quote:

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A father threw his two children from a 15th floor balcony before jumping to his own death, police have said.

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Posted by xnera (Member # 187) on :
 

 

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Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
 

quote:

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"It's unfortunate that this gentleman was so selfish and in an effort to get back at his wife he took the two most loved people in the world away from her," Mr Hernandez added.

. . .

He left no clue explaining his actions, Mr Hernandez said.

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Anyone else see a conflict between these two statements?
 

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Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
 
In one way, yes, a glaring Mack truck-sized hole. In another...no, after thinking about it for a moment. Hey may have loved no one in the world, except his children and them very little indeed.

But I think the speaker was wrong in any case, because clearly they were at most the second and third most loved people by him in the world. Topped by himself.
 

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
I haven't read the article, so context my make me wrong, but by itself that sentence reads to me as though the estranged wife was the one doing the loving of the children, rather than the homicidal father.
 

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Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
 
The first time I read the quote, I took it to mean the speaker was conveying the message that the father loved those two most in the world. The second time I read it, I thought it literally said that the two sons were the two most loved children in the world. Now I don't know what to think!
 

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
I saw the litertal interpretation too, but figured that there was no way the author was being that hyperbolic.
 

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Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
 
The conflict I see is that the investigator says he left no clue explaining his actions right after he states what (he assumes) the guy's motive was. How does he know the guy did it to "get back at his wife"?
 

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Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
 
hehe. I thought I was totally misunderstanding you:)

You're quite right. If there was no note, motive can only be guessed at. Hell, even if there IS a note it can only, ultimately, be guessed at.
 

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Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
 
I think as human beings it's hard to attribute a plausible motive to a parent who throws their children to their deaths.
 

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
I still haven't read the article--don't plan to, really--but the first thing that the story made me think of was Medea. She didn't throw her kids to their death, but the result was the same.
 

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Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
 
Noemon, that's what I thought of too, even though she doesn't commit suicide after killing them. The article is very short, btw, and it doesn't really say much beyond what's been quoted here.
 

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
::Edited because the subject matter of the thread isn't really appropriate for joking around.::

[ May 28, 2006, 10:14 AM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
 

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Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
 
I know it's a sad situation, but my mind insists on being flippant.
 

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
Mine too, but I belatedly decided that maybe it wasn't a good idea to let out the flippancy here.
 

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Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
 
Gallows humor is actually a well-studied response to stress. Whether it's appropriate or not here at Hatrack is another question, course, but in and of itself I don't find it to be any less adaptive than any other response to stress. It totally depends on the person and the situation.

Wall St. brokers (young people in high stress occupations who generally follow the news on a minute-by-minute basis) are a particularly well-studied group. The latency from shocking news story to the first sick joke making the rounds (via e-mail nowadays) is often measured in portions of a minute.

I believe this was even true as the events of 9/11 unfolded, but I'd have to check that.
 

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
 
Oh, sure. I just wasn't quite sure if it was appropriate here, after I'd made the comment (and really the comment wasn't anything outstandingly irreverent or funny, either one).
 

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Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
 

quote:

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"It's unfortunate that this gentleman was so selfish and in an effort to get back at his wife he took the two most loved people in the world away from her," Mr Hernandez added.

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