Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Camping Out for the iPhone 4: The Line Starts Here
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Wow! Thanks for enlightening everyone, you're so awesome to judge this guy, I'm sure you have no flaws that can be judged and pointed out.
I believe he told Geckotek (forum member who spoke to him in person) that he does do a lot of volunteer work
Weren't you people ever raised with the "Golden Rule"?
Some people here clearly weren't.
There is a difference between mocking camping and mocking the fact that he is disabled and doing this, saying he should be out getting a new job, etc. There is a major difference.
And again, different things make different people happy. Should I go to a fishing forum and tell all the fishermen that I think their pastime is stupid?
Unfortunately, nowadays half the people here aren't Apple fans. They are just people who come here to argue about us being Mac elitists. You almost can't come here to discuss things intelligently anymore, without someone calling you a fanboy. Hello, you better believe I am this is MACrumors lol.
I most certainly am being a small business owner, I bend over for taxes. Im sure this guy is probably sick but in my area I see ALOT of people who abuse the system and get free rides. people who drive luxury vehicles, but have section 8 housing, or use an acesss card, lol are you kidding me?
Thanks for actually contributing like an adult to the conversation at hand as opposed to jumping on some guy that none of us know.
I feel very sorry for some of you who choose to be judge others, and I do hope you never get put into a disability position. Like someone else said, when you can walk a mile in his shoes, you can judge, until then, maybe worry about yourself more, instead of bashing others for something you don't agree with.
Your remark is so naive that I'm having a seizure right now! God, I won't be able to work for a year! Having said that, I made the decision to visit Macrumors and post something that expected people to react this way. I can only blame myself. Others should start doing the same.
I travel regularly in the world and I see all sorts of disabled people in various positions. You have to be almost dead not to be able to find a job if you really want to. The rest is about fine-tuning the social system and not penalising work over economic inactivity.
Without a purpose in life, you are lost. If for this man the reason to live is to be first in line, I feel sorry for him. And I don't care if he's got any condition or not. Sometimes, there are no excuses for poor choices.
That's the problem here: "Marginally disabled" isn't even a usable term, plus who are you to determine that he's marginally disabled? You haven't seen his psych evals, cognitive function tests, sensorimotor exams, etc. I think a lot of you need to go back under your bridges, because you're showing what trolls you actually are.
As for "you have to be almost dead not to find a job" comment above... I know lots of people that can't find wages that are worth working (above minimum wage/poverty). Maybe that should be a crusade you talk about instead of criticizing a guy whose taking a week to do something he wants to do. Take the giant log out of your own eye before going after his splinter.
I am no hypocrite so I have to admit that there are forums on the net that serve no meaningful purpose other than as a pastime. Nor should they.
It is still pretty silly to wait (days) in line for a gadget! Whoever you are or whatever you do.
I've been trying to think about what events I would be willing to camp out for for a week straight in the Texas heat in June, and I just can't think of any. More power to him if the "experience" is worth it to him.
Meanness and MacRumors
I don't know anything about this other than the details he has chosen to share with us.
And that's the point. Nor do most of you. In other circumstances I find
users to be helpful - a cut above the average, just like products. Yes, that's a massive generalisation of the sort many people in this thread seem happy to make. As others have said - it's his life, let him live it. Should he be working? Who knows. It's weird but true that not all disabilities are the same - sorry if I've shocked some of you with that revelation.
Can he afford the phone? I don't know. I guess those that go down that track only ever make sensible purchases. I prefer being human.
How dare some you judge other people's lives? How dare you tell this guy how to live when you know nothing about him?
And those that are attempting to help - maybe your hearts are in the right place, but note you cannot help someone by judging and telling them what to do. I don't think life works like that.
And finally there are the posters who tell him to get a life and spend more time with his family ... the posters who are on here instead of spending time with their family. How do you like having that judgement thrown at you?
I don't know anything about this other than the details he has chosen to share with us.
And that's the point. Nor do most of you. In other circumstances I find
users to be helpful - a cut above the average, just like products. Yes, that's a massive generalisation of the sort many people in this thread seem happy to make. As others have said - it's his life, let him live it. Should he be working? Who knows. It's weird but true that not all disabilities are the same - sorry if I've shocked some of you with that revelation.Can he afford the phone? I don't know. I guess those that go down that track only ever make sensible purchases. I prefer being human.
How dare some you judge other people's lives? How dare you tell this guy how to live when you know nothing about him?
And those that are attempting to help - maybe your hearts are in the right place, but note you cannot help someone by judging and telling them what to do. I don't think life works like that.
And finally there are the posters who tell him to get a life and spend more time with his family ... the posters who are on here instead of spending time with their family. How do you like having that judgement thrown at you?
