BASE jumpers - what's wrong with them?

Because obviously something is.

Here's a friendly warning: I'm having a shitty day today - I'm at work and we're having computer problems from here to eternity, and we completely depend on our computers. So I'm in the mood to rant ... about several things, actually, which annoyed me while I watched the Daily Review yesterday and which, all combined, go pretty far towards proving that it isn't good for my mental health to watch too much news on TV. :-(

Let's just get one thing clear straight away: BASE jumpers are enormously stupid, and their 'hobby' is excellent evidence of the truth of the theory of evolution. These imbecilic genes don't benefit the species, and they are being removed practically before our very eyes. Almost kind of fascinating.

The reason these people were on the news yesterday was that one of them killed himself in Trollveggen the day before yesterday. Getting the body down from there apparently turned out to be tricky ... difficult weather for the choppers, etc ... the rescue took longer than expected, the body fell further down the cliff before it was recovered, and the 'BASE jumping community' apparently complained somehow somewhere. OMFG.

That has got to be pretty much the ultimate effrontery.

I really don't understand why the rescue workers bother. I wouldn't. I really truly think that they should save themselves the trouble. If these people kill themselves jumping off cliffs and mountains, then that's their own lookout. Let them lie there and rot. Their 'buddies' can get them down if it's so important.

As for the ones who don't die, but just crash for whatever reason and end up on the cliffside more or less busted up ... I don't think the rescue workers should help them either. They put themselves in that situation; let them get out of it on their own as well. They're adults and responsible for their own actions - that's their mantra - so why not follow that to its logical conclusion?

Because these rescue workers are volunteers. They're doing what they're doing on their own time, for no pay. They're willing to put their own life and health at risk in order to help others, people they don't know who find themselves in danger. But there ought to be a difference between finding oneself in danger, and putting oneself in danger.

A couple of years ago a young British person - I think it was a woman - did a BASE jump in this country ... I don't remember if it was in Trollveggen or not. Somewhere that was obviously very dangerous. She fucked up and crashed and was left lying injured on the hillside. Because of the weather - fog coming in, rain, etc - the rescue workers took a long time to get to her. They made numerous attempts, but the conditions were extremely difficult. When they finally managed to reach her, she'd died. And some time after this had happened, this chick's mother had the utter cheek to sue the local Red Cross team or whoever it was that had been responsible for the rescue operation. :-o

If I'd been one of the volunteers on that team, I would have quit that day. And sent a letter to that woman. She accepts her daugher's supposed right to be completely irresponsible, and then has the gall to complain that others have not properly carried out their responsibility towards that same daughter? That really is beyond low.

The BASE jumpers voluntarily risk their lives. That's their choice. They can choose not to. The rescue workers should have the same choice - whether or not to voluntarily risk their lives. They should choose not to.

Maybe that'd be a way to get these cretins to grow up and get over themselves. >:-(