Has increased/improved media presence helped to ritualize death?

[nublikescake]

Not that there aren't rituals in every culture concerning death but these days, it seems that we, as a global society, come together every now and then to "mourn" the loss of lives (whether the cause of death may be an accident or disease or violence) without any real sorrow or attachment to the ones who lost their lives. Shortly afterwards, we go back to our lives as if it never happened. Of course, my premise is that it's a result of the omnipresence of broadcast media and the Internet in today's world which help people "consume" news and make them feel that there's never enough of it. Have you noticed this "trend" or am I the only one?

 

[Perknose]

I think "increased/improved media presence" has trivialized death. We have a media grown fat peddling the pornography of tragedy and violence.

 

[nublikescake]

Isn't that one of the consequences of the "ritualization" of death?

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: Perknose
I think "increased/improved media presence" has trivialized death. We have a media grown fat peddling the pornography of tragedy and violence.

Well in that case, slap my ass and call me a slut.

 

[nublikescake]

bump

 

[Perknose]

Originally posted by: Regs

Originally posted by: Perknose
I think "increased/improved media presence" has trivialized death. We have a media grown fat peddling the pornography of tragedy and violence.

Well in that case, slap my ass and call me a slut.

Only if we can tape it and show it on the 11 o'clock news under "community affairs."

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: Perknose
I think "increased/improved media presence" has trivialized death. We have a media grown fat peddling the pornography of tragedy and violence.

It isn't their fault, people want to watch/discuss it. Hence this thread. I personally don't give a flying fuck about the plane crash.

 

[shiner]

Originally posted by: Perknose
I think "increased/improved media presence" has trivialized death. We have a media grown fat peddling the pornography of tragedy and violence.

Hmmm...who knew that 6/3/2009 would be the day Hell froze over?

 

[Modelworks]

There was a whole psych study done on the topic of where do people lose identity with victims. They found that if they sent out a letter with pictures of children the results were about %40 of the people donated. If they sent out a letter with a single child pictured the donations went up to %70. Notice in the media how something like a single child missing, or the case where the child fell down the well made headlines and had people extremely interested, but if 10 people die in a car wreck its a passing news item and people go about their day. They said they found that there is a threshold for people in how many people it takes for them to lose the ability to relate to the group as being individual people, instead it becomes one group that died, not 10 people.

It is backwards from how it should be, people should get more upset if 10 people die vs 1, but that isn't how humanity works most of the time.

 

[compuwiz1]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: Perknose
I think "increased/improved media presence" has trivialized death. We have a media grown fat peddling the pornography of tragedy and violence.

It isn't their fault, people want to watch/discuss it. Hence this thread. I personally don't give a flying fuck about the plane crash.

Well it was flying, I just don't know about the fuck part of it. 😉

And TB I accidentally hit the mod edit button, hence the mod edit.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

Honestly, raising livestock did it for me. When your pets are chickens and there's dogs and mountian lions in the area... well... odds are you're going to be dealing with a death every now and then.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: compuwiz1

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: Perknose
I think "increased/improved media presence" has trivialized death. We have a media grown fat peddling the pornography of tragedy and violence.

It isn't their fault, people want to watch/discuss it. Hence this thread. I personally don't give a flying fuck about the plane crash.

Well it was flying, I just don't know about the fuck part of it. 😉

And TB I accidentally hit the mod edit button, hence the mod edit.

You bastard! 🙂 And yes, the pun was intentional.

 

[nublikescake]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
There was a whole psych study done on the topic of where do people lose identity with victims. They found that if they sent out a letter with pictures of children the results were about %40 of the people donated. If they sent out a letter with a single child pictured the donations went up to %70. Notice in the media how something like a single child missing, or the case where the child fell down the well made headlines and had people extremely interested, but if 10 people die in a car wreck its a passing news item and people go about their day. They said they found that there is a threshold for people in how many people it takes for them to lose the ability to relate to the group as being individual people, instead it becomes one group that died, not 10 people.

It is backwards from how it should be, people should get more upset if 10 people die vs 1, but that isn't how humanity works most of the time.

Interesting.

 

[DayLaPaul]

Originally posted by: Modelworks
There was a whole psych study done on the topic of where do people lose identity with victims. They found that if they sent out a letter with pictures of children the results were about %40 of the people donated. If they sent out a letter with a single child pictured the donations went up to %70. Notice in the media how something like a single child missing, or the case where the child fell down the well made headlines and had people extremely interested, but if 10 people die in a car wreck its a passing news item and people go about their day. They said they found that there is a threshold for people in how many people it takes for them to lose the ability to relate to the group as being individual people, instead it becomes one group that died, not 10 people.

