• Timwi@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    0
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    8 months ago

    Genuine question: why don’t they just start the train? Best case, the cat jumps off. Worst case, it dies but the train continues. Is there something else? Is the presence of the cat on the roof a safety issue?

    Edit: I’m asking from the train operator’s perspective. Obviously we want the cat to be safe and well, but a train company with a timetable doesn’t care about that, so I wondered what’s actually stopping them from just starting the train and potentially killing the cat.

      • Timwi@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        I would love for that to be the real reason but I severely doubt that it is. I’m curious about the real reason.

      • Timwi@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        No, I don’t think it’s acceptable. But my question wasn’t about me, nor about ethics. There’s no way a train operator with a timetable cares about animal well-being or any other question of ethics. I’m curious what the real reason is.

        • Skipper_the_Eyechild@lemmings.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          edit-2
          8 months ago

          Why on earth would a train operator care about timetables over basic ethics? They are human beings, not robots, you know?

          The controller and driver both get paid either way, and I’m sure the train driver is used getting home late on occasion - and I expect they get overtime pay, so he may well be laughing anyway.

          And the controller, or whatever they’re called, will just be seeing it as a PR issue. The slight lost money on the refunds (that passengers actually bother to put through) is easily worth the good PR.

          Edit: Missed random words, impatient brain running too fast for fingers.

          • Timwi@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            arrow-down
            3
            ·
            8 months ago

            I do applaud your optimism. Wish I could have that same rosy view. Unfortunately company executives have shown time and again their true motives. You are of course correct that they are not robots; however, studies do show that they are disproportionately psychopathic compared to the general population, and the behavior of companies often reflects that quite visibly. Profits and the interests of stakeholders always take priority over basic human decency. It would definitely be refreshing if that is not the case here.

            • dependencyinjection@discuss.tchncs.de
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              ·
              8 months ago

              You’re missing a fundamental part here. The company execs are not the ones deciding whether to delay a train with a cat on the roof.

              That’s the driver and conductor, who are paid hourly or salaried. The execs don’t even know there is a cat on the roof.

    • Madlaine@feddit.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      0
      ·
      8 months ago

      This could lead to traumatized customers and a bad image as heartless company.

      (or be a total win if the cat stays on top and became the new mascot; but guess they don’t want to take the risk)

      • Timwi@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        I think your answer is probably the most plausible compared to the others. It’s a public image issue. That makes sense.

      • Timwi@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        0
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        8 months ago

        I just really don’t think that they would care. It’s easier to spin it as, “We didn’t know the cat was there, what a tragedy” than to appease all the passengers who are now late and frustrated.

        • Skipper_the_Eyechild@lemmings.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          0
          ·
          edit-2
          8 months ago

          Why do you hate train drivers so much!?

          A small delay for a single train, on a network of thousands, is not enough for the “evil train company” employees, that you seem to think that they all for some reason.

          The world isn’t quite as black and white as you seem to believe it is!

          • Timwi@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            0
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            8 months ago

            One, it’s not the train drivers calling the shots here; the train drivers (like all employees) are stringently controlled by management.

            Two, it’s not “hate” to observe that companies just don’t care about ethics and well-being. I thought most of us agreed on this, even the company executives themselves: when ethics conflict with profits, profits are always the higher priority.

            Three, this isn’t what “black and white” means.