• Liz@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      3 months ago

      Uh, yeah, that’s how engineered safety systems work. House fires have been getting rarer in the developed world because building materials have become less flammable (among other reasons). We didn’t just blame the people who started the fire, we also changed their environment to make it less flammable.

      Yes, the boat is partially to blame, but the bridge should have also been able to withstand the impact.

        • Liz@midwest.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          3 months ago

          It was a good joke, 10/10. But as you can see from this thread, we have a tendency to only blame the obvious action that directly led to the problem. That’s good and necessary (we will find out why this boat lost power) but we should also look at any secondary ways to reduce the impact of failure.

          I am actually fun at parties, you’ll have to believe me. Engineered safety systems isn’t a common conversation topic at parties.