Arguments, appeals, or otherwise analytical.
On October 12th of 2005, Apple released the video iPod.
Since that day, a sequence of three words have existed in the collective mind of the Apple-following world. This is my least favorite phrase.
The phrase is true video iPod. (Alternate version: widescreen video iPod)
First: yes, we finally have our power back, as of this morning. The cable, which made its own outage in fear of not getting enough of our attention, is also back. Thanks to everyone who sent us well-wishes, and particular thanks to Jen & Jay for putting us up for the weekend so we could pretend as though we were a part of society.
As the dust begins to clear, and fingers begin to point towards those who should shoulder the blame, [it was only a matter of time](http://ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=61233) until Mediocrity reared its ugly head:
> As power is slowly being restored in Northwest Queens, the mayor says embattled Con Edison CEO Kevin Burke should not only keep his job, but that he deserves a pat on the back from New Yorkers, much to the surprise of Queens lawmakers.
> “I think Kevin Burke deserves a thanks from this city. He’s worked as hard as he can every single day since then, as has everybody at Con Ed,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said at a news conference Monday. “It’s easy to go criticize, but once this happened, Con Ed has been doing everything they can to bring it back.”
> Assemblyman Michael Gianaris and City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. — who believe Burke should be fired — were visibly stunned by the mayor’s comments.
In a way, Bloomberg is right. It *is* easy to criticize.
It’s easy to criticize a public utility company that gives counts of blacked-out subscribers based on the number of people who call to complain, rather than any real metric.
It’s easy to criticize a CEO that doesn’t apologize until the fifth day of the outage.
It’s easy to criticize workers who have been reported as sleeping on the job, hooting at women, and – in my own personal experience – reading books on Seamanship when they should be fixing the grid.
It’s easy to criticize a governor who refuses to declare a disaster area when over 100,000 people were without power for nearly a week.
It’s easy to criticize a claims program that only allows business claims for food spoilage, thus denying all businesses who don’t deal in perishable goods any immediate relief for their inability to be open.
Beyond all else, it’s easy to criticize a mayor who refuses to hold anyone accountable for the longest blackout in New York City history.
A life lesson:
One of the greatest traits to have is to not only be able to listen, but to understand, to relate, to empathize. Tears on your shoulder, even for reasons you may personally not find worth crying over, need compassion.
Some people believe in the concept of “tough love”. Tough love is only effective as an occasional contrast, not as the standard. It cannot be the only tool in your emotional response arsenal. The emotionally distraught are weakened by their burden, and your focus should not be harming them in hopes of healing them, as that will almost certainly backfire.
If anyone you care about comes to you in their time of need, be there for them. Help them. Love them. Give them constructive feedback. Guide them where you can. If their needs conflict with yours, be willing to compromise.
Lack of empathy can lead to you becoming part of the problem. You will become a target of antipathy, possibly more than the actual problem itself, and you will only realize this after the damage is done. You will need to make amends quickly, because failure to correct transgressions will lead to permanent damage in your relationship. Apologies are rarely enough.
Strive to show compassion and love whenever you are able.