(December 3, 2014 at 6:14 pm)Bad Wolf Wrote: Tragedy is a bit of a strong word isn't it? I don't know what he was like but you don't really get the impression that he was a very nice man, at least, not from this photo.
Technically, "tragedy" does not require that the person who either suffers from or causes the bad events was nice or innocent. Quite the contrary, actually. The very word means it was caused by human failing.
For example, if someone walks outside and is struck by lightning (due to an random event of nature, not some punishment by any god) and dies, that is NOT a tragedy. There was no human action which caused the bad event and there was no way the man could possibly have foreseen the consequences to walking outside at that moment. Some people might call it "a tragedy" that but that is a misuse of the word.
"Tragedy" is where the bad event was avoidable and caused by human factors. If someone walks outside while drunk, gets in a car and kills himself when he drives it off a cliff because of his intoxication, that IS a tragedy. Similarly, if he were to kill someone else because of his actions, driving while drunk, that would also be a "tragedy".
Michael Brown, whatever you may think of him personally, did not need to die that day. Therefore, his death was a "tragedy" in the proper use of the word. The only debate is who's fault you think it was. Was it his human failings or the police officer's or both?
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