It is backwards from how it should be, people should get more upset if 10 people die vs 1, but that isn't how humanity works most of the time.

What was it that Stalin said? One death is a tragedy, 1 million is a statistic.

 

[RU482]

"...she can tell you about a plane crash, with a gleam in her eye.."

 

[BoomerD]

People just don't fucking care. Sure, they'll make the appropriate,"Oh, that's terrible" noises, then return to the latest crap show on television. As long as the tragedy doesn't directly affect them...no one really cares.

 

[grrl]

What bothers me most about such tragedies is the sensationalisation. like this headline from the New York Times:

Among the Victims on Air France Flight, Doctors, Dancers and Royalty

Am I really supposed to care more about a professional, artist or royalty than, say, a Brazilian truck driver?

 

[nublikescake]

Originally posted by: grrl
What bothers me most about such tragedies is the sensationalisation. like this headline from the New York Times:

Among the Victims on Air France Flight, Doctors, Dancers and Royalty

Am I really supposed to care more about a professional, artist or royalty than, say, a Brazilian truck driver?

I guess it's more to grab people's attention than to imply that one is more important than the other.

 

[yuchai]

Originally posted by: nublikescake

Originally posted by: grrl
What bothers me most about such tragedies is the sensationalisation. like this headline from the New York Times:

Among the Victims on Air France Flight, Doctors, Dancers and Royalty

Am I really supposed to care more about a professional, artist or royalty than, say, a Brazilian truck driver?

I guess it's more to grab people's attention than to imply that one is more important than the other.

It's kind of the same thing though - people tend to pay more attention to stuff that is more important.

 

[daniel1113]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
People just don't fucking care. Sure, they'll make the appropriate,"Oh, that's terrible" noises, then return to the latest crap show on television. As long as the tragedy doesn't directly affect them...no one really cares.

This will sound somewhat cold, but this leads to the question: why should we care? Most media-labeled tragedies are not really tragic, and walking around "caring" won't change anything. I would rather be around people that don't appear to care than those that make the appropriate noises, as you mention.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: RU482
"...she can tell you about a plane crash, with a gleam in her eye.."

"It's interesting when people die, gives us dirty laundry..."

I think about that song every time one of these threads comes up.
News is about the same thing as everything else on television, ratings.
Tragedy brings in the ratings so you see tons of stories that focus on it.

 

[BoomerD]

The Indian Ocean tsunami is a prime example of this. Something like a quarter of a million people died...sure, people donated to the relief effort...but overall, no one cared.

 

[skace]

I'm sorry, but this thread should require this song shouldn't it?

Eye on the the TV
'Cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavor it happens to be, like...
"Killed by the husband"
"Drowned by the ocean"
"Shot by his own son"
"She used a poison in his tea...kissed him goodbye"
That's my kind of story
It's no fun 'til someone dies

Don't look at me like I am a monster
Frown out your one face, but with the other
Stare like a junkie into the TV
Stare like a zombie
While the mother holds her child, watches them die
Hands to the sky crying, "Why, oh why?"

Cause I need to watch things die...from a distance
Vicariously I live while the whole world dies
You all need it too, don't lie

Why can't we just admit it?
Why can't we just admit it?
We won't give pause until the blood is flowing
Neither the brave nor bold
Will write as the story's told
We won't give pause until the blood is flowing

I need to watch things die...from a good safe distance
Vicariously I live while the whole world dies
You all feel the same, so...

Why can't we just admit it?

Blood like rain come down
Drum on grave and ground

Part vampire
Part warrior
Carnivore and Voyeur
Stare at the transmitter
Synced to the death rattle

La, la, la, la, la, la-la-lie (x4)

Credulous at best your desire to believe in
Angels in the hearts of men
Pull your head on out your hippie haze and give a listen
Shouldn't have to say it all again
The universe is hostile, so impersonal
Devour to survive... so it is, so it's always been

We all feed on tragedy
It's like blood to a vampire

Vicariously I live while the whole world dies
Much better you than I

 

[ultimatebob]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
The Indian Ocean tsunami is a prime example of this. Something like a quarter of a million people died...sure, people donated to the relief effort...but overall, no one cared.

Yeah... but those were mostly poor people who couldn't afford plane tickets.

 

[nublikescake]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob

Originally posted by: BoomerD
The Indian Ocean tsunami is a prime example of this. Something like a quarter of a million people died...sure, people donated to the relief effort...but overall, no one cared.

Yeah... but those were mostly poor people who couldn't afford plane tickets.

:thumbsdown: