We’ve all had a computer crash or our cell phone battery run dry. In those moments we usually want to chuck them out a window.
What about when technology fails, resulting in the death of a loved one?
Yesterday, a man walking his beloved family dog in Toronto was failed by the technology of our city’s infrastructure when his pet was electrocuted by a short circuit. Similarly, there are times when people are killed by tasers; devices meant to be non-lethal to adult humans.
How do we deal with tragic failure of technology — from a communications perspective? As long as we bury wires underground, there will be instances where a problem goes undetected and the electrical current presents a risk to people and our pets. Is this acceptable? Is it realistic to expect 100% success from preventative maintenance?
As a society reliant on technology it’s possible to write off a few fatalities as tragic casualties of the system. The electrical current that killed Mrak powers traffic lights. These are devices designed to prevent accidents and save many lives in the long run.
But, when this happens the Avramovics and others who lose out can’t be left with nothing. How is it appropriate for the system to compensate people who lose pets, children and other loved ones because of these risks we take every day?
Obviously condolences are due, but also pet owners across the city are going to be scared and frustrated. People will be afraid for the safety of their children around electrical fixtures. The city needs to say how they’re going to respond to prevent future casualties, and what individuals can do to stay safe.
I think people are just afraid of surprise death – like, you don’t want to live your life feeling like you could be electrocuted at any moment, and yet you look at a technology like automobiles, which kills people all the time, and we aren’t afraid of those.
We realize that, you know, if you’re going to die in a car crash, you’ll probably have at least a moment of “Oh shitttttttttttttttt….!”
But just getting fried to death, by electricity, apropos of nothing? Now *that’s* terrifying.
So I don’t think it is technology itself so much as it is the incredibly exotic and terrifying ways in which it can slaughter us.
It would take one heck of a zap to kill a person instantly. Typically a lethal shock leads to cardiac arrest; though they could also render you unconscious, depriving you of that final expletive.
I know what you’re saying though. It’s the fear of untimely death combined with the severe lack of understanding most people have of technology in general. And, it’s true that people drive all the time, and rarely think “This could be the last thing I ever do!”
An electrified plate on the ground poses very little serious threat to humans for two reasons. First, we normally wear rubber soled shoes, which insulate us from electric current fairly well. Secondly, our biology and posture is such that a shock from something we step on would normally just affect our legs, and leave a little tingle in our nether regions. This is because electricity takes the path of least resistance to the ground.
For a dog, or a crawling child, this is a very different story.