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Comment by 0des | Hacker News Reader

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0des·

Very few jumped in 9/11? Are you kidding me? I personally saw many with my own eyes.

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I’m so sorry to hear that. That must’ve been an awful experience

As a percentage it wasn't high. Dozens I think?

Maybe 100 jumpers out of 3000 deaths?

In the worst situation imaginable.

I call that an endorsement for humanity's innate desire to grasp at life.

> as a percentage

Buddy I don't even know where to start here, while being polite.

This is basic numeracy. Looking at several instances of something and asking "Is that a lot?" It was many more suicides than you have seen on an average day but it may be a surprisingly small number given the situation. Percentage is a tool to help you ask "did the many incidents I heard about represent what most people there experienced, or not?"

I should've have had "this is a symbolism for how wonderful human beings are" at the start

These were my exact thoughts. Even in a tragedy, most people tried their hardest until the very end.

> Maybe 100 jumpers out of 3000 deaths?

How many of those 3000 were not able to reach the windows?

Keep in mind many 9/11 victims wouldn't have been able to get to a window or break it out. And many would have succumbed to the smoke and not had the chance. Also, one isn't going to commit suicide if they think they are still going to be rescued by the firefighters they knew were on their way. Contrast that with a month of seemingly irrational lockdown with no end in sight because 0-covid is futile.

I don't even understand the point you're trying to help defend. You know a story about suicide must be fake news because suicide isn't a thing that happens? Really?

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