopping.  I'd say that he was a little bit on the
slow or idealistic side if he thought that.  True, losing your
legs is a high price, indeed, to pay for being idealistic.  But,
he'd gotten something else for his legs...  A lesson and experience.

Whether I agree with Willson's cause or not is moot.  I can see where 
mistakes were made on BOTH sides of the cause.  But, this no doubt
endless litigation won't solve anything.  I don't think the engineers
were necessarily at fault and they shouldn't be penalized for their
ignorance.  True, they weren't playing by the ``rules'', but that's
only because no one explained the rules to them.

-MikeP
``Some praise the innocence of a child but still scorn the ignorance
of the ignorant.''