[Paddlewise] Another incidence of the "amusement park syndrome"

There has been a lot of discussion on this list - and others - about people
who seem not to be able to recognize danger. Not dressing for immersion,
paddling water they are unqualified to paddle, paddling drunk, paddling
without a PFD, the list goes on and on.

Here is another to add to the list. An 18-year-old boy in Florida was
partying with his pals on the shores of Lake Okeechobee late at night when
he decided that it would be a good idea to go swimming. Thirty years ago it
wouldn't have merited a raised eyebrow. That's because back then alligators
in Florida were a threatened species due to over hunting. This is no longer
the case, however. There were, literally, hundreds of alligators in the area
where this kid entered the water.

One of them, weighing 300 pounds and over 11 feet long, grabbed him by his
left arm and tried to drag him underwater. A late-night snack. The kid, to
his credit, fought back and got free by punching the gator in its eye. The
gator swam off with his left arm in its stomach, however.

The inevitable question is, "what was he thinking?"  On television this
morning (Good Morning America) he said that he thought the kids on the bank
screaming at him were cheering him on. They were trying to tell him that he
was being stalked by an alligator.

Is this a result of video games where people don't relate to danger? What
can be causing this apparent disconnect where people can't seem to
understand when a situation might be life-threatening?

If you have kids or grandkids this might be a good time to start educating
them on how to recognize - and avoid - danger.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
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