Monorail Crash: Retire the colors?

[MAD on Disney]

Really? The ones that crashed were pink and purple? I thought they were whitish. Oh, I guess there is some sort of colored stripe running down the side. Even with all my visits there, I only recall a red stripe, but perhaps there are other colors as well...

My point is, while this is certainly tragic, I think it is possible for us to over-think how various people will relate to this in the future. For the relative few people likely to respond emotionally in the future, for most it will be the simple fact that it is a monorail. For a very few, the color may be the issue, but so could the location or the time of day. For the great majority, we will simply go on.

Do a lot of people get emotional about (as I have heard) the spot where someone may have been killed when the paddleboat pulled a grommet from the pier? Does anyone recall the color of the now retired Skyway car where (as I have heard) someone was killed? Is there a memorial plaque at Mission Space where (as I have heard) someone died on the ride? I for one was not even aware of the colors of the monorails involved in the crash, notwithstanding having seen the pictures frequently over the last several days, until I came across this thread.

I do not question at all the sentiments of concern and sympathy, but I do think people may be overthinking things a bit.

 

[Planogirl]

I frankly doubt that most people even pay attention to the colors much less know what colors crashed. We all know because we pay so much attention to these things but I imagine that the general public just knows that two monorails crashed and many probably don't even know that.

 

[luvthemouse71]

If it were my son or daughter who died on the monorail, I would be angry and feel violated with dozens of strangers acting as though my son or daughter were theirs, and talked and argued about it endlessly on Disney message boards. I'd wish that they would shut up and mind their own business and let me get through my grief on my own.

All of this discussion feels like a bunch of strangers showed up uninvited at a funeral and started acting as though they were members of the family.

I'm saddened by Justin's tragic and untimely death, and I hope that his family never sees these ridiculous threads full of strangers acting as though they just lost a member of their own families.

I guess by posting in this thread, I'm as guilty as everyone else. I'll leave now, and say just this in parting:

I go to WDW every year on vacation. If I ever die in a tragic accident at WDW, I ask you all to butt out and leave my family alone to deal with their grief in there own way. Give my family the privacy that they will need to deal with the loss and shock, and MYODB.

I agree.There is a phenomenon that happens in some deaths where you have people who have never met the deceased crying and taking it hard..like someone mentioned, we saw this with the Michael Jackson death and it happens in workplaces and schools frequently..I guess these things remind people of their own mortality.

I had a coworker who lost her only child in an accident and I can tell you that she didn't like all the fuss, the people coming up to her sobbing and throwing their arms around her. For this woman, work was the one refuge from the pain. When people acted like that-it was not only a reminder, but now she felt obligated to make them feel not so bad.

IMO, it's fine to feel compassion for Austin and his family. The OP asked what we all thought of the letter she was going to send and several people said that while it was a sweet gesture, changing the colors really won't do much of anything. I think if I were Austin's loved one, I'd rather see them set up a fund or scholarship in his name. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Curious Yellow]

I say a big no to retiring the colours, whilst your idea behind it is good i agree with other peoples comments.

I say name a monorail after him - stick Austin's name on the side of one of them in memorial. he obviously loved his job and working for Disney.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I also got my car fixed and drove it again for several years.

Right but did anyone die in your blue car? Because if not, the analogy still doesn't work.

 

[polineedyan]

I make a motion that we close this thread..

 

[RBZMuller]

Think of it like this:

1.A hurricane's name is retired after devistation for respect of the family's involved. But hurricanes are still named
2.A Police Officer's badge number is retired if they are killed in the line of duty as respect to the officer and the officer's family. But hte department still issues badge numbers and continues to serve the public
3. Sports team retire numbers, both jersey and vehicle, if the person passes out of respect for the individual and the family. The team continues to play and fills that persons position.

just some examples of when "things" are retired. Maybe since Austin was the driver of the purple monorail they could retire that color out of respect.

 

[WDSearcher]

just some examples of when "things" are retired. Maybe since Austin was the driver of the purple monorail they could retire that color out of respect.

But again ... no one called for Primeaval Whirl to be retired out of respect for the CM who died on the platform there. No one called for Thunder Mountain at DL to be retired out of respect for the Guests who died there. None of the CM or Guest deaths at any of the Disney parks have led to any sort of honors or remembrances of that type. So you have to consider them too.

I think it's one of those things that you either have to do something property- / company-wide for everyone, or not at all. If you retire a monorail color out of respect for Austin, then are you saying that he deserves that respect more than the other CMs or Guests who have died on rides or attractions? It's difficult.

 

[snykymom]

Think of it like this:

1.A hurricane's name is retired after devistation for respect of the family's involved. But hurricanes are still named
2.A Police Officer's badge number is retired if they are killed in the line of duty as respect to the officer and the officer's family. But hte department still issues badge numbers and continues to serve the public
3. Sports team retire numbers, both jersey and vehicle, if the person passes out of respect for the individual and the family. The team continues to play and fills that persons position.

just some examples of when "things" are retired. Maybe since Austin was the driver of the purple monorail they could retire that color out of respect.

They do retire hurricane's names after a devastation. But not after the death of a single individual, no matter how young or how dearly loved. Not every police department retires badge numbers; it depends on the size of the department. Sports teams don't generally retire numbers except for their exceptional players.

Your analogies are inapt.

Now, would Disney do something if an entire trainload of people had died or been seriously injured? Likely, and it wouldn't be a small as retiring a color. But that's not what happened (thankfully). Austin's death is a tragedy, to be sure. But it's a familial and a private one, not a public one.