Dramatic Spiderman Rescue in France!
- Thread starter EagerBeaver
- Start date
The kid either fell or descended down two balconies because he wasn’t being supervised. It’s truly amazing he didn’t get killed. From what I could see in the video that kid was hanging on another 10 seconds - maximum- and then he was going down to the pavement below like that Chinese daredevil, whose self video I posted earlier.
In 1991 Eric Clapton’s very young kid wasn’t being properly supervised and fell to his death from the 53rd floor of a NYC apartment building. That death lead to Clapton’s hit tribute song “Tears in Heaven.” Reportedly a housekeeper who was cleaning had left a window open and the kid fell out of the window, which wasn’t protected by a window guard. That kid was actually living with the mother, not Clapton, although Clapton likely paid for the condo.
Kids and tall buildings are not a good combination. In my business I see so many accidents involving kids and in almost all the cases it is simply poor risk assessment - the kid not appreciating the risk of the activity. Trampolines, zip lines, motorcycles, I have seen plenty of accidents. Basically any kid any age needs to be watched closely, and needs to be counseled on risks.
In 1991 Eric Clapton’s very young kid wasn’t being properly supervised and fell to his death from the 53rd floor of a NYC apartment building. That death lead to Clapton’s hit tribute song “Tears in Heaven.” Reportedly a housekeeper who was cleaning had left a window open and the kid fell out of the window, which wasn’t protected by a window guard. That kid was actually living with the mother, not Clapton, although Clapton likely paid for the condo.
Kids and tall buildings are not a good combination. In my business I see so many accidents involving kids and in almost all the cases it is simply poor risk assessment - the kid not appreciating the risk of the activity. Trampolines, zip lines, motorcycles, I have seen plenty of accidents. Basically any kid any age needs to be watched closely, and needs to be counseled on risks.
The physical climb itself was easy? Probably. I'm no longer 22 but I can still pull myself up with 120 lbs strapped to my own body weight. The ease of the climb isn't the point. The fearlessness of the climb in service of a little child with no concern at all for his own safety is the point.
In a world where the news is mostly grim in one way or another, this story reminds you there is still some good left on this planet.
I agree with you Carmine. The athleticness of the rescuer tended to make the climb look easy, but the real point of the story is the fearlessness and selflessness of the climb. It’s not automatic that you will not slip and fall to your death- see the video of the Chinese Daredevil I posted earlier - who does pull-ups to mug for the camera, then loses his grip and dies. I think the kid had another 10 seconds of hanging on and then he was ending up like the Chinese guy, human splatter on the pavement.
If that kid actually fell 2 stories before grabbing a hold onto the 4th floor- then he is the real Spiderman. Or he may be the next Alex Honnold. For those who are not climbing afficionados, Honnold free soloed El Capitan just 1 year ago.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...solo-climb-yosemite-national-park-el-capitan/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/...solo-climb-yosemite-national-park-el-capitan/
By the way it happened in France
He was slyly referring to Shakespeare's Hamlet...
I agree that Jalimon, a Francophone, likely whiffed on the reference to Hamlet. Although bignasty actually did not use the actual quote, which is “something is rotten in the State of Denmark”, not “something is fishy in the State of Denmark.”
Although Jalimon is a great contributor to this board, English slang and English literature and language culture is not his forte. He is a Francophone. A lot of the French guys on the board don’t really do Shakespeare. Their heroes are guys like Victor Hugo, Moliere, perhaps even Jean Paul Sartre. To them, William Shakespeare is just some famous writer of English plays, but they don’t know his work or appreciate its impact on the common English vernacular. They were not taught his stuff because Shakespeare has no standing in the French speaking world - he is essentially a nobody. Whereas you and I both understood the Shakespeare reference, Jalimon whiffed on it, and to be fair to Jalimon, 90% of educated Francophones here would also whiff if they’d have chosen to comment (possibly even Doc Holliday whose English and Anglo-understanding is excellent). I see it all the time and I am not at all bothered by it because I understand that they were not made to appreciate Shakespeare as you and I were. It is what it is. Jalimon knows a lot more about bikes and escorts, and that knowledge is more practical and helpful here.
I will say that I studied Shakespeare under a professor who wrote some books on his plays and if he read that comment by Jalimon he would recoil in horror (or more likely roll over in his coffin, since I think he is dead).
