Madness and modern life

I remember years ago, while reading a magazine on the subway, being violently shoved to the ground by an otherwise ordinary looking man. He proceeded to scream at me about how wicked reading was. Clearly the man was deranged and I forgot about the incident until reading the story below. Modern life has many opportunities for danger -- we rely upon strangers to behave in accordance with normal rules -- to stop at red lights, not to throw bricks off apartment balconies, not to shove people off sidewalks into traffic. Usually we are right in this reliance but sometimes madness takes control.

Accused of pushing teens into path of train, man appears in court
JOSH WINGROVE
Globe and Mail Update with Canadian Press

TORONTO — A psychiatric evaluation has been ordered for a middle-aged man accused of shoving three teens in the path of an oncoming Toronto subway train. In an apparent unprovoked attack, a man pushed the teens toward the train, two narrowly escaping serious injury when they landed on the tracks.

Adenir DeOliveira, 47, of Toronto, appeared in court Saturday and was remanded in custody until a bail hearing Tuesday. Dressed in yellow sweatshirt, khaki pants and sporting dishevelled grey hair, the man was present for five minutes while the court made the order.

Chaos unfolded at Toronto's west-end Dufferin station during the height of rush hour Friday when a man violently disrupted the teens, who were out celebrating a birthday.
James Morton
1100 - 5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4