[Warlock]

This is kinna sad. I came home today around 3:45pm, to find 3 News trucks, 5 squad cars and a Forensics unit surrounding the set of apartments at the end of my building (bout 50 feet from us). Found out they suspect it was some domestic mess, with 2 dead (boyfriend and girlfriend) and one slightly hurt that was sent to the hospital. What really makes this sad, is aside from the whole "WTF is going on here" it didn't bother me.

Now mind you, I've never lived in an area where murders happen right up the road, hell this is the first one within 5 miles of me. Also we're suppossedly one of the 'safer' communities in the area (Won some community of the year award for 3 years ) but I guess since there's always at least one report on the news about a murder every night, it's just become "a part of life".

What do you guys think ? Think hearing bout these things on the news so such just gives us all the "Oh well, not my family" view on it all?

[Nico]

Well, for me, that would be the same: it's not someone I know? Then that's fine. I can't mourn every death I hear of, even if it happens around. Yeah, I know, I'm a feelingless bastard.

[Warlock]

My whole thing is, I don't feel sad in the slightest, hell I don't even feel shocked that it happened.

[an0n]

Even in daylight there are shadows, they're just harder to see.

[01010]

Originally posted by an0n
Even in daylight there are shadows, they're just harder to see.

I'd have thought daylight would make shadows easier to see.

There was a murder in an alleyway literally a hundred metres from my house a few years back and I wasn't really bothered either. I guess it's hard to imagine something like that happening unless it's to someone that has some kind of influence in your life, I mean, if you don't know who it happened to and you don't care for them it might as well have happened a million miles away.

[Stryke 9]

Cultural inability to sympathize with others' problems is pretty deep-set here. Hell, considering where most of the **** we eat, wear, and use every day comes from, it's nearly necessary for most upper- and middle-class types.

That doesn't make it a good thing.

[01010]

Originally posted by Stryke 9
Cultural inability to sympathize with others' problems is pretty deep-set here. Hell, considering where most of the **** we eat, wear, and use every day comes from, it's nearly necessary for most upper- and middle-class types.

That doesn't make it a good thing.

It's a terrible thing but it's a hell of a lot easier than dwelling on this sort of thing. I'd have probably been too scared to leave my house had I not been able to brush it aside.

[Stryke 9]

'S what guns are for. Or, indeed, any sharpish object.

[01010]

Originally posted by Stryke 9
'S what guns are for. Or, indeed, any sharpish object.

Not really necessary for me, I'm built like a brick ****house so people tend not to bother me, despite the fact that I'm incredibly meek and would run away screaming like a girl when faced with a confrontation.

[Knight Templar]

Originally posted by Warlock

What do you guys think ? Think hearing bout these things on the news so such just gives us all the "Oh well, not my family" view on it all?

You mean, it's not supposed to be that way?

[pyro-manic]

Crime is given so much exposure now (especially in America, from what I've heard), that if you didn't keep it at a distance you'd be terrified all the time.
The sensationalism used in the coverage of grisly murders and the like can't be good, I don't think, because it desensitizes people so much. They end up just going "oh well, it was just some kid" or whatever, and pretty much ignore it.

Human life has been drastically cheapened in that kind of situation, which is terrible IMO.  The strange thing is, whenever there's a terrorist bomb or something on the news, people go "this is outrageous, we must crush them now to defend ourselves!", but far more people are murdered every day than are killed for some fairly politically (if not morally) sound reason.
Not to derail this, or anything, but that's my take on it. Just seems kind of twisted to me.

[kasperl]

well, i can't say i feel bad for every murder, and i have never witnissed anything close to home. but a few days ago, i was on my way home, and i saw a guy on the railroad crossing yelling "long live the queen" "the count will be one" and **** like that. i got scared like **** because the guy looked like he was going to kill himself. i rang at some home and they called 911, and about 1 ad a half minutes later, a police car came, and the cops talked the guy away from the tracks, and half a minute later, a train came.

it scared the **** out of me, and every time i cross that railroad i get scared again, and even when i hear a ****ing train my arms get shaking.


but, when i hear about some guy and 2 friends RPG'ng some FF **** and killing one of the guys stepfather in the process, i find it hard to care.

[Solatar]

Hard to find anything non-violent on American news....

Why I read BBC stuff on the internet...

[Stryke 9]

Well, there's, uh... the sports section.

Yeah...


What sort of nonviolent stuff counts as "news" anyway? The weather?

[Assassin]

Welcome to being human, Warlock.

Unfortunately, genuine compassion is rare to find and is something that has to be cultivated often.

[01010]

Quite right to, why the hell should I show compassion for someone that, for all I know, would sooner stab me in the back than help me out in a similar situation?

[castor]

Could be thought as a simple attempt to fight building up a generally negative mindset.
Makes **** a bit easier to bear in long run

[Thorn]

Originally posted by Warlock
This is kinna sad. I came home today around 3:45pm, to find 3 News trucks, 5 squad cars and a Forensics unit surrounding the set of apartments at the end of my building (bout 50 feet from us). Found out they suspect it was some domestic mess, with 2 dead (boyfriend and girlfriend) and one slightly hurt that was sent to the hospital. What really makes this sad, is aside from the whole "WTF is going on here" it didn't bother me.

Now mind you, I've never lived in an area where murders happen right up the road, hell this is the first one within 5 miles of me. Also we're suppossedly one of the 'safer' communities in the area (Won some community of the year award for 3 years ) but I guess since there's always at least one report on the news about a murder every night, it's just become "a part of life".

What do you guys think ? Think hearing bout these things on the news so such just gives us all the "Oh well, not my family" view on it all?

THats exactly why I had to get out of Vancouver for a while...
**** like that was happening all the time, and I didnt give it a second thought.... And then that started to bother me... that and all the assholes in that city... blagh...

[aldo_14]

Originally posted by Stryke 9
Well, there's, uh... the sports section.

Yeah...


What sort of nonviolent stuff counts as "news" anyway? The weather?

Economy, scientific discoveries (i.e. medicine), political decisions (i.e policies, tutoion fees / rail / NHS in the Uk in particular), bizarre stories about stuff like unusually fat dogs (at the end of the programme), stories about fish & EU quotas (every night on the Scottish news....), business, accidents (if that can count as non-violent), changes in the law / non-violent crime, etc.

[Impurial]

Originally posted by Warlock
What really makes this sad, is aside from the whole "WTF is going on here" it didn't bother me.

Today's culture, and especially the media, encourages a desensitivity towards the tragedy of death.  IMO the 'ratings system' (allowing older people to view more violent material) promotes a feeling that violence is a part of growing up... that an neutral attitude towards death and destruction is a part of one's maturity.  

It has become normal, even 'natural', to dismiss death as merely another everyday event, some temporary setback that we should "move on" from.  It's becoming harder to truly relate with grief, harder to accept the finality of death and harder to believe in the tragedy of a life ended early.

But if we can't really realise this, how can we truly appreciate the gift of life we're blessed with?


It may not be our fault, but it is our problem. Fix it.