A Prank

I don’t get it.

Two DJs called the hospital where Kate Middleton was being treated and claimed to be Queen Elizabeth.  A nurse believed them.  Then, the next day, apparently, the nurse felt so humiliated that she committed suicide.  Now, everybody blames the DJs.

It seems to me that somebody who commits suicide for having been duped must have some psychological problems.  I know that what I’m saying is not politically correct, but who in her right mind would kill herself for being victim of a prank?

I am really sorry for the nurse.  Nobody should be so desperate and alone to arrive to the point of taking their own life.  But the prank was only a trigger.  Probably the small stress that brought the nurse’s state of mind over a tipping point.  The fact that that particular nurse answered the phone was an unfortunate and tragic accident.

The DJs only did their job.  They didn’t even expect that their prank would succeed.  I understand that they feel bad.  I would too.  But they should be reassured that they are not to be blamed.

Nobody could have possibly considered the possibility that a prank call would result in a suicide.  After all this hoopla, the poor DJs will probably live the rest of their lives thinking that they caused the death of a vulnerable nurse.  But they did not.  They are not responsible for it and should receive our sympathy instead of our scorn.

Every act, even the most insignificant, can have horrible consequences, and we focus on the consequences of an act because they are observable and measurable.  The tendency of focussing on what can be measured is understandable, but in many cases also completely wrong, because very often, people “get away” with unconsidered acts that could have very serious consequences.

For example, we are always shocked when we see on TV horrific pictures of car accidents, but how many times people drive dangerously and are not caught only because, by chance, they don’t cause any carnage?  In my opinion, whether an accident occurs or not is less important than what could have happened if it had occurred.