AFD Engine 1 and Amherst College PD are on the scene of a chimney fire at a house on Hitchcock Street, one of the few on that street not owned by Amherst College. Command was terminated at 11:11 AM.
What is the difference between the young men who were up on that roof and the young men who throw full beer cans at the APD?
It's not really age - those guys are only a couple years older. They really aren't different in any significant social/cultural/economic way -- someone from California (or China) wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them.
So why is the behavior of these two groups so different?
Expectations and rewards.
Larry (et al) -- if I say "Amherst Firefighter", you have a positive image; if I say "UMass Student", you have a negative one. This is textbook prejudice because you have pre-judged these individuals (who may even be the same person), and not always accurate.
But the more important thing is that people, particularly young men, tend to rise (or fall) to the level of social expectations. The expectation that the AFD would be up on that snowy roof is what drives them to do it -- and the expectation that the UM student would be an obnoxious drunk is what drives them to do that.
The guys who were up on that roof are really not that different from the guys winding beer cans at them. This is why I am so critical of the UM Division of Student Affairs.
Define "paid" -- it is more than just cash compensation but the respect of the community. The community also has certain expectations of them, as do their peers, and there is peer pressure to conform to these expectations.
The thing that strikes me is that adjacent to every door on every MBTA subway & commuter rail car is a device that -- if pulled -- would apply all the emergency brakes on the train & release the doors.
Why is it that the very same individuals can act so badly in Amherst, but -- the very next fall -- be well behaved in Boston? These emergency brake cords simply aren't pulled -- I am not aware of a single time it has ever happened.
the difference is the people(in what Ed's talking the young men) on the roof and young men not on the roof is those ON the roof and OFF the roof. it's not a pre-judged happening, it's an actual and REAL happening and real event that Larry is applauding. And they should be applauded because they are doing a job that not everyone is doing or wants to do and they should be praised to the highest. you can't compare apples and oranges. why can't you be happy and applaud the young men doing a good thing.
The AFD is on the roof checking the chimney fire Ed? What the hell are you talking about? No students were on the roof throwing things. It was a simple chimney fire getting checked out by the AFD. Ed you are a total moron.
Fact Check: The firefighter on the roof is named David Clooney. He is my husband and he is 35 years old. He graduated from UMASS in 1999 with a BA in Anthropology. He has never, to my knowledge, thrown a beer can at anyone. Some AFD firefighters work until they are in their 60's. They are not all young.
Oh, I was just fact checking the comments, not your headline. Dave still looks plenty young; I just didn't know why beer cans thrown at AFD made it into the discussion. Thanks for posting the pics. They look great. -Amber
What is the difference between the young men who were up on that roof and the young men who throw full beer cans at the APD?
ReplyDeleteIt's not really age - those guys are only a couple years older. They really aren't different in any significant social/cultural/economic way -- someone from California (or China) wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them.
So why is the behavior of these two groups so different?
Expectations and rewards.
Larry (et al) -- if I say "Amherst Firefighter", you have a positive image; if I say "UMass Student", you have a negative one. This is textbook prejudice because you have pre-judged these individuals (who may even be the same person), and not always accurate.
But the more important thing is that people, particularly young men, tend to rise (or fall) to the level of social expectations. The expectation that the AFD would be up on that snowy roof is what drives them to do it -- and the expectation that the UM student would be an obnoxious drunk is what drives them to do that.
The guys who were up on that roof are really not that different from the guys winding beer cans at them. This is why I am so critical of the UM Division of Student Affairs.
It's their job, for crying out loud. They get PAID to do that kind of thing.
ReplyDeleteAs for the firefighters, that's a different story...
Define "paid" -- it is more than just cash compensation but the respect of the community. The community also has certain expectations of them, as do their peers, and there is peer pressure to conform to these expectations.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that strikes me is that adjacent to every door on every MBTA subway & commuter rail car is a device that -- if pulled -- would apply all the emergency brakes on the train & release the doors.
Why is it that the very same individuals can act so badly in Amherst, but -- the very next fall -- be well behaved in Boston? These emergency brake cords simply aren't pulled -- I am not aware of a single time it has ever happened.
Why?
the difference is the people(in what Ed's talking the young men) on the roof and young men not on the roof is those ON the roof and OFF the roof. it's not a pre-judged happening, it's an actual and REAL happening and real event that Larry is applauding. And they should be applauded because they are doing a job that not everyone is doing or wants to do and they should be praised to the highest. you can't compare apples and oranges. why can't you be happy and applaud the young men doing a good thing.
ReplyDeleteThe AFD is on the roof checking the chimney fire Ed? What the hell are you talking about? No students were on the roof throwing things. It was a simple chimney fire getting checked out by the AFD. Ed you are a total moron.
ReplyDeleteFact Check: The firefighter on the roof is named David Clooney. He is my husband and he is 35 years old. He graduated from UMASS in 1999 with a BA in Anthropology. He has never, to my knowledge, thrown a beer can at anyone. Some AFD firefighters work until they are in their 60's. They are not all young.
ReplyDeleteSorry Amber. (I'm getting in trouble for my headlines these days.)
ReplyDeleteJust as sarcasm requires its own special font, so too does whimsy and/or references to movies and old songs.
Hard to notice who is who in their turnout gear except for gender, so I figured it was safe to mention only "men".
Oh, I was just fact checking the comments, not your headline. Dave still looks plenty young; I just didn't know why beer cans thrown at AFD made it into the discussion. Thanks for posting the pics. They look great.
ReplyDelete-Amber
No problem. Happy to do it.
ReplyDeleteThey only a thousand yards from my house when I heard the call.
were
ReplyDeleteNon-Union jobs are more daring than Union jobs.
ReplyDelete