Camping out for a week, on a sidewalk, in Dallas, in the summer = incredibly lame loser, regardless of personal issues or not.
Reading 289 posts* in a forum bitching about or supporting said loser = pretty lame itself.
* = I read the first page and skipped to the end to post. Probably a bit lame as well, but not nearly as lame as the above.
Reading 289 posts* in a forum bitching about or supporting said loser = pretty lame itself.
* = I read the first page and skipped to the end to post. Probably a bit lame as well, but not nearly as lame as the above.
Absolutely agree. If he is disabled he is getting money from the government. We are paying for him to camp out and get an iphone. I am not saying he shouldnt have a cell phone but there are other low cost alternatives. Not a $200 or $300 phone. I don't want to be insensitive but I see it all the time:
People who live off the government and have 55" TVs, drive BMWs then collect their check from Uncle Sam.
- Guy has a disability that prevents him from working : Fact stated by himself
- Guy with said disability and no paying job is waiting in line for a 2000$ over 2 years product : Fact as witnessed by this article
- Guy with said disability is a "student" so can do some kind of "office" work it seems : Fact stated in the article
Questionning the fact that a person so disabled they can't work is sitting in the hot june sun for a week while taking in tax payer dollars for a gadget he doesn't need : "Disability fraud potential" written all over it, IN MY AND OTHER'S OPINION.
Better now mister touchy feely ?
This story stinks as much as this guy will next week on launch day.
So wait, it's safer for him to have a seizure on the sidewalk at 3 a.m. in front of the Apple Store instead of somewhere where he's being supervised by other people ?
Keep them dollars rolling for the "disabled".
No wonder we honest tax paying folk never get a break, the political correct crowd would prefer to live in a box under a bridge than risk offending some guy who pretends he's disabled, IN MY OPINION.
So while your giving sources for the "facts", please support your claim that he is "taking in tax payer dollars" that has ""Disability fraud potential" written all over it". For all we know his family is wealthy and he does not get any support from the government. He said he is disabled, not that he gets disability assistance. Please backup your claims with facts on that one. If you can't, please stop spewing about "honest tax paying folk never get a break". While that might be true in some reality, don't put that off on this guy unless you have proof that he gets assistance. Oh, and you might want to be careful implying someone is committing "Disability fraud" without proof. Would that be considered labile or slander?
You think sitting in a tent in the heat is a comparable skill set to doing any job?
What kind of job do you have?
Not necessarily .....
I live with a kid who suffers from a seizure disorder, so I'm a little familiar with it. (He's only 8 years old though.)
There are definitely some kinds of jobs you're simply not allowed to do anymore, once you're diagnosed with something like this. (For example, you're not allowed to drive - so delivery jobs, traveling sales, etc. are all out of the question.)
But most of the time, they're able to control the seizures with medication. If he's able to attend school (as he apparently was doing previously), and is able to camp out for a week straight in the heat, I'd say there's *no* good reason he can't do some kind of indoor, office job such as help desk/tech. support? He's already such a big Apple fan, it seems like he probably has the skill-set required to do basic support for these types of products?
Regardless, I don't hold it against someone if they want to camp out for a product release like this, but I'd never waste my time with it... For those who do, it's usually more about meeting new people and socializing than it is actually getting the product "a few hours/days before everyone else does". It's an *excuse* for a bunch of like-minded random strangers to get together in the same place for a little while, essentially.
I live with a kid who suffers from a seizure disorder, so I'm a little familiar with it. (He's only 8 years old though.)
There are definitely some kinds of jobs you're simply not allowed to do anymore, once you're diagnosed with something like this. (For example, you're not allowed to drive - so delivery jobs, traveling sales, etc. are all out of the question.)
But most of the time, they're able to control the seizures with medication. If he's able to attend school (as he apparently was doing previously), and is able to camp out for a week straight in the heat, I'd say there's *no* good reason he can't do some kind of indoor, office job such as help desk/tech. support? He's already such a big Apple fan, it seems like he probably has the skill-set required to do basic support for these types of products?
Regardless, I don't hold it against someone if they want to camp out for a product release like this, but I'd never waste my time with it... For those who do, it's usually more about meeting new people and socializing than it is actually getting the product "a few hours/days before everyone else does". It's an *excuse* for a bunch of like-minded random strangers to get together in the same place for a little while, essentially.
There is a difference between pointing out something someone said and explaining to them why it is wrong (exactly what you did in the first half of your post), and judging someone you haven't met based on details and belittling them is different than calling someone out for saying something ignorant. Those trying to help weren't judging others. There is indeed a difference.