Frenchman Uses Spidey-Sense to scale Times building and fight global warming
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 06. 5.08
photo by NYT's Sewell Chan
Never a dull moment in New York City or at the New York Times ... an avid building-scaler, with an obvious passion for the environment, attempted today to draw more attention to the issue of global warming, with a breathtaking, and illegal, act of daredevilry.
Around noon today, in New York City, a 46 year-old named Alain Robert, known to the world as "the French Spiderman," climbed 52 stories in an attempt to unfurl a green banner that was illegible from the sidewalk, but readable from the office buildings. The banner proclaimed: "Global warming kills more people than 9/11 every week." Robert was also wearing a t-shirt with his website thesolutionissimple.org on it.
For Robert, who has made a career out of urban climbing, having in the past climbed buildings such as the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, and the Eiffel Tower and Montparnasse Tower both in his native Paris, the Times building itself, with it's ladder-like exterior, would probably have been an easy climb. He was doing it to make a statement--though TH questions whether making a comparison that implicitly downplays 9/11 was an effective way to do it in New York City. (Readers??!)
Robert was apprehended by police at the end of his climb as he reached the roof. As he was being led away in handcuffs, he told a Times reporter that he had chosen the NYT's headquarters because it is a green building, which he said was "a fantastic step." Robert continued to talk about global warming as he was led away. He said he believed that scaling a prominent news building would ensure more climate change coverage. The environmentally sensitive Times building is sheathed in distinctive rods which are intended to diffuse sunlight, but also allowed for easier climbing for Mr. Roberts. Who knew?
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I think it's ridiculous to think he meant disrespect to the dead. Why is it such a taboo to talk about this event in any way borderline critical? It's being enshrined in such a way and kept in our minds to keep up support for the so-called war on terror.
Now imagine how much better off we'd be if the money wasted on war was better spent on fixing climate change.
I don't think his statement was offensive. He referenced a tragedy that is tangible to the people reading his sign. People can conjure up their 9-11 feelings and apply some of them to this cause.
9-11 was a horrific, terrible tragedy, but it may help some of us to put it in perspective.
The lives lost that day pale in comparison to the lives lost in Iraq - both US and Iraqi lives. Shouldn't we be feeling more devastated by the lives lost post-9-11 than we are? Shouldn't we be feeling more devastated by the lives lost to preventable degradation of our planet i.e. global warming?
This stunt wasted a lot of energy in lost productivity and energy due to its coverage.
All practitioners of civil disobedience should receive and serve maximum allowable sentences. By committing civil disobedience it is implicit that the perpetrator is willing to suffer the consequences.
Yes, how come this guy isn't in jail with the key thrown away?
Climing all those buidings in all those countries? Let him try it in China for human rights... see what happens.
I remember things feel off the Times Building at an alarming rate when it was windy outside.
9/11 ? A lot of people lost close family members and friends. It is wrong to latch on to it, Demicans, Republicrats, either way.
We also have a short memory. A few months after the 1993 bombing, all that was there was a few barricades. Everyone basically forgot that the guys tried to blow up the buildings with a rental truck bomb with the barbaric hopes of knocking them down. After a few more years, people will forget, not the families mind you, but the policy makers, the general public at large, all those people who don't have jobs and are full time protestors.
War in Iraq? Not a good idea to waste our lives, just use cruise missles and drones, terrorists don't seem to care about collateral damage why should we?
vsk
Glidedon, I think you've missed the point....
Glidedon just screams troll. I highly suggest ignoring his comment and keeping on topic:
Alain Robert has done a number of extrodinary stunts climbing buildings. I don't follow him so I don't know if this is his first activist approach toward a cause, but I think it's pretty neat of him to do so. No worries by the way, he climbs buildings in every country of the world and has never spent a night in jail, they release him with warnings since he poses no threat to others, even in China.
As for the 9/11 thing, I can't see what people would get worked up about. Honestly, the world's problem of figuring out how to survive is far more important than a single event in recent history.
The 9/11 thing gets many people worked up because the memory is raw to those that lost loved ones.
How about someone latching on the the Holocaust to promote their idea? How would that fly?
I guess if you haven't seen the scene (in NYC), smelled the stench for weeks, and consoled the surviving victims, you wouldn't see the reason to get worked up. It just becomes another car accident on the side of the road where no one knew anyone.
I know there are monumental goals to achieve but there are other ways to get the message out. I read great ones here every day.
vsk
"Climbing all those buildings in all those countries? Let him try it in China for human rights... see what happens."
Actually, he was jailed for five days and banned from China for five years if I recall correctly.
I do not know if he stated a reason for climbing in China however.
I didn't scream anything.
It's just my opinion . Is free speech not allowed on this site or is it just branded as trolling?
Stirling, please enlighten me.
Glidedon, free speech is you having the right to post reactionary statements at the same time as someone else having the right to brand you for trolling.
the lives lost on Sept 11th was not devalued by this comparison, they are devalued by the governments reaction to the situation, in the same way that Israel does not do their ancestors proud through persecuting the Palestinians.
if two human lives are of equal value then this comment is both legitimate and important.