# Am I going to hell for laughing my ass off at these pictures? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2013, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117 "2013-10-13T04:02:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/21 "2013-10-13T23:46:03Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Am I the only person wondering why they didn’t just lower the drawbridge rather than wait for rescue crews with a ladder? No one would pay the Toll? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/22 "2013-10-14T00:53:21Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Am I the only person wondering why they didn’t just lower the drawbridge rather than wait for rescue crews with a ladder? According to one of the articles I read, the bridge in question is controlled remotely, apparently from Tallahassee, which makes the question a little different, obviously. There may have been no way for someone on the scene to lower it…but did they try to get hold of whoever _could_, in Tallahassee? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/23 "2013-10-14T02:15:42Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > According to one of the articles I read, the bridge in question is controlled remotely, apparently from Tallahassee, which makes the question a little different, obviously. There may have been no way for someone on the scene to lower it…but did they try to get hold of whoever _could_, in Tallahassee? Possibly, they were concerned that moving the bridge again would jostle her loose? ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/24 "2013-10-14T02:53:41Z")
Maybe it’s pleasant not to have empathy. I guess there would always be someone else’s suffering to brighten my day. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/25 "2013-10-14T03:32:32Z")
WRT all the people asking why she was holding herself up like that and why she was on the bridge in the first place, if you watch the video you’ll see a few people drinking what appear to be beers (or Smirnoff type drinks) so I’m going to guess alcohol was involved. 5K + drinking on a nice sunny afternoon = climbing a drawbridge! ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/26 "2013-10-14T05:00:00Z")
Glad she’s OK. So I’m the only one who thinks that blouse looks ridiculous on a 55 year old woman? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/27 "2013-10-14T06:04:25Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Maybe it’s pleasant not to have empathy. I guess there would always be someone else’s suffering to brighten my day. I’m not the most empathetic person in the world, and I love gallows humor, but this wasn’t particularly amusing to me. Not because I was worried that she was going to fall off and die–just because I don’t see what’s supposed to be funny. The pose? The clothes? Both? If so, it just doesn’t click with me. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/28 "2013-10-14T07:30:10Z")
> [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](#): > > Glad she’s OK. > > So I’m the only one who thinks that blouse looks ridiculous on a 55 year old woman? It was a fundraising/awareness walk for Breast Cancer charity - for which the signature colour is pink. I imagine what she’s wearing is not her everyday attire. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/29 "2013-10-14T07:49:21Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Am I the only person wondering why they didn’t just lower the drawbridge rather than wait for rescue crews with a ladder? Aside from the reasons already given, those boats can’t stop on a dime. Lowering the bridge could have caused more harm to the people in the oncoming boat. In Louisiana, it’s not uncommon to get stuck (in you car) behind these damn bridges for an hour or so. 20min is actually a good response time. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/30 "2013-10-14T07:52:03Z")
> [@TashaKitty](#): > > [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2456893/Woman-55-left-clinging-life-22-feet-air-moment-railroad-bridge-started-lift.html](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2456893/Woman-55-left-clinging-life-22-feet-air-moment-railroad-bridge-started-lift.html) > > “‘She was just in this Jesus Christ position,’ witness Phillip Glazebrook told the Sun-Sentinel.” > > LMFAO!!! I think she looks more like a Space Invader than Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/31 "2013-10-14T10:04:43Z")
22 foot drop to water? Derek and Clive said it best. [Derek & Clive - Jump you fucker jump! - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZEEgIti8sM) ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/32 "2013-10-14T11:55:27Z")
[quote=“Amateur\_Barbarian, post:12, topic:671117”] [LIST=1] [li]She was crossing a rail bridge not intended for pedestrians.[/li][li] She ignored the adjacent pedestrian walkway.[/li][li]Few bridges suddenly and unexpectedly raise; IME the bells and lights and warnings go on for quite some time - plenty of time to take action including a sprightly advance to a rear-guard position.[/li][/QUOTE] I hate to ruin a fun IMHO thread with a GQ question (sorry–but this is the Dope, after all… 🙂 )–but I’m curious: How fast does a drawbridge move as it opens? It seems to me that if if I were walking on a surface that suddenly starts to move, my instinct would be to start running towards something stable. Or isn’t that feasible in this case? ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/33 "2013-10-14T12:45:03Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > The segment may hinge further back than at the break in the roadway. The near (then bottom) edge would rise above the fixed roadway by a proportional amount. > (…) > Here’s [a photo of a very similar bridge in the area](http://www.flickr.com/photos/mainmanwalkin/6182017300/). It looks as if there’s a sort of offset lift to allow clearance underneath, but I’m not sure what purpose that would serve except to allow a train to roll into the river. Anyway… Speculation: If there is a truss structure underneath the railway and the hinge is directly on the canal bank, when you raise the span to 90 degrees, the truss structure will stick out over the canal, reducing the navigable width. To avoid this you move the hinge away from the canal, but then you get the occasional pedestrian who looks like a pinned insect dressed like a superhero. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/34 "2013-10-14T12:58:01Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’m not the most empathetic person in the world, and I love gallows humor, but this wasn’t particularly amusing to me. Not because I was worried that she was going to fall off and die–just because I don’t see what’s supposed to be funny. The pose? The clothes? Both? If so, it just doesn’t click with me. Yeah, me too. It’s just not my type of humor. Maybe once someone remixes the footage with an autotune track and throws in some cats, I’ll crack up over it. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/35 "2013-10-14T13:01:50Z")
Eh, just venial sin. Some time in Purgatory dangling a respectable height above the hellpit > [@stui\_magpie](#): > > 22 foot drop to water? On the “out” side of this drawbridge, not to water, but to road aggregate, steel and wood: to the railroad tracks that leads TO the bridge, and the support structures for the bascule. Plus, you never high-dive into water where you don’t know what’s below. ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/36 "2013-10-14T13:32:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Not because I was worried that she was going to fall off and die–just because I don’t see what’s supposed to be funny. The pose? The clothes? Both? If so, it just doesn’t click with me. Same, I don’t find it particularly funny, either. It’s good that she’s fine and uninjured, but it looks like other’s have perished due to the same bridge, as well. I wonder what it is about that bridge, since any I’ve seen like that have tons of warnings. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/37 "2013-10-14T14:07:13Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Maybe it’s pleasant not to have empathy. On the pleasure scale, I’d say it beats not having a sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/38 "2013-10-14T14:47:06Z")
the railroad should turn this into a PSA. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/39 "2013-10-14T14:54:14Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > Maybe it’s pleasant not to have empathy. I guess there would always be someone else’s suffering to brighten my day. As opposed to being a self-righteous prig? It beats that any day. ---
**Author:** ![want2befree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3e96dc/32.png) [@want2befree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2befree)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117/40 "2013-10-14T15:41:47Z")
It’s just kind of funny because of the way she is dressed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-going-to-hell-for-laughing-my-ass-off-at-these-pictures/671117.md?page=3)