sicksicksick_N_tired
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Wed Aug-01-07 08:10 PM
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THAT is what 'sells'. Obsession with any and every human tragedy,...except the largest, most embracing ones.
OBSESS with a white pregnant woman gone missing. OBSESS with a black football player whose ex-wife was murdered. OBSESS with pretty female WV soldier 'saved' from an Iraq hospital. OBSESS with a busted steam pipe in NY. OBSESS with bus load of players off a ramp. OBSESS with a brain-dead woman whose husband let her go. OBSESS with a fallen bridge in Minneapolios. OBSESS with a woman lost in,....on,...a vacation island. OBSESS with a "pro" wrestler who went wacko. OBSESS with any single event that fails to fall into the "perfect world",...
WHILE IGNORING THE ABUSES AGAINST THE AMERICAN POPULACE AND HUMANITY ACROSS THE GLOBE!!!!
OBSESSION.
This junta SUCKS off it while the media USES it to attack every American brain cell, for profit.
This country,...its experiment in democracy,...its "soul" has been bought,...and we are paying and will pay for generations.
OBSESSION.
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classof56
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Wed Aug-01-07 08:28 PM
Response to Original message |
1. Oh, I don't know...a bridge collapsing with a few dozen cars is kinda significant... |
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I am relieved to know my niece who lives in St. Paul is okay, but profoundly sad as I watch this tragedy unfold.
Yes, the abuses against the American populace and humanity across the globe are horrendous and of course disturbing and not lost on those of us who are aware of the realities of our time. But sometimes tragic events close to home are horrendous, as well and capture our attention.
Peace and blessings to all.
Tired Old Cynic
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Berry Cool
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Wed Aug-01-07 08:36 PM
Response to Reply #1 |
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A tragedy isn't always a "distraction from what is really important"...sometimes it IS part of what is really important.
Katrina, for example. One could say the media were "obsessed" with it. But it wasn't unimportant compared to the larger scheme of things...it WAS, and continues to be, part of what matters. Not just a trivial diversion.
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classof56
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Wed Aug-01-07 08:46 PM
Response to Reply #2 |
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You are right on, and may I say I LOVE Keith Olbermann. He and DU help keep me sane and grounded!
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sicksicksick_N_tired
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:05 PM
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5. I don't see any OBSESSION with the refugees of Katrina. |
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I believe I can emphasize perspective on how the state of ALL OUR LIVES are being impacted by those who are bleeding us for every cent OBSESS on "events" that are clearly, quite clearly,...localized.
Am I being,...confusing?
There are "local" tragedies every single day.
Every single day,...across this world,...humanity faces loss. Humanity also faces joyful moments.
My point is HOW humanity is the OBJECT of abuse, EVERY DAMN DAY!!!
WHERE IS THAT PERSPECTIVE?!?!?!!!
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Bluebear
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:06 PM
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6. Here, read this for a while and pipe down |
sicksicksick_N_tired
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:21 PM
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8. I guess, "pipe down" is better than STFU whenever I demand 'perspective'. |
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Life lost due to an accident in this country is so much more tragic than lives lost due to an aggressive, profiteering war on people who ALSO did nothing wrong or bad,...who DID NOT DESERVE TRAGEDY.
The difference,....
,...well,...
Do you see the difference? Or,...not?
Is it 'obsession' with a single tragic event in OUR country that draws you,...or not?
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Bluebear
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:27 PM
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9. You are making a ridiculous assertion right now and preaching to the choir. |
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There is an ongoing tragedy going on now in our country. There are people on this board who are worried sick that they have not heard from loved ones in the area.
And you have to post how people are "obsessed" with this hours old tragedy and nobody here ever pays attention to Iraq or Katrina. Shame on you.
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sicksicksick_N_tired
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:50 PM
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15. Shame on me. Less than a dozen people suffered from a NONAGGRESSIVE incident. |
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Preaching to the choir?
We are talking PAST one another, I guess.
Listen, please,...please LISTEN!!!!
Imagine IF every Iraqi death were reported with as much IMPORTANCE as the these innocents.
IMAGINE!!!!!!!!!!!!
"preaching to the choir"?????? I fucking WONDER about THAT assertion!!!!!
No, I don't wonder about that assertion. It is clear to me what is important to THAT "choir".
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TwilightZone
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:07 PM
Response to Reply #15 |
19. Less than a dozen people? What the hell are you talking about? |
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There are a minimum of seven fatalities.
There are 60 confirmed injuries.
There are 50 cars in the river. Not all of them have been searched.
There are two million people in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
The cell phone system was down for hours, and many, many people were unable to determine if their friends and relatives were dead or alive.
And you think that less than a dozen people have suffered?
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sicksicksick_N_tired
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:19 PM
Response to Reply #19 |
24. Only,...seventy people in Iraq died,...and how many "suffered",...yesterday. |
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Edited on Wed Aug-01-07 10:20 PM by sicksicksick_N_tired
What,...are YOU talking about?
OH!
OUR LIVES are,...what,...more valuable or what, what?
THEIR LIVES WERE LOST TO VIOLENCE,...violent deaths.
Is THAT loss somehow,....LESS a loss than an event in our country?
:shrug:
Am I offending you by respecting the lives of those who did not live in this country and who DID die at the hand of human will?
:shrug:
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TwilightZone
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:27 PM
Response to Reply #24 |
27. Are you incapable of mentally handling more than one thing at a time? |
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Most people can multitask.
Most people can process more than one item at a time.
Perhaps you are not one of them.
Are you offending me? No. Actually, I feel sorry for you. Apparently, you cannot understand how it is possible to be concerned about issues in Iraq and be concerned about loved ones in Minneapolis at the same time, and that is sad.
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sicksicksick_N_tired
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:43 PM
Response to Reply #27 |
29. Are you accusing me of being mentally incapable while you summarily dismiss other's lives? |
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Edited on Wed Aug-01-07 10:44 PM by sicksicksick_N_tired
YOU feel sorry for me?
pfft
I can't imagine YOU "feeling" sorry.
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Name removed
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Wed Aug-01-07 11:41 PM
Response to Reply #29 |
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Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.
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Marrah_G
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Thu Aug-02-07 07:15 AM
Response to Reply #24 |
39. Your post makes very little sense |
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You seem to think that news channels should not show news from America, only news from Iraq? Are you that hyper-focused that nothing else matters to you?
For goodness sake my big brother is in that shithole and I wouldn't even want non-stop Iraq only coverage. I want to know when shit like a bridge collapse happens. I do not want my total news to be "my local news" and "War news".
If you do not want to see it, then shut off the damn tv and just read your news on the internet.
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Bluebear
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Wed Aug-01-07 11:39 PM
Response to Reply #15 |
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Edited on Wed Aug-01-07 11:41 PM by Bluebear
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Lex
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:22 PM
Response to Reply #8 |
26. "Demand" Perspective? |
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WTF? Why not fire off a letter or two to the Corporate Media instead of screaming at DU'ers?
Now there's an idea.
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mondo joe
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Thu Aug-02-07 09:02 AM
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42. When did you decide you had the right to "demand" anything? |
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We're not your children, your students, your subjects or anything else subject to your demands.
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KitchenWitch
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:51 PM
Response to Reply #1 |
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I am personally close to three people in the Twin Cities that I have not heard from yet.
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Bluebear
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Wed Aug-01-07 08:47 PM
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4. I'm sure "Minneapolios" thanks you for your interest |
sicksicksick_N_tired
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:13 PM
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7. I guess,...you have missed my point,...ENTIRELY. |
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On the other hand, I ask: "Do you have the capacity to attend to EVERY HUMAN TRAGEDY, if reported, or ONLY the ones reported by this media?"
Do You?
Do you have the capacity to attend every human tragedy in Iraq or Darfur or under the bridges of every metropolitan city in the U.S.A.?
How many human beings died needlessly, today? Do you pay attention to that?
Please, do NOT accuse me of being insensitive while you are being especially sensitive to one event in one place in this country.
That would be, OBSESSIVE,...wouldn't it?
:shrug:
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Berry Cool
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:08 PM
Response to Reply #7 |
21. Nobody can possibly attend to every tragedy. So what? |
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What is the point of accusing them of obsession with one or another? All tragedy matters. Accusing people of caring too much about one, and not enough about another, is insensitive, when all of them matter but no one person can possibly give all of them their due.
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skygazer
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:12 PM
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22. I have the capacity to care about a tragedy in the city where my daughter lives |
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And where a hell of a lot of DU'ers I care about live.
Piss off with your obsession screeching - a lot of us are worried about people we care about. What a load of crap this is anyway - you people who think people can only care about one thing at a time. What a small world you must inhabit when you only have enough compassion for a finite amount of tragedies.
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Connie_Corleone
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:28 PM
Response to Original message |
10. I thought this was a thread about perfume. |
BlackVelvet04
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:36 PM
Response to Original message |
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How can people be so heartless How can people be so cruel Easy to be hard Easy to be cold
How can people have no feelings How can they ignore their friends Easy to be proud Easy to say no
And especially people Who care about strangers Who care about evil And social injustice Do you only Care about the bleeding crowd? How about a needing friend? I need a friend
How can people be so heartless You know I'm hung up on you Easy to give in Easy to help out
And especially people Who care about strangers Who say they care about social injustice Do you only Care about the bleeding crowd How about a needing friend? I need a friend
How can people have no feelings How can they ignore their friends Easy to be hard Easy to be cold Easy to be proud Easy to say no
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Bluebear
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:37 PM
Response to Reply #11 |
12. Thank you, one of the great great songs. nt |
BlackVelvet04
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:39 PM
Response to Reply #12 |
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and it is a great song. There were many great songs in Hair.
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Katherine Brengle
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Wed Aug-01-07 09:38 PM
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13. To be fair, these small social ills you say we obsess over are the things that SHOW |
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the larger social problems we are facing in a concise context.
We need to connect to stories to truly feel the weight of a larger issue.
Problem is, too many people never make that connection.
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classof56
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:01 PM
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sicksicksick_N_tired
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:07 PM
Response to Reply #13 |
18. if we connected to the larger issues would we be here, now (nt) |
KitchenWitch
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:07 PM
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20. Pardon me if you think I am mentally ill for this |
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But I am going to fucking obsess until every last one of the people I care about in Minneapolis are accounted for.
Don't like the news coverage? Use your brain and your fucking index finger and turn off the fucking idjit box.
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TwilightZone
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:16 PM
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23. It's perhaps not your sanity that should be questioned. |
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Edited on Wed Aug-01-07 10:16 PM by TwilightZone
I have family in Minneapolis, and I was fortunate enough to learn a short time ago that they are safe. I understand what you're going through.
I hope that your loved ones prove to be safe, as well. The best to you.
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KitchenWitch
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:22 PM
Response to Reply #23 |
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I know my sanity is above reproach at the moment.
I just needed to call the OP on his/her insensitivity.
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TwilightZone
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Wed Aug-01-07 10:28 PM
Response to Reply #25 |
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I think the OP needs to work on his/her multitasking abilities. And perhaps his/her compassion for others.
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Bluebear
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Wed Aug-01-07 11:42 PM
Response to Reply #28 |
32. Also. "Minneapolios" indeed. |
KitchenWitch
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Thu Aug-02-07 12:12 AM
Response to Reply #32 |
33. HMMM another freeperism? |
Bluebear
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Thu Aug-02-07 12:13 AM
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34. PS Star trib says 9 dead, 20 missing |
KitchenWitch
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Thu Aug-02-07 12:17 AM
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35. I am guessing the death toll will approach 40 by the time we are through. |
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x(
This could have been prevented.
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Greyhound
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Thu Aug-02-07 02:27 AM
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36. Obsession allows us to ignore our cruelty and indifference. |
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As long as`we can focus on the distraction du jour, we don't have to think about how fucked up we are and can continue to pretend it is all the fault of "them".
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Bluebear
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Thu Aug-02-07 03:45 AM
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37. This bridge catastrophe is the "distraction du jour"? |
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What planet have I landed on?
