Most Shocking

[j d worthington]

Frankly, the most shocking thing I've run into, I simply won't go into. It's that bad a memory, and it took place 15 years ago. But a part of the surrounding events was seeing how utterly amock a legal system gets; sitting in a courtroom and watching complete rubbish being spouted and no one -- and I mean no one! -- questioning any portion of it; and watching several lives be blown sky-high (one of whom was a child) because of it. I think nearly everyone there (except the lawyers and the prosecution witnesses and, gawdelpus! the judge) felt as if they'd fallen down the rabbit hole smack into the Red Queen's court. Seeing that provable facts were dismissed in favor of the flimsiest theories, and that even when a 5-year-old knew things were completely nuts the adults running the system were convinced that ..... Well, let's just say that, save for the various goodies suggested by Kramer and Sprenger in the Malleus Maleficarum, the spirit of Salem ca. 1692 is alive and well. After that The Twilight Zone sort of lost its appeal; it was too damned close to home. And after seeing several years of this drag on, what happened 9/11 wasn't all that much of a jolt, really. I'd seen just how fanatical and insane people can get with an idea, and pretty much figure that, if someone gets that into their head, if they can get the tools, they're capable of anything; literally anything.

Sorry; this is still a sore topic with me; it shattered my father watching it happen, and he never regained his belief in any part of the system; he went to his grave still shaken up over what he'd seen. It's made cynics of the most optimistic people I know; and that 5-year-old (soon to be 20) perhaps the most cynical of the lot.

Speaking of children, I'm glad to hear your daughter recovered. Yes, that is a parent's worst nightmare; I remember when my daughter had a reaction to her DPT shots, how it scared the hell out of us both. So I am very glad indeed that your daughter is doing well. The very best to you and yours.

Please forgive the rant. I didn't realize this was still such a "hot" button.....

 

[SteveR]

Sorry, Yes she did, she was 17 last month. She was lucky, though her development was delayed, and she had to re-learn how to sit/walk/talk, she is as normal (what ever that means ) as any other teenager

The whole time had a profound affect on my thinking about life in general.

Ah fabulous - I am pleased that things turned out ok. And I think it is to your eternal credit that you have taken something very positive from it. I have the same view 'theoretically' about what is important in life but I have to say I do not always practice it - much to my own detriment I suspect. I find myself falling back into 'old thinking' far too easily.

I hope it doesn't need something to happen as dreadful as your daughter's illness to make me finally get my act together.I really need to chill! Although this thread is helping to move me in the right direction

Best regards
Steve

 

[alicebandassassin]

when i was young i witnessed some very ugly things that people will and can do and it made me deside that only you can be resopnable for your own actions and make sure they are always the actions of kindnes not hate no matter what the provication.

 

[violetann]

The stupidly weird weather Birmingham UK has... the uk is NOT meant to have earth quakes and tornadoes.... kind of freaked me out when we had a 2 earthquake and a tornado all in my short existence (all in a time space less than 18 years)

oh and also seen your mom and aunties on hen nights.. Scary, very scary.

 

[Paige Turner]

On a more serious note—after my flippant post above—the hostage-taking and subsequent mass murder of children by Chechnyan "rebels" at the school in Beslan was easily the most shocking thing I've ever witnessed. I was absolutely winded for days as I tried to comprehend the monstrosity of it.

 

[Carolyn Hill]

Like SJAB and others who've posted in this thread, the most shocking thing was health-related: learning that my brother has ALS (amyotrophic laterial schlerosis), a fatal neurodegenerative disease. Now it's no longer a shock; it's an ongoing agony.

On a lighter note, the most literally shocking thing that's happened to me occurred about seventeen years ago, when a lightning bolt struck right outside my window and I thought nuclear war had begun. I dropped to the floor, yelping, "They finally did it!" Then I ran outside to my car and drove around in the rain for a few minutes, wondering why no one else was reacting. (Duh. But that just shows the power of all that "duck and cover" training when I was a schoolkid in the early 1960s.)

 

[j d worthington]

Like SJAB and others who've posted in this thread, the most shocking thing was health-related: learning that my brother has ALS (amyotrophic laterial schlerosis), a fatal neurodegenerative disease. Now it's no longer a shock; it's an ongoing agony.

On a lighter note, the most literally shocking thing that's happened to me occurred about seventeen years ago, when a lightning bolt struck right outside my window and I thought nuclear war had begun. I dropped to the floor, yelping, "They finally did it!" Then I ran outside to my car and drove around in the rain for a few minutes, wondering why no one else was reacting. (Duh. But that just shows the power of all that "duck and cover" training when I was a schoolkid in the early 1960s.)

So I'm not the only one around here who went through that nonsense? I'm afraid I wasn't a very good candidate for good behavior awards; I wouldn't get under the desk. I figured -- and said as much, which exasperated the teachers no end -- I'd just as soon be a shadow on the wall as one on the floor. Somehow, they simply couldn't appreciate the humor.

And, yes, I was also in the last few classes where one got one's knuckles rapped for not writing with the right hand (I'm a southpaw) and also where they actually did put you in the corner with a dunce cap. My, how times have changed!!!

 

[purple_kathryn]

I'm shocked every time I watch tv programmes about natural events like earthquakes and volcanoes.

One really big volcano eruption and that's it for (most) life on earth.

 

[jackokent]

The most shocking thing that's ever happenned to me was having my parent's suddenly verbally attacked in a little village shop owing to the colour of thier skin. At a young age you always think adults are invicible and logical and whilst kids might hurl unreasoned abuse you don't expect it coming from or to adults. Especialy not in a polite little country village. Maybe I was naive.

On a lighter note - I was very shocked when Bambi's mum got shot. I just didn't expect that. The things they put kids through eh.

 

[alicebandassassin]

god yep bambi had me in floods still cant watch it!!

 

[iratebeaver]

this is shocking (to me) and also ironic. i was reading about a man who wanted to kill himself so he drank a bottle of iodine stabbed himself in the stomach ten times and shot himself in the head twice; he gave up and called the hospital and the rushed him to the hospital........ 3 weeks later he was released, good as new.

 

[Milk]

The case of the internet/stalking/gay/ sexual canibalism and murder and vice versa that happened in Germany. The worst and most horrifying part of hearing the story on the radio was that a lot of it was done with the consent of the victim. The idea of a person consenting to something so horrible is terrifying to me. Worse even then if the person was kidnapped and forced which would have also been bad, but not nearly so terrifying. Because not only did this person die but it was his own damn stupid fault, which for me, makes it even more scary and repulsive.


Similiar to the post above's story. I find the idea of a person in the process of commiting suicide and then at the last second having a change of heart not realizing the scope of it, and then 'wait its too late!', then they die unable to reverse the process.. I find that really shocking and scary.

 

[Snowdog]

The BBC's documentary from the 60's about what would happen in the event of a nuclear attack. My understanding is that it was so disturbing, the government banned it for 20 years.

The War Game. I saw this at school back in the 70s and it was very frightening. Threads had better effects but then it was made much later. At the time, it looked completely real.

I have to agree that watching the twin towers collapse had that "I can't quite believe what I'm seeing" feel more than anything else I've seen.