Or he would have understood sarcasm
bignasty wrote pretty much the same exact thing as I had written 15 minutes earlier. That is why I went sarcasm. Sorry it was not clear it seems. That happen.
Cheers,
Immigrate is to come. Emigrate is to leave. Depends on who is talking. :humble:
Both is a more specific form of migrate.
Both is a more specific form of migrate.
Or he would have understood sarcasm
bignasty wrote pretty much the same exact thing as I had written 15 minutes earlier. That is why I went sarcasm. Sorry it was not clear it seems. That happen.
Cheers,
Jalimon,
I realize that you did not study Hamlet in school and I forgive you for it, because I get that William Shakesapeare is a nobody in the culture you come from. But Hamlet was not a Prince of France. He was a Prince of Denmark. This is a literary fact. I don't know that my professor would have been quite appreciative of your sarcasm. He would have heard your French accent and said, "sir, Hamlet was not a prince in France......he was a Prince of Denmark."
Your comment amused me, and it also reminded me of an incident that happened in my Modern European History class in college. My professor was born in one of the Baltic States (Lithuania, I think), and was considered a leading expert on Russian history. During the class in question, we were focusing on Russian involvement in World War II. One of the lazier students in the class, who was not noted as a particular scholar, raised his hand and asked Professor about the "Bolshevik involvement" in the Battle of Leningrad, and whether it proved decisive. The question was asked in all seriousness. The Professor appeared to have a seizure on the lectern. His face contorted, and his body seized rigidly, and he said, "Bolsheviks? Bolshevik "involvement""? What chapter were you reading?" I thought the poor man would have a heart attack, the way he looked. I looked around and the entire class had their hands cupped over the mouths trying to suppress their laughter. It was one of the great moments in college that I will never forget.
GMA,
Sadly, yes, the Chinese Daredevil was paid $15,000 by some local company for that stunt, although he had previously earned a reputation for climbing/dangling from skyscrapers, which is why he was approached with the $15,000 offer. I agree with the remainder of your post that the Spiderman in France made that climb look MUCH easier than it actually was or would have been for the average person. I tend to doubt anyone posting here could have pulled it off as easily and quickly as he did.
One other thing about the specter of hanging/dangling in mid air for a period of time: many years ago I was involved in a case in which a guy went into the attic crawlspace of a building with very high ceilings over an atrium (for the work related purpose of inspecting equipment stored in the crawlspace). While in the crawlspace, he slipped off one of the wooden joists above the sheet rock ceiling, and plunged through the ceiling. On his way down, he somehow managed to grab, and hang onto, a horizontal wooden supporting beam just beneath the ceiling. He dangled for around 5 minutes, screaming for help, before he couldn't hang on any more. He fell around 35-40 feet onto a marble floor, and suffered many broken bones as well as a perforated bowel that necessitated around 12 surgeries. Around a year later he got out of the hospital and I remember the guy saying those 5 minutes when he was hanging were sheer terror- he knew if he was not rescued it was going to be a fall that would result in his death or severe injuries, and he got the latter. He was never able to work again in that field.
Sadly, yes, the Chinese Daredevil was paid $15,000 by some local company for that stunt, although he had previously earned a reputation for climbing/dangling from skyscrapers, which is why he was approached with the $15,000 offer. I agree with the remainder of your post that the Spiderman in France made that climb look MUCH easier than it actually was or would have been for the average person. I tend to doubt anyone posting here could have pulled it off as easily and quickly as he did.
One other thing about the specter of hanging/dangling in mid air for a period of time: many years ago I was involved in a case in which a guy went into the attic crawlspace of a building with very high ceilings over an atrium (for the work related purpose of inspecting equipment stored in the crawlspace). While in the crawlspace, he slipped off one of the wooden joists above the sheet rock ceiling, and plunged through the ceiling. On his way down, he somehow managed to grab, and hang onto, a horizontal wooden supporting beam just beneath the ceiling. He dangled for around 5 minutes, screaming for help, before he couldn't hang on any more. He fell around 35-40 feet onto a marble floor, and suffered many broken bones as well as a perforated bowel that necessitated around 12 surgeries. Around a year later he got out of the hospital and I remember the guy saying those 5 minutes when he was hanging were sheer terror- he knew if he was not rescued it was going to be a fall that would result in his death or severe injuries, and he got the latter. He was never able to work again in that field.
