Disappointed?

Dirtswimming is recovering from a long vacation of work, play, and sleep. That hasn’t kept us from reading the papers, listening to the news, and smelling the roses.
One particular incident that is still fresh in everyone’s minds is the CTA Blue Line glitch that happened last week. As everyone has complained on every blog and comment section that the CTA employees are virtually useless in performing an almost natural duty of their job: Communication. Prospector approached the Clark/Lake stop only to have to ask other riders for information. The employee on duty had no answers, no direction, and no announcements as to why no one was allowed to descend 50 feet below street level. It took a fireman and a few passengers not on their iPods or cell phones to get the real gist that it was closed. There were shuttle buses on Clark (possibly on LaSalle) ferrying riders to wherever they felt they should go. Again, no direction. Either way, Metra stepped up to the plate and made the best of a poor situation. It took until later on that evening to find out the train derailed and 150 people were sent to the hospital with everything from runs in their nylons to smoke inhalation.
However, as this is a free speech, free thinking environment, and is all perception, Prospector can’t help but wonder if people, passengers, and the media weren’t a little let down that the tragedy under Clinton was only the rear wheels of the last car coming off the tracks. Earlier in the day and week, a NY guy in the throws of a bitter divorce, tried to blow himself up and the building that was to be given to his wife (or the money generated from its sale). Larry King was first on the scene. BS that he was staying at a nearby hotel. He had that police scanner to his eardrum and waited for the boom. Turns out that of the 15 people injured, 10 were fireman trying to control the situation, and the lucky SOB that tried to kill himself anyway, succumbed to his injuries a few days later. No one else died. No one claimed responsibility. In short, another day in the Big Apple. Earlier, 150 – 200 people died in India in a series of explosions on trains and in stations. Photos taken by news sources ranged from shredded train cars, to bloodied up passengers searching for victims, to people getting off those trains and simply waiting for new ones.
Now that we live in a world of terror, is everything that happens out of the ordinary going to have people cry terror? Indians went on with their day and lives after their attack. Lawsuits were filed by noon the next day with the Blue Line. According to one news source they “suffered more emotional injuries than physical injuries, and all three thought they were going to die.” What? Because your life and mind is that fragile that a transportation system has to compensate you for that? If the CTA has to do nothing else, it should at least reimburse people for their fare. As of this writing, we are up to eight (8) lawsuits, all women, all citing bruises and soiled underwear for what happened. My question is, what would you people being suing for if it was a terrorist attack? Are New Yorkers going to file emotionally stressed complaints because of “another 9/11” in their minds? Unless you were thrown from that train car, or hit by flying debris, you should sit down and learn a lesson from people who saw real tragedy those days, and moved on.