Question C

[Jonetta]

Doug’s stubbornness helped create the desperate situation the group found themselves in after they got lost and caught in the blizzard. Could any of them have handled the situation differently? Have you ever found yourself bullied into going along with someone even when you knew better?

[Melissa]

I think they were all out of their elements and no one would have handled it any better.

[Jonetta]

What amazed me was how their instincts were telling them that Doug’s judgment was questionable but went along with him to appease his ego. I know I’ve done stuff like this that I later regretted except with respect to directions. I’m pretty aggressive about my good sense of direction. In a snow storm, I wouldn’t have taken the chance.

[Christina T]

In my younger years I often just went a long with the crowd but after reaching my 30's and even more now that I'm in my mid 40's I'm very opinionated and strong willed. I would not have just gone along with Doug, However I know many people who would have ended up in the same predicament.

If only one strong person, in addition to Maura, had been there to say "this is wrong Doug stop" earlier on the outcome would have been considerably different and Doug and his little girl would not have died.

[Jonetta]

No way would I have let Doug have his way with the directions for the whole group. Part of the problem was Maura being with a group of people she didn’t know. It changes your behavior, trying to be polite. They paid a terrible price for following this ego-driven fool.