Why is it that people are prepossessed to be opposed to any new idea instead of accepting it? Far from any valid data collection, I’ve been observing people in Toronto for the past few weeks and it’s astounding the amount of energy people put into resisting change.
Toronto’s hands-free law came into effect today, preventing drivers from using their hands to answer/place calls, texts, emails, watch videos, use GPS devices, etc. while driving. The discussions surrounding the new law have been plentiful in the past months. My friends and family are included in the group of people who are pretty horrible drivers when they text/talk on the phone while driving, yet insist they can handle any situation that arises. One of my friends from university actually claimed that he didn’t mind the fine and would gladly pay the maximum of $500 if that meant he could answer his phone. WTF? Who the hell do you really think you are? It is this sort of ridiculous of thinking that encourages dangerous and reckless driving that can lead to disastrous events occurring on the road.
It broke my heart to read about the jackass who was driving (impaired) at a speed of 200 km/h by Jane and Finch. (http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/10/20/11458696-sun.html) His stupidity killed three people, with one more fighting for their life. His actions affected many more. He has single handed ripped apart families and destroyed the lives of so many affected. Why? Why do people have this notion of their actions not affecting anyone else? Why do people always think that it will not be them who ever gets into any type altercation. Just yesterday, I was in the car with a family member who remarked “don’t worry, nothing’s going to happen…you’re wearing your seat belt right?” I hate when people jest in such manner about such serious matters. Why do people assume that distancing yourself from such a possibility will make it any less real?
Back to the cell phone ban in Ontario, this article talks about drivers who still refuse to comply, whether it be for selfish reasons or because they didn’t know about the new law (bullshit!). The interesting thing is, shouldn’t a human being cognitively realize that multitasking in such a manner (especially by texting and/or emailing while driving) can take away from the act of driving itself and distract you greatly?
Listening to CBC radio in the morning, I heard about a study found that 20% of drivers thought they were exceptional, 60% thought they were above average, and 20% thought they were average. No one wants to believe their driving skills are below average, yet distracted drivers run amok in our society causing irrevocable damage to the people in it. Why are people so opposed to change when it’s being made to benefit everyone?
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Furqan Muhammad-Haroon's 15-seconds of fame (and idiocy)
I am so frustrated with recent “fake” abductions.
Consider this a warning, this is a long and lengthy post, poorly organized and more a rant than anything else.
Does anyone remember the story about a New Brunswick woman being forced at gunpoint to drive a man 17 hours to Toronto? I read it first here when news broke out that Marcia Simmons was car-napped and told to drive to Steeles and Don Mills from her home in New Brunswick. In case that link is dead, check it out here.
There was initial shock about how something like this could occur in broad daylight. As more facts surfaced, Simmons recanted her story and admitted to it being false. In case that link is dead, check it out here.
After that came to light, I was astonished at why a person would fake their own abduction and case so many people anguish and despair. When another such story broke the headlines in the past week, I did not even stop to think that the abducted, in this case 22 year old Furqan Muhammad-Haroon, would try to fake his own capture. His “kidnapping” was chronicled by Toronto Star from the beginning to end, which you can find here with links to original Toronto Star articles (or just Google him and read for yourself).
Hours after his alleged abduction, a Facebook group was created to help find him; I joined because I truly felt bad for him and his family to be suffering in such a way during Ramadan. Add to that the expenses his family incurred due to flying back to Toronto from their vacation and the grief in his father’s voice when he pleaded for his son’s return, and I was a goner for this cause. At last check (meaning, when I left the group in disgust) the member count was at over 1,000 people. This morning, the group had disappeared, likely deactivated because of his friends being ashamed at Furqan’s behavior. Unfortunately I did not take any screenshots of the things people were saying on this discussion board about everything that has come to be (the wall was deactivated. Surprise surprise); his Facebook profile is still open for people to see though, so I thought I would nab some pictures before that is locked away as well:
Okay, now let’s step back shall we? I don’t want to judge this man before he’s had a say in court (can’t wait to read about that in a couple hours) because we all know media loves to sensationalize everything. However, this is what I’ve been able to gather so far:
1) He was abducted from a road in Scarborough in broad daylight (so he says), on the day he was supposed to fly out to meet his vacationing family.
2) A group was formed on Facebook asking for his return; this group urged people to email a TorStar reporter with stories about his character but to please refrain from mentioning his financial troubles. This is where I started to get a little uneasy about everything.
3) His parents and brother flew back from their vacation to beg for his return.
4) The public is made aware that Furqan was fired from IBM recently because of theft for under $5,000. His court date was set for mid-September.
(Let’s pause. He’s flying out when he has a court date scheduled? Is that even legal?)
5) Apparently not. The police start to suspect that there was no actual abduction.
6) An anonymous call was made and Furqan Muhammad-Haroon was located in St. Catherines, Ontario safe and alone. He was taken into custody and charged with public mischief. A court date was set for 10am today (August 26).
