This week we hear of a tragedy involving police in a high speed chase, that ended with a family of three killed, and the driver of the speeding car also killed.
Yesterday i was incensed (!) listening to Ray Hadley on 2GB as he was referring to the deceased speeding driver as a "criminal" and a "murderer", and that he "couldn't care less" about this person.
I was quite distressed listening to Ray's rant, which was very pro-police (there were lots of people sayig that Police should not be pursuing at high speeds suspected criminals), and he kept referring to the driver who was killed and caused the other three people to die as a low life, and someone whose family should be ashamed of.
Let me first state my position: our police do the hardest job in the world. They dont get much respect these days, they are unappreciated and hated and spat at (or worse) shot at ....this is completely wrong. Our police look after us, and try to keep us safe in an evil world. To them and their families, i say "thank you".
Telling police that they should not have been chasing a speeding driver as it leads to further issues (like innocent people losing their lives), is not the answer. To me, the answer is harder to find. Its easy to play the blame game when you have 20/20 hindsight vision. I reckon they should be chasing drivers who are doing the wrong thing....isn't it the driver who should have obeyed the flashing lights and pulled over?
(disrepecting authority is a whole other issue).
Okay, so the real reason for me to put fingers to the keyboard, is that i was disgusted at how Ray Hadley was speaking about the driver that was being chased. Its true: he did disobey the police, he did drive at very high speeds, and he did lose control and kill himself and three other people. BUT he is still someone's son, brother, cousin, friend...and now he is gone.
Has the world really gone to a place where we can speak with such anger about people and forget that they were a broken person, who made a mistake? A very huge mistake, and one that has affected many many lives forever more. But at the end of the day, he was just a man who made a mistake. I dont think Ray Hadley, that this gives you the right to speak so badly of him.
If this was my family i would be incensed too. I would be angry and venegeful, but i also hope that after the dust settled i wouldnt keep hating. It doesnt help anyone, and just adds to the poison in the world.
Open to comments.......
