Used laptop stampede

[Teo Zenios]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Vintage Computer Festival" <vcf at siconic.com>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:15 PM
Subject: Re: Used laptop stampede


> On Tue, 16 Aug 2005, Tony Eros wrote:
>
> > Apparently, the iBook sale in Virginia turned out to be a real
Donnybrook.
> > Folks lined up at 1:30 am, and there was a stampede when the doors
finally
> > opened.
> >
> > http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8973616/
>
> This is not only pathetic and ridiculous, it was entirely irresponsible,
> both on the part of the school district and the herd of jackasses that
> showed up to have a small chance to pay for a used computer.
>
> "People threw themselves forward, screaming and pushing each other. A
> little girl's stroller was crushed in the stampede. Witnesses said an
> elderly man was thrown to the pavement, and someone in a car tried to
> drive his way through the crowd."
>
> I'd make some wry comment at this point but these people are so beyond
> stupid they don't even deserve that much.
>
> -- 
>
> Sellam Ismail                                        Vintage Computer
Festival

I think you are confusing stupidity with desperation. A stupid person is the
one who would have gone to the  event to get somebody else a laptop, a
desperate person would be the poor mom whose son is doing crappy in school
and thinks an iBook would make the difference between her son getting into
Harvard or being a crack dealer. Stupid people are the ones getting trampled
on by the desperate storming the line.

Either way this was not thought out very well by all parties. You have to
ask why the school was ditching machines in working condition (wasted
taxpayer money) for below fair market value in the first place. I can't wait
for the class action lawsuit against the schoolboard on behalf of the many
injured parties.