Assuming what the media is saying is true and the man did fake his own abduction, it begs the question Why? Why put your friends and family through this ordeal? I can almost picture him planning this out, thinking it would be alright. Someone must be truly desperate to hide something like a theft charge from their parents to even begin to think this could work. He is going to lose (or has already lost) the respect of many classmate, friends, and colleagues. What’s worse though is how this will affect his family. The Muslim/Pakistani community is a very tight-knit one that is prone to a lot of gossip. People are always looking for a new scandal to talk about; I can’t imagine what his parents are going through right now knowing that (even if there is some modicum of truth in all this) their family’s name and reputation has been tainted for good.
What bugs me even more than that is how this story will negatively impact all Muslims. No one discussed Marcia Simmons’ religion when her story broke, but people continuously referenced religion in this case, which may have been a huge mistake. Furqan was hailed as a “good Muslim boy” with strong values and morals who would never do anything wrong. Nice. Good morals and values eh? When was it Islamic to steal from their workplace?
Finally, what irritates me the most is how events like those surrounding Marcia Simmons and Furqan Muhammad-Haroon can impact future abductions. When people are actually in trouble, the public may believe that this is simply another hoax by someone. The chances of dedicated support and service to those individuals may be compromised (however unwillingly) by the actions of these people. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
Consider this a warning, this is a long and lengthy post, poorly organized and more a rant than anything else.
Does anyone remember the story about a New Brunswick woman being forced at gunpoint to drive a man 17 hours to Toronto? I read it first here when news broke out that Marcia Simmons was car-napped and told to drive to Steeles and Don Mills from her home in New Brunswick. In case that link is dead, check it out here.
There was initial shock about how something like this could occur in broad daylight. As more facts surfaced, Simmons recanted her story and admitted to it being false. In case that link is dead, check it out here.
After that came to light, I was astonished at why a person would fake their own abduction and case so many people anguish and despair. When another such story broke the headlines in the past week, I did not even stop to think that the abducted, in this case 22 year old Furqan Muhammad-Haroon, would try to fake his own capture. His “kidnapping” was chronicled by Toronto Star from the beginning to end, which you can find here with links to original Toronto Star articles (or just Google him and read for yourself).
Hours after his alleged abduction, a Facebook group was created to help find him; I joined because I truly felt bad for him and his family to be suffering in such a way during Ramadan. Add to that the expenses his family incurred due to flying back to Toronto from their vacation and the grief in his father’s voice when he pleaded for his son’s return, and I was a goner for this cause. At last check (meaning, when I left the group in disgust) the member count was at over 1,000 people. This morning, the group had disappeared, likely deactivated because of his friends being ashamed at Furqan’s behavior. Unfortunately I did not take any screenshots of the things people were saying on this discussion board about everything that has come to be (the wall was deactivated. Surprise surprise); his Facebook profile is still open for people to see though, so I thought I would nab some pictures before that is locked away as well:
Okay, now let’s step back shall we? I don’t want to judge this man before he’s had a say in court (can’t wait to read about that in a couple hours) because we all know media loves to sensationalize everything. However, this is what I’ve been able to gather so far:
1) He was abducted from a road in Scarborough in broad daylight (so he says), on the day he was supposed to fly out to meet his vacationing family.
2) A group was formed on Facebook asking for his return; this group urged people to email a TorStar reporter with stories about his character but to please refrain from mentioning his financial troubles. This is where I started to get a little uneasy about everything.
3) His parents and brother flew back from their vacation to beg for his return.
4) The public is made aware that Furqan was fired from IBM recently because of theft for under $5,000. His court date was set for mid-September.
(Let’s pause. He’s flying out when he has a court date scheduled? Is that even legal?)
5) Apparently not. The police start to suspect that there was no actual abduction.
6) An anonymous call was made and Furqan Muhammad-Haroon was located in St. Catherines, Ontario safe and alone. He was taken into custody and charged with public mischief. A court date was set for 10am today (August 26).
Assuming what the media is saying is true and the man did fake his own abduction, it begs the question Why? Why put your friends and family through this ordeal? I can almost picture him planning this out, thinking it would be alright. Someone must be truly desperate to hide something like a theft charge from their parents to even begin to think this could work. He is going to lose (or has already lost) the respect of many classmate, friends, and colleagues. What’s worse though is how this will affect his family. The Muslim/Pakistani community is a very tight-knit one that is prone to a lot of gossip. People are always looking for a new scandal to talk about; I can’t imagine what his parents are going through right now knowing that (even if there is some modicum of truth in all this) their family’s name and reputation has been tainted for good.
What bugs me even more than that is how this story will negatively impact all Muslims. No one discussed Marcia Simmons’ religion when her story broke, but people continuously referenced religion in this case, which may have been a huge mistake. Furqan was hailed as a “good Muslim boy” with strong values and morals who would never do anything wrong. Nice. Good morals and values eh? When was it Islamic to steal from their workplace?
Finally, what irritates me the most is how events like those surrounding Marcia Simmons and Furqan Muhammad-Haroon can impact future abductions. When people are actually in trouble, the public may believe that this is simply another hoax by someone. The chances of dedicated support and service to those individuals may be compromised (however unwillingly) by the actions of these people. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
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