<p>EK–True, but krakauer really goes over this in the book. He quotes the skeptics, who were legion because the kid was an easy target (let’s pick on the stupid college kid.) But Krakauer examines all the facts and concludes that he really wasn’t taking undue risks. Yes, he was wrong–we all at times do run into something we can’t deal with on our own. Life itself is a risk. My SIL who was killed by a reckless driver coudln’t protect herself from that. But Alex knew the reasonable risks to look out for–all our lives would be perfect if in hindsight we could go back and change the one thing we didn’t foresee, yet we all overlook things every day, because no one can anticipate everything.</p>
<p>Alex became an easy target for others who like to feel superior, and Krakauer disputes that point of view.</p>
<p>I guess I am irked by this FEAR that some people have for cities, this notion that they are dangerous, scary places to be avoided…seeing parents post that they are discouraging their students from going to “city” schools because the parents are so scared</p>
<p>Why irked?
Living on the ocean, I know plenty of people who won’t step foot in the water for fear of sharks and jellyfish. They think my kids out there bobbing around on surfboards are taking ridiculous risks, and won’t allow theirs to surf. It doesn’t irk me, though. Live and let live.</p>
<p>CGM, why should you feel irked? Are people criticizing you for allowing your daughter to attend a college in an urban area? Just ignore them! As doubleplay says, live and let live.</p>
<p>I like living a suburban life style, but I also like going into the city. I don’t know that I could actually LIVE in a really urban area, but I’ve always liked the idea of walking to a market or Starbucks. The general noise and hustle and bustle would get on my nerves in the long run, but I understand the attraction of city life. I also think it would be interesting to live in the Rockies or back in the northwest. But it shouldn’t matter to anyone what others choose to do.</p>
<p>Like a lot things each person has potential and has (or has not) reached that potential … same for becoming street smart as bunch of other things.</p>
<p>I have met some brilliant people that didn’t have a street smart bone in their body; whatever experiences and advice they get they will still be lost in the physical world of today and now as their minds remain in their thoughts and other places.</p>
<p>I have also met lots of grounded people who with exposure and experience will adjust well to virtually any environment.</p>
<p>Two thousand miles isn’t much of an exaggeration – Jackson Hole, Wyoming is just about 2,200 miles from Albany, NY. I might have been off if paying3tuitions was talking about Buffalo, but not by more than 10%. (I didn’t go to a map and measure, and I just knew someone would quibble about this.)</p>
<p>I think that absent mindedness is not so uncommon in professors with other things on their minds. One of our most gifted profs amazed us. His rolodex was always open to this phone number :</p>