It’s not often I get to post a good news follow-up to an earlier story. Regular BABloggees will no doubt remember the saga of Shannon Malloy, a young woman who was in a nasty car accident which nearly killed her. Her harrowing story was written up in a local newspaper, and I took some exception to the article’s reliance on superstition.
A relatively nasty dust-up followed as peoples’ emotions flared. Shannon herself as well as her friends and family got involved. I took some time to think through the situation, and decided to apologize, post a followup (which got a modicum of attention), and then, in an effort to turn a negative into a positive, set up a donation button on the blog here to collect money for Shannon’s extremely expensive recuperation.
This all happened in May, but with my move to Colorado, I couldn’t pursue this until my bank account got set up, I got PayPal to acknowledge I had moved, blah blah blah. But anyway, it’s now all done. I tallied up the donations, and I am very, very pleased to announce that $2250 has been sent to the Shannon Malloy Recovery Fund!
I’m still a little embarrassed about the whole situation, but I’m also incredibly uplifted to see so many people take the time to toss in a few bucks to help Shannon out. I’m very proud of my readers. Ya done good.
I just discovered Shannon has a blog, where we can all keep track of her progress, too.
June 25th, 2007 at 9:42 am
So will we ever find out just who was responsible for the accident??
(…and before everyone “jumps” on me, I’m just asking a question.)
June 25th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
That’s fantastic news. Your readers are very generous.
You ought to try another appeal sometime.
June 25th, 2007 at 5:02 pm
It’s okay to be a bit embarassed, Phil. But you did the right thing (IMO) in apologizing. That’s more than many in your position would (or have) done.
June 25th, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Halleluiah! It’s a miracle.
June 26th, 2007 at 6:49 am
> I took some time to think through the situation, and decided to apologize
I hear ya. When you’re justified in demeaning people and condescending to them it’s just tough to know where to draw the line sometimes. They are Christians after all and not worthy of much respect. Being so stupid that they have a laughably inaccurate view of the world and are just too stubborn, and stupid, to abandon those beliefs when confronted with sneering derision.
I guess they’re just a cross that has to be borne.
But I sense an opportunity to do a little science.
Here’s the phenomenon that’s in need of an explanatory hypothesis: Putting aside the self-indulgent, not to mention way too convenient, assumption of intellectual defect what mechanism would explain fundamentalist Christian’s preference for biblical interpretation over the results of investigation? I assume that the obvious circularity of stupidity as an explanation for biblical belief and biblical belief as evidence of stupidity is sufficient to remove it from consideration? Good.
I’ll prime the pump with another, I feel, related phenomenon which I’ve come to refer too as the reverse Heisenberg Uncertainty principle. It posits that the mere consideration of the phenomenon previously described changes the observer. Specifically, it reduces the likelihood of finding yourself acting like a shmuck because of your intellectual superiority.
June 26th, 2007 at 11:45 am
Wow.
2 grand is raised for a woman needing medical treatment and all Allen can do is to whine about perceived persecution of Christians, yada yada yada.
Oh, and for the record, Christians (and anyone else) don’t deserve any automatic respect for sticking to their beliefs unless those beliefs can be justified by reasoned argument.
On the other hand, people who give generously to a woman in need who they have never met, have earned my respect.
June 26th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
That’s about $2200 more than I thought you’d get for her. As Lazarus Long (or was it Robert Heinlein?) said, “If contemplating an act of altruism, pause to consider your motives, if it still feels good indulge in it.”
June 26th, 2007 at 5:55 pm
Troy: we’re skeptics not cynics. The amount raised shows that there’s a big difference between the two.
June 27th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I just want to say thank you to everyone who donated. We’re on the road to arranging eye surgery for Shannon. The human race is amazing - and Shannon is so very appreciative of Dr. Phil’s efforts and everyone’s kind responses.
Those who say they depend on science to base opinions should read before they speak. I believe science is fact gathering, not assumption. I don’t recall a mention anywhere of Shannon’s religious affiliations. Just saying so, that’s all. No offense taken.
Phil - we’ll send you photos when her eyes are straightened out! Remember - we’re only 30 miles away. We’d love to meet you sometime and say our thanks in person!
Shannon’s Mom
December 14th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
To all the people who are grandstanding at this poor woman account shame on you, if you stop and look at a real individual maybe you’ll realize there is more to them then what you see on the outside god bless shannon malloys spirit.