Wal-Mart worker burns self to death in parking lot

[PandaBear]

The most popular way according to people in Hong Kong is carbon monoxide poisoning. Just bring a bag of charcoal, a pit, close the door in your room, and burn it off. IMO suicide shouldn't be attempted unless you are in a painful terminal illness. If night shift is not doing good to you, quit and work something else.

 

[AcuraTech]

Wow. I've been to that Wal-Mart. It's in the area where I went to tech school. Who knows what this guys personal demons were, but I'm sure the soul crushing factor of working for Wal-Mart didn't really help. Say what you will about the company, but working overnight at a job that pays $8.00 per hour isn't exactly the way most people see themselves winding down their working years. I guess overnight shifts can be brutal, but suicide by fire is pretty harsh. I work second shift, and I actually prefer it. Drive to work and home at off peak (non rush hour) times, when I get home it's nice and quiet. Fridays off. No problem for me. Trying to flip it and get up early is torture though, now that I'm adjusted to it.

 

[Mr Nice]

There is nothing wrong working retail if you are 15 or 80 years old, you are getting paid for an honest days work. If a person complains that they are at a job they don't like.... they need to quit and find something that interests them.

 

[Gary Allan]

 Quote:

If a person complains that they are at a job they don't like.... they need to quit and find something that interests them.

I see this theme recited a good bit. It assumes that there is employment available in what one would be happy or content in doing. While "making a living" can be put on some secondary burner to some degree, nothing assures that there's something else out there for anyone ..pleasant or otherwise. I too cannot see where WM had much to do about this. Feelings of futility are at the root of most suicidal ideation.

 

[rpn453]

 Originally Posted By: MiniTransAm

I truly and honestly believe that night shift should be outlawed for all but essential services. If not outlawed, number of hours worked in a week and consecutive hours should be limited. In other words, no longer than 8 hours and no more than 4 days in a row.

It doesn't work for you, but that's no reason to force others into your schedule. My mother has voluntarily worked almost exclusively night shifts as a nurse, 8 PM to 8 AM, for the last thirty years. I typically go to sleep around 6 AM and get up around 2 PM if I have no reason to do otherwise, so I wouldn't have any problem working night shifts. I actually find it extremely difficult to go to bed before midnight, and to get up in the morning.

 

[MiniTransAm]

 Originally Posted By: rpn453

 Originally Posted By: MiniTransAm

I truly and honestly believe that night shift should be outlawed for all but essential services. If not outlawed, number of hours worked in a week and consecutive hours should be limited. In other words, no longer than 8 hours and no more than 4 days in a row.

It doesn't work for you, but that's no reason to force others into your schedule. My mother has voluntarily worked almost exclusively night shifts as a nurse, 8 PM to 8 AM, for the last thirty years. I typically go to sleep around 6 AM and get up around 2 PM if I have no reason to do otherwise, so I wouldn't have any problem working night shifts. I actually find it extremely difficult to go to bed before midnight, and to get up in the morning.

There are some people that can handle it but if not come across many of them. You and your mom must have a different biological clock than most people. The American Cancer Society just listed night shift as a "probable cause of cancer". Here's just one article on it. There are many more. [url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-11-29-night-shift-cancer_N.htm][/url]

 

[Gary Allan]

I saw a study once that showed about a 5year penalty off the top. I don't think that they clearly proved that the shift was responsible. I could very well be that the people that ended up there were (mostly) of less than typical life expectancies ..or that those working midnight shift engaged in other life shortening practices because of it. ..but it allowed my wife and I to tag team raising our family while keeping the bills paid. With my mother living with us after my father died, it expanded our ability to do the soccer parent thing without too much hassle.

 

[XS650]

 Originally Posted By: Gary Allan

 Quote:

If a person complains that they are at a job they don't like.... they need to quit and find something that interests them.

I see this theme recited a good bit. It assumes that there is employment available in what one would be happy or content in doing. While "making a living" can be put on some secondary burner to some degree, nothing assures that there's something else out there for anyone ..pleasant or otherwise. ...

Reminds me of "Let Them Eat Cake!"

 

[Mr Nice]

I did not mean that the poor guy commited suicide cause he was a Walmart employee.

 

[XS650]

 Originally Posted By: LT4 Vette

I did not mean that the poor guy commited suicide cause he was a Walmart employee.

I wasn't implying that you were, sorry if it came off that way. What I was implying was that if a person is in a low end job in a depressed economy, there may not be other realistic options for him. If he had what it took to get a better job, he would probably have had a better job.

 

[PandaBear]

 Originally Posted By: XS650

I wasn't implying that you were, sorry if it came off that way. What I was implying was that if a person is in a low end job in a depressed economy, there may not be other realistic options for him. If he had what it took to get a better job, he would probably have had a better job.

There are better options. I read an article once that an old man rob a bank and then surrender immediately, so that he can go to jail instead of being homeless. Suicide should be reserved only for the ones in painful terminal illness.

 

[Gary Allan]

Suffering builds character ..or so those who aren't suffering say

 

[cousincletus]

I quit a night shift job driving a truck because I didn't feel safe doing it. The hours were brutal (about 7-8 in the evening till 8 or 9 the next AM).