Book reviews, art, gaming, Objectivism and thoughts on other topics as they occur.

Aug 14, 2006

Cool Video Clip

If you're at all curious about what I do for a living, click on the link above and watch the video from Fox News 19; about halfway through the clip there will be some footage from a "Lab in Dayton" . . . the girl sitting on the window in the blue scrubs is Jackie, she works in my room. (The lady in the back in the green scrubs and white jacket is my team leader, Nan, but she's only visible for a second or two.) I wasn't in the video because I was at lunch. We had a package left to do that day and the video crew showing up delayed us. Still, it's kind of nifty.

Personally, I'm in favor of offering money for tissue and organ (and blood) donations, but since that's currently illegal and not likely to change any time soon, I'm registered as an organ and tissue donor. When there's really no rational reason to go one way or another on an issue (and I don't consider refusing to donate on principle because you're not allowed to get paid for it a rational reason) I figure generosity can't hurt. After all, I'll be dead, so what do I care about what they do with my, well, meat? Heck, I spend my working hours taking apart other people's earthy remains, it's sort of like poetic justice if I insist that they get a crack at me as well.

Okay, so it's kind of a tasteless joke, but there just aren't any other kind in this business, and you have to laugh about it at least a little, otherwise you'll go mad.

5 comments:

Robert said...

Interesting. So do you think you have any sort of duty to make your body available for use of its organs by others after death? What if the thought of that happening makes you feel bad now? Certainly there's no good reason why such a thought should be distressing, and such feelings could be a sign of irrational emotions, but I'm not sure I would come right out and say that everyone should become a donor, however it makes them feel.

Anonymous said...

Yes, cool -- thanks for posting this. So that's where you work. You should post of picture of yourself in scrubs!

Jennifer Snow said...

Duty? I don't think any such thing exists. Note that I said, since you are forbidden by law from materially benefitting by trading your organs or other body parts, there's NO RATIONAL REASON to decide either way. So, basically, you should go with whichever option appeals to you, for WHATEVER irrational reason. You're not hurting anyone by not donating, and you'll never know about helping anyone if you DO donate.

It pleases ME to donate because I work for an organization that relies on donations, and I think it'd be hypocritical of me to not do what I depend on other people doing.

Jennifer Snow said...

I don't have a camera, Mom.

Mike said...

I have no objection at all to letting people profit what way they may by assets which cannot possibly remain of any value for myself or my family to possess.