Six young Irish people died on Tuesday in San Francisco, when the fourth floor balcony that they were on collapsed into the street. Several others were seriously injured. Today, many Irish people are expressing their outrage atthis New York Times story by Adam Nagourney, Mitch Smith and Quentin Hardy about the tragedy. Why are they so angry and upset?
The New York Times used these deaths as the hook for a story about student bad behavior.
The New York Times piece begins with a discussion of the student exchange program that several of the young people were on. It states that this program is a “source of embarrassment to Ireland … marked by a series of high-profile episodes involving drunken partying.” It then goes on to say that the students died at “what neighbors described as a loud party,” and goes on to suggest that Irish exchange students party perpetually and have a habit of damaging property. This description is at odds with the way that Irish people and Irish political figures understand what has happened. For sure, some Irish people in their early 20’s party and have a good time when they are traveling. This is not, however, a phenomenon unique to the Irish. Nor is there good reason to believe that this behavior is universal among students on this exchange program.
The story appears to suggest that the students were partly responsible for their own deaths.
The framing of the story around drunken irresponsibility and property damage is loaded. It seems to suggest that the Irish students were somehow responsible for their deaths. There is however, no evidence whatsoever that the students did anything other than to stand on a balcony that was clearly insufficient to hold their weight. Furthermore, there is evidence strongly suggesting that the balcony’s supports were badly affected by dry rot.
Read the full piece at The Washington Post.