[M4LLY]

Really?

[Cmmah]

Only in America. How ridiculous can you get?

[Stressworthy]

Surely if he'd have just sat there and said it wasn't his job the repercussions would've been a lot worse? Lose-lose, not to mention beyond ridiculous.

[Ski Bum]

(Original post by Craig_D)
Yes, swimming needlessly takes the lives of people who shouldn't otherwise have died, but banning swimming would be worse - that would lead to a society where nobody would be able to swim. That would be bad firstly because anyone who happens to end up in water accidentally would be screwed; they wouldn't be able to swim and neither would anybody else to save them. How would people end up in water accidentally? Well car crashes, boats sinking, people falling in, flooding during heavy rainfall, and so on.

Secondly, it would be annoying because sometimes you have to forego risk in order to live a fun life. Every activity contains an element of risk, but if you spent your life evaluating the risk of every action then you probably wouldn't do anything, including going outside in case one of your roof tiles falls off and hits you on the head. Car racing, skiing, snow boarding, parachuting, even going on roller-coasters, all these things carry risks, but few people who do them regret it. Whereas people do regret sitting inside wrapped in cotton wool all their lives.

Finally there are economic and scientific benefits to being able to swim; including research about fish and whale species, diving as part of hydrocarbon exploration and work on oil rigs, looking for archaeological remains, and so on. The benefits vastly outweigh the limited numbers of people who drown.

Pretty sure he was joking dude!

[Craig_D]

(Original post by Ski Bum)
Pretty sure he was joking dude!

Yeah, I'd drunk a fair bit before writing that (I tend to rant). I've mostly sobered up now....

[Marlo Stanfield]

(Original post by Craig_D)
Yes, swimming needlessly takes the lives of people who shouldn't otherwise have died, but banning swimming would be worse - that would lead to a society where nobody would be able to swim. That would be bad firstly because anyone who happens to end up in water accidentally would be screwed; they wouldn't be able to swim and neither would anybody else to save them. How would people end up in water accidentally? Well car crashes, boats sinking, people falling in, flooding during heavy rainfall, and so on.

Secondly, it would be annoying because sometimes you have to forego risk in order to live a fun life. Every activity contains an element of risk, but if you spent your life evaluating the risk of every action then you probably wouldn't do anything, including going outside in case one of your roof tiles falls off and hits you on the head. Car racing, skiing, snow boarding, parachuting, even going on roller-coasters, all these things carry risks, but few people who do them regret it. Whereas people do regret sitting inside wrapped in cotton wool all their lives.

Finally there are economic and scientific benefits to being able to swim; including research about fish and whale species, diving as part of hydrocarbon exploration and work on oil rigs, looking for archaeological remains, and so on. The benefits vastly outweigh the limited numbers of people who drown.

brilliant

[vedderfan94]

(Original post by mimile)
you know he wouldalso have left the guarded beach area unguarded if he has saved someone in the guarded area...just saying.

What? The drowning man was in an unguarded area.

[siani-chan]

What is this I don't even

On a more serious note, how could some people be so stupid? You're talking about risking another man's life here, all because you're too worried about the paperwork it might cause?

[Craig_D]

(Original post by Marlo Stanfield)
brilliant

I'm passionate about the virtues of being able to legally move when immersed within liquids.

[Formerly Helpful_C]

I think the thread title should be changed.

"Mr Lopez, four months in the job, ran some distance to help the swimmer who had already been pulled out of the water by other beachgoers."

The lifeguard didn't actually save anyone from drowning. However, he shouldn't have been fired for showing compassion to another human.