Internet Shames College Girl Who Might Lose Limbs After Passing Out on a Minnesota Porch

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/victim-shaming-alyssa-jo-lommel ^

[MNDude]

Sad news broke earlier this week of a college student in Minnesota who may lose her limbs after spending the night on a porch in sub-zero temperatures. If there's one thing you can count on with a story like this, it's for anonymous Internet commenters to indulge in some nasty victim-shaming.

And while some folks offered support and good wishes, many others just couldn't help but get judgemental — shaming both Lommel and the friends who drove off without checking she'd got inside:

(picture of comments shown at link)

[MNDude]

I’d say almost all of us have done really dumb things before when we were young.

I’ve learned there’s usually little sympathy for a drunk.

I remember when I was in National Guards, this guy got drunk at night time and pooped his pants. He got made fun of so much after that, that he quit our unit!

[the OlLine Rebel]

That’s what happens when you’re drunk.

Alcohol is so overrated.

[Trailerpark Badass]

I was drunk plenty at 19, the difference being that I still had the echo of society's voice in my head telling me that wanton drunkenness is bad, and maybe that was what kept me from having that 10th tequila shot.

Maybe this poor girl honestly didn't know getting drunk beyond reason is a bad idea, especially for young, inexperienced girls.

I guess maybe she should feel fortunate some predator with a warm car didn't happen by.

A rule I live by: things can always get worse.

[PowderMonkey]

"...Lommel in only a sweater, jeans and Ugg boots."

She's lucky to be alive. Alcohol appears to have been only part of the problem. Many times I've seen the "endless summer" kids on their way to university classes in mid-winter wearing cargo shorts, beach sandals, and a sweatshirt. Fine, if not delayed getting from point A to point B. Otherwise, it could be tragic. My first encounter with frostbite was on the campus of the University of Nebraska, during a fifteen minute walk from classes to dorm in -70 degree windchill. Later that week, two of my classmates froze to death in their stranded vehicle on the interstate highway. They were wearing only varsity jackets, T-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. It really doesn't take much to get yourself killed. Lessons in preparedness I've never forgotten.

[frogjerk]

especially, for a woman to be drunk. very bad

[JudyinCanada]

I agree.

Very few have never had a stupid evening of drinking too much when they’re young.

A bad hangover, embarrassment, broken relationship, etc., are all deserved and punishment enough, and would hopefully teach a lesson.

To lose your limbs would be devastating. I once over-indulged (not by a lot) when I was about 22 years old. The laws against drinking and driving were nowhere near what they are now. I, and I’m ashamed to admit it, got behind the wheel of a car. Every time I think of this I shudder, and give thanks that I didn’t hurt anyone, or myself. I learned and never did it again.

I hope this poor girl doesn’t have to pay such a dear price for her very stupid mistake.

[poobear]

This could be anyone’s daughter. Anyone’s baby. I have no use for social media. This poor young woman. Prayers.

[Pollster1]

She's young and did something stupid, and her friends let her down by not looking out for her. She's already paying a high price, physically. Stop rubbing her nose in it and humiliating her, she's looking at potential quadriplegia.

I think it's a question of the purpose for criticizing her decisions and the effect of that criticism. If it's about saying she's an idiot, that's true but doesn't do any good to point out now. If it's about holding her up as an example for our 16-25 y/o kids as a reason to (1) stay reasonably sober, and (2) look out for friends who do get drunk, then criticizing her actions and the actions of her friends is a good thing.

[RegulatorCountry]

The consequences of her error alone are object lesson enough without tearing into the girl herself.

[the OlLine Rebel]

Everyone gets angry at someone for driving drunk. If they are the only actual victim, no one offers much sympathy. They could lose limbs from the crash. But if they are outside a car, being drunk is OK and anything that happens is a mere shame.

Actually it is a damn shame for this person. A lot to suffer. But strictly in terms of “what choice is smart”, she made the wrong choices. As did her friends. Being drunk is not smart, no matter how you slice it.

[Anton.Rutter]

In olden times complete strangers would consider it their duty to make sure an unescorted lady got home safe.

Back when we were less civilized. Lord, help her.

[happyhomemaker]

Prayers for this girl. She made a mistake and now will have to pay for it the rest of her life.

[AnAmericanMother]

That's a steep price to pay for being young and stupid, and having young and stupid friends.

But it could be worse - years ago, I was involved in a similar case where a bunch of drunken high schoolers were horsing around and one of them fell off the hood of a car and hit his head.

His friends thought he was just drunk and dropped him off at his house, but didn't check to make sure he got inside.

His father found him on the doorstep in the morning, dead. Subdural hematoma.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

“Internet commenters to indulge in some nasty victim-shaming.”

Victim shaming, slut shaming... The libtards cant stand anyone feeling shame for anything. Shame is what keeps people from behaving badly. We need MUCH MUCH more of it.

[NormsRevenge]

It’s an all too frequent occurrence , a number of youngsters have died as well over the years.

Sad.

[trisham]

Your father taught you well. It seems to me lately, that young people today take too many chances. I hope that this poor girl recovers.

[boop]

"But bottom line, the friends should have stayed until the door opened. You are assuming her friends were sober and clear-thinking."

That's what I was thinking. Plenty of irresponsible behavior going around.

Guaranteed that her friends were plenty drunk, too.

It's a real shame that this happened.

She's lucky that she didn't die.

Lots of details left out of this story. Was this her apartment? Her parent's home? Why could she not find her keys?

At some point, I would have hoped she would have pounded on the door and woke her parents up. Sure, they'd be pissed, but it beats having a nearly dead daughter.

If it was her apartment/house, at some point, I'd think you'd break out a window to get inside.

Of course the whole being so drunk that you passed out for 9 hours is REALLY disturbing.

That is a TON of alcohol.

Even if the weather was warm, she was close to alcohol poisoning or death by that alone.

[poobear]

Yes. I have a daughter. This is a devastating and horrible thing. We can look after our children but can only Pray they make the right choices.

“Oh, Lord and Heavenly Father, please spare this child. In the Name of the Father and of The Son and of The Holy Spirit, Amen.”

[erod]

I remember when I went to the University of Iowa and an acquaintance of a friend passed out in a snow bank in the middle of January. Long story short, the guy died freezing to death. This stuff happens, and that story was enough to scare me to death and make sure I got my ass home every weekend after a night of partying.

[IronJack]

I was a sophomore in high school, driving home from a basketball game in a buddy's car, when another bud flagged us down. We got out and found one of the freshman girls -- a very attractive and popular one at that -- passed out drunk as a skunk in a snowbank. No coat, no gloves, no hat. We debated what to do with her, but in the end, we picked her up, poured her into the car, and drove around for the next four hours until she sobered up enough to throw up on all of us and stagger to the front door of her parents' house.

To this day, I can smell the reek of the sloe gin mess she yakked up in my buddy's ride. But we saw her to the door regardless.

I have no idea what her parents did to her ... And she doesn't know how close she came to being molested. We were all tempted, and we were actually pretty decent boys. But we were also teenage boys ...

In the end, we did the right thing. It would have been very easy not to.