this has to stop.
...
Everyone remembers where they were when they saw this image. An old lady with smiling eyes, holding a large rock above her shoulders. That’s a nice rock, we thought. What will she do with that rock?
There are no words for what happened next. The way the woman smiled as she backflopped on the glass, the defeaning tinkle of its shatter, the screams of the tourists as the bridge fell away.
It does not feel real.
Yet, we must not give in to those who cry “artificial intelligence” in the face of every global tragedy. As a small number—I repeat: a small number—of older ladies with rocks wreak havoc on our glass infrastructure, now is not the time to give in to dangerous misinformation.
After the first bridge attack, copycat killers sprung up all over the planet. While it bears repeating that glass bridges are still, statistically, the safest form of locomotion, it’s little wonder that glass bridge foot traffic has plummetted and many glass tollbooths have been forced to shut their doors.
It also bears repeating that not all older ladies with large rocks are terrorists. Most old ladies with large rocks have them for balance, or religious reasons. Some have them for playing catch. Yet, if I’m honest, every time I see an older lady with a large boulder on a plane, or on the street, I feel a small twinge of discomfort.
Like you, I was heartened by the footage of the golden retriever at the first attack, who carried the little girl to safety. But we must resist the temptationt to give into so-called “rescued white girl syndrome”. Yes, every human life is precious, and every life saved a success. But we must not allow heart-warming and, frankly, camera-ready cases to distract us from the overwhelming tragedy of the situation, and the overwhelming urgency of taking action.
What do these grandmothers want? Central heating? God knows. It is likely that some of these killers are too far gone for negotiation. But maybe, maybe, we can talk down the next killer before she strikes. “This isn’t you. Drop the rock. No, shit, don’t drop the rock! Pass the rock to someone else! No, fuck, don’t throw it! Pass it.”
If you are a person of faith, please join me in praying for the souls of the victims. Please join me, also, in praying for the next older lady with a rock, the one who thinks “teeheeheeheeheeheehee!” and resolves to jump.
Unlike the victims, we will not be dampened. We must not lose hope. That is how they win.
If you have any information that might help prevent the next attack, say something now before it’s too late.
This must stop.
This has to stop.
Thank you for spreading awareness of this rapidly growing threat. Earlier this year we lost the glass bridge I used to jog every morning. The views of the mountains and the bay were incredible. I avoided the bridge on the days when I saw an old lady holding a big rock over her head, and advised all my family members to do the same. Everyone listened except my uncle who is now no longer with us.
It is worth repeating that not every cry of "TEE-HEEE-HEEE-HEEE!" is the prelude to an unfortunate incident where something or other possibly happened, and that such outbursts are also heard in the context of, say, winning at bingo and listening to cheesy comedy routines. We mustn't succumb to little-old-lady-with-rock-ophobia! That is not who we are! Don't look back in anger! We are better than that!