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Greyhound
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Thu Aug-02-07 07:08 AM
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38. I'm not sure why you're using this to distract from the larger point of the OP. |
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Of course the bridge collapsing is news, but it is hardly a catastrophe unless you know or are related to one of the victims. Most of the other events mentioned are the same thing, local tragedies that have tremendous impact on those involved, but I believe the point is that we are living in a nation where the media is selling obsession with relatively inconsequential events while ignoring the ongoing, monumental, tragedies and appalling indifference that pervade our lives.
How many homeless people will you ignore today? How many of them have lived on the streets since a hurricane took all but their lives 2 years ago? How many were forced into the streets because they happened to be poor and living in an area that was targeted for "gentrification" by their city and the developers that own it? How many with mental illness that they have suffered with since returning from some war or other, only to have the whole nation turn their backs on them? What about the 50 or more people that will die today and tomorrow and every day for no other reason than being poor and having no access to the most basic health care?
When was the last time you saw a report on the fact that our money is nearly worthless, or that the DOW being at 14,000 is still lower, in real value, than it was in 1999? How about the fact that our national infrastructure has been utterly neglected for 30 years or more and is literally crumbling?
No, it is much better to keep the sheep distracted with the pharmaceutical proclivities of an uber-wealthy scion/pseudo-celebrity.
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Bluebear
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Thu Aug-02-07 08:34 AM
Response to Reply #38 |
40. Because there was no larger point to the OP. |
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Edited on Thu Aug-02-07 08:41 AM by Bluebear
It was written in the very unfolding of the event, and it was insensitive to those here worried about friends and relatives in Minnesota.
Also, your definition of catastrophe is different from mine. This certainly qualifies in terms of scope. You say this is a only local story, and then that our national infrastructure is literally crumbling. Confusing.
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Greyhound
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Fri Aug-03-07 01:22 AM
Response to Reply #40 |
43. The apparent fact that you can't see it, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. |
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There is, indeed, a fundamental truth to the OP and the timing of making it during the beginning of the inevitable media circus, that will lead to nothing but will generate the illusion of concern, is a perfect example of the marketing of a temporary obsession in place of genuine concern. Whether this was intended by the OP, or not, I have no way of knowing.
It allows us to continue to neglect the real issue, (the utter negligence of our vital infrastructure in the name of short-term profits for the ruling class) while congratulating ourselves on our humanity, yet doing nothing to fix the very real problem. Of course this is a tragedy and, if the story I've heard turns out to be true, the Republik governor is the sole cause of it, yet I will bet money that he will not get the blame.
As for the definition of catastrophe, there is colloquial meaning to support your definition, I was referring to the classic definition rooted in the Greek word Katastophe; meaning a dramatic or fundamental overturning, a sea-change if you will.
One could even say that America has become the ultimate example of the Roman strategy of "bread and circuses".
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Bluebear
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Fri Aug-03-07 01:29 AM
Response to Reply #43 |
44. Please read the first subthread. |
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"you summarily dismiss other's lives?", says she, yet when it comes to the wrestler's family, the white pregnant woman gone missing, the woman woman lost 'in,....on,...a vacation island'... one can't pay attention to those deaths as well? Those are not "the real issue" to her, and she accuses us at DU of ignoring everything going on in Iraq and with Katrina, and I just don't buy it:
"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."
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Greyhound
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Sat Aug-04-07 03:17 PM
Response to Reply #44 |
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Well the point may have been unintentional, or I misinterpreted it, but I still think there is validity in the general observation.
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mondo joe
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Thu Aug-02-07 09:00 AM
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41. I think your post is poorly conceived, inconsiderate and betrays a woeful ignorance of humanity. |
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Some of the issues you listed are of considerable importance, though you don't see it.
Some very directly and personally impact people.
And, finally, it is human nature to be interested in the small stories - it always has been. It's why Anne Frank is moving in ways that lists of the Holocaust dead don't match. It's why newspapers run Human Interest stories. Anyone who has successfully worked with moving people can tell you that it's the stories of individuals - not sweeping numbers - that most incite our passion and compassion.
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