Stumble Upon

del.icio.us

Digg

Facebook

Print

Email

1 Comment(s)

First, it was cancer-causing cellphones. Now it's killer headphones.

Bloggers' typing fingers are flying fast and furious across the land after a helicopter crash-landed on a 23-year-old British Columbia man who is alleged not to have heard the chopper over his iPod.

The Internet is ablaze with accusation: portable music devices should be quiet enough for their users to hear ambient noise; people should be aware of their surroundings; electronic devices should be banned.

Several Yahoo News users wondered about the helicopter's engine, arguing that it likely lost power and made no noise as the aircraft fell at speeds of up to 127 kilometres per hour. Others likened the man's unfortunate situation to finding oneself in the middle of a freeway - "try dodging cars at that speed," one user said.

Most agree it was a freak accident and some say the music gizmo he was likely sporting played no part in the tragedy.

I'm going to chalk it up as a freak accident, too.

Now, I don't have an iPod and I'm confused at the sight of people walking or on the bus or at the mall with those pieces of plastic plugging up their ears. I prefer to be aware of my surroundings, especially when walking at night.

But imagine you're walking along - sans headphones - and you hear a strange sound. You're not sure what it is. You look left. You look right. You look left again. You stop, trying to locate the noise. And - that's it. Before you have a chance to react or even realize what's happening, a helicopter is upon you. And even if you DO have time to run, chances are, flying debris will hit you.

You wouldn't stand a chance.

There are other examples of death-by-headphones. Yahoo News reported last year that a student in Ontario was killed while walking along the tracks because he couldn't hear the train over his headphones. Another headphone-sporting Brooklyn man was killed recently when he stepped in front of a bus. A recent ad campaign in Australia followed the death of a young woman who was hit by a tram. The campaign featured a teen on the ground, an MP3 player lying a short distance away, a chalk outline surrounding the body.

These stories are tragic, but each of them also shows a lack of common sense. Someone who steps in front of a bus can't blame her headphones. The same is true for someone who wanders along train tracks with the tunes cranking.

But someone who is hit by a random helicopter spiralling out of control at more than 100 km/hr? Blaming his freakish death on his iPod is just looking for a scapegoat.

Maybe we should stop blaming technology for everything that is wrong or scary, and start taking responsibility for our actions. Remember: look left, look right, then look left again.

And turn down the volume.

Ashley Bursey is a graduate of St. Thomas University in Fredericton.