I am continuing to get emails from members of the FDNY over this, accusing me of making the whole thing up. Why would I do that? I was obviously really upset about it, which is why I wrote about it. Why are they so threatened and unable to take criticism? And why not limit comments to the post?
Well, the wonderful James Wolcott, whose writerly support I’m always so immensely thankful for, found the story compelling and quoted from it, so it’s not like they can harass me into taking it down.
People are retarded, I've come to find out. They don't care if it's your opinion, if it's not theirs, then it's wrong, and you're not allowed to have one.
I'm really sorry you have to go through that! It's totally you're version of events, your opinion and how you felt. They were not there, didn't see what happens, etc.
Good for you for leaving it up!
As a criminal defense attorney, whether current or former, you are probably accustomed to being portrayed in a negative light. As a paramedic, so am I. Whether it's people who feel I have no right to work if I don't speak Spanish(their ASSUMPTION based on MY skin color–my accent is awful, but I have a serviceable vocabulary)–my favorite moments to date were: 1)olive-skinned partner of Greek ancestry gets chided for not speaking Spanish by an older couple who assume his surname is Hispanic–it wasn't–and accuse him of neglecting his heritage and 2)Obviously black partner(Haitian ancestry) and I are accosted on the street by the just-arriving daughter who asks not “How is my mom” or dad, I forget which of them was ill, but, rather “How dare THEY send to non-Spanish speaking people to my parent's house?” Married to a woman of Puerto Rican heritage, HIS accent was excellent; people who think they know MY job–“Why don't you just take her to the hospital?” “Because we're going to treat her with the same medications HERE and try to save her life so she can come HOME from the hospital–but don't; and people that assume that RACE/HERITAGE governs everything I do.
I'm sorry if you are being attacked personally; that's not right. Nor is any suggestion that you take down your blog in any way meritorious. You were an eyewitness and typed up an eyewitness account. I'm guessing that you did trials before moving up to appeals, so YOU know all about eyewitness accounts. Have at it. I wonder if that engineer who was featured on 60 Minutes after being convicted of driving 30 miles EACH WAY to rob a dry cleaning establishment during his LUNCH HOUR ever regained his freedom? But I digress.
You were obviously shaken by what you saw. Of your account, some of it seems unavoidable(the crowd control failure is on the train crew or Transit PD, NOT on the EMT's) and some regrettable(“Get away” as opposed to “thanks for your help”–even if they HAVEN'T helped ie: the NAIL FILE, just say it–and “Tell me what happened.”). The vast majority of EMTs and Paramedics are knowledgable and professional, just not always sickly sweet. We're a pretty diverse bunch, but, as in ANY job, frequently repeated patterns bring on difficult to avoid expectations. As to your T.A.C., I'm surprised you didn't go to an Emergency Room. “Worst headache I've ever had” has long been part of the public service stroke awareness campaign. Happily that wasn't what ailed you. Hopefully your account of that won't cause anyone having similar symptoms to merely seek an appointment with THEIR general practioner–such a delay would kill or cripple them if they WERE having a stroke. Good luck with your writing.
I think that your claim that members of the FDNY are trying to harass you into taking your article down is making a mountain out of a molehill, don't you? Harassed by a total of 5 posts by EMT's and paramedics, one of them by me? “And why not limit comments to the post? Simple, because you disabled the comment function, we can't.
And who exactly is “threatened and unbale to take criticism”? People posted countering your story, and after a grand total of 5 posts, you disable comments and claim that we are trying to harass you into deleting it? It seems to me that you posted an article that was the very thing you accuse EMT's and paramedics of being in the title-one sided. Then you were called on it, and you don't like it. In my opinion, once again you are the very thing you say we are i.e. unable to take criticism.
I know some of the people that have posted responses, and they do not want you to take the article down. We just want to have our side of the story heard. But, it seems that you consider attempts at discussion harassment, a term with which you should be familiar due to your legal training. However, you cannot publish an article designed to provoke a rsponse, and then run scared when you get it.
I've found that people who email me directly rather than commenting are often doing so out of cowardice rather than anything else. It's a cheap shot, hiding behind anonymity and doing it in private so that they can't be held accountable for their words in public. I'm sorry that you're getting harassed; there's no reason to be harassed for writing a story about your thoughts and feelings about an incident you witnessed. It wasn't a blanket statement on all of FDNY or all the EMTs in this world – it was one incident and your thoughts about that statement. Are we not to have an opinion if we think someone got disrespected? As people have mentioned, it's so easy to be jaded and cynical. Look at all the jaded dance critics out there – we all suffer from it, no matter what our profession. Yet it's hard not to think that the proper response would have been to listen to your story, and to acknowledge that we could all use a reality check once in a while instead of calling you a liar.
Someone I know fainted in the NY subway once. It's scary to think that she would have been treated as a drunk rather than with respect. I hope that man was all right, and it's something I hope I'll remember always when I start seeing patients again.
At the top of my post I referred to EMAILS. Nowhere have I “disabled comments.” If you're referring to the Huffington Post piece, the editors there moderate comments. I think after a certain amount of time the comments automatically close. It's been over a month since post that was published. If you need to complain indefinitely, get your own blog.
lord, what is WRONG with people?
i think about my job, and if i would care if an anonymous person dared (she said, sarcastically) to critique the on-the-job performance of someone who happened to do what i do for a living.
honestly i can't think of a single reason that would bother me.
you were so fair-minded in your account, and the ridiculous absence of same in the responses you've gotten has made me loathe to respond until now. i rarely find it interesting (or challenging, natch) to spar with the…. impaired.
lord, what is WRONG with people?
i think about my job, and if i would care if an anonymous person dared (she said, sarcastically) to critique the on-the-job performance of someone who happened to do what i do for a living.
honestly i can't think of a single reason that would bother me.
you were so fair-minded in your account, and the ridiculous absence of same in the responses you've gotten has made me loathe to respond until now. i rarely find it interesting (or challenging, natch) to spar with the…. impaired.