When Ki-Suck Han stood directly in the path of an oncoming subway train in NYC, freelance camera man, R. Umar Abbasi, knew he had struck gold. He suggests that 20 or so seconds elapsed before the train slammed into Han.  Like any rational person, he decided he would do his part and try to halt the subway train by getting the conductors attention from the flash of his camera while capturing pictures of the man facing eminent death. While his attempts at saving the man failed, he had managed to stay steady enough for a great picture.

Abassi shows the entrepreneurial fervor and dedication to hard work that conservatives love. He didn’t see man whose life would end in a matter of seconds. He saw a chance to make a buck. And he did just that by selling the photo to the new York post who I’m sure sold a lot of newspapers after they sprawled the photo across the front page.

Abassi had nothing to gain in helping the man. From his perspective, he would have lost in the end because he wouldn’t have been able to sell the photo. He was just doing his job. Every man for himself. Dog eat dog.