Why Have We Become So Desensitised

[nailit]

To the needs of other humans???
Im sick of seeing 'jokes' about the guy that fell from a plane on my FB feed.
This was a guy that was once loved by someone (his mother maybe)….

Same with the homeless.
Just becomes the norm to see people wrapped in sleeping blankets etc.

[Mamyalynne]

I hope I haven't become desensitised.

It's not just FB either, AB didn't do badly with the puns on the sad case you mention.

[Calicogirl]

I'm frequently shocked by the callousness shown on someone's death if they don't fit into a niche group, and some of the remarks on here about that man were absolutely sickening. why does it happen? I've really no idea, I would be so ashamed if it was anyone to do with me behaving like that.

[Ken4155]

Think you answered your own question, nailit, unfortunately. These things have become the norm. I well remember the amount of column inches a soldier's death in Afghanistan would command. Slowly but surely, those inches began to shrink as death after death was reported until the deaths were reported in just a couple of lines.

[david small]

Mass media nails. Initially to educate and entertain. Now spewing dross, lies, and click bait, it perpetuates violence and heartbreak.

[naomi24]

If we all took to hand-wringing at every instance of sadness in the world we would all be in the depths of despair permanently. Unfortunately horrible things happen, but the fact is the poor will always be with us, the unfortunates will always be with us, and the lame ducks who won’t help themselves but think the world owes them a living will always be with us. If you collected all the money in the world and shared it out equally, very soon the same situation would apply because some would use it wisely and some wouldn’t. That’s life.

[Calicogirl]

...and that means that puerile jokes about a person's death have to be made and virtual shouts of glee that he died along with lamentations that he was ' only one' does it Naomi? We all know bad things happen, will always happen, but no need for some people to treat it with such childish levity.

[naomi24]

What on earth are you talking about, Calicogirl? It means what it says.

[douglas9401]

We all deal with stuff in different ways.

Black humour, introspective musings, posting hints of intimate preferences with paramours for shock value, getting all po-faced, going with which way the wind is blowing.

Not an exhaustive list, but a start

[Calicogirl]

But it's irrelevant to the OP- he is talking about jokes being made etc- what you are saying is perfectly true, but why can people not just ignore threads about tragedies if their only input is repulsive humour? I imagine we are all agreed we can't save the world, but still no reason to make light of tragedies.

[1ozzy]

Why are Darwin Awards a popular read?

[gness]

I second Calico's answer to Naomi. Some of the comments on AB about folk who have been dealt a very raw deal in life are sickening....and sadly becoming an everyday occurrence.
A post recently led to a short discussion about the Brazilian lad shot on the tube. Horrid and stomach turning comments....he'd have been shot more than eight times had they not run out of bullets. How sad is that.

[sanmac]

I did not see any instances of "repulsive humour" or mentions of "niche groups", whatever they are, in the thread regarding the stowaway.

[naomi24]

Calicogirl, I don’t make light of tragedies – ever - and no - my post isn’t irrelevant to the OP. You must have missed the bit where Nailit talked about the homeless.

That to gness too – who also appears to have failed to read the whole of the OP.

[Mamyalynne]

I have never wrung my hands, actually or metaphorically - I just find it isn't in my nature to make wisecracks about dead people.

Did you miss 'Corpsicle' Sanmac , shame - I 'm sure it was meant to raise a titter.

[nailit]

//If we all took to hand-wringing at every instance of sadness in the world we would all be in the depths of despair permanently./
Cant disagree with that naomi.

//Unfortunately horrible things happen//
They do. Again, cant disagree!

//but the fact is the poor will always be with us, the unfortunates will always be with us//
And always will be while the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, take off one (the poor) and give to the other (The rich).

//and the lame ducks who won’t help themselves but think the world owes them a living will always be with us.//
Yep! Couldn't agree more.

Except that some lame ducks were like my father. A cripple who couldn't walk, was wheel chair bound, had heart disease (which eventually killed him) and numerous other diseases.

[Calicogirl]

No-one suggested that YOU made jokes about people's deaths Naomi- don't take everything so personally all the time- you didn't make it clear that your post only related to the latter part of the OP's question when the rest of the replies had been addressing the whole question.

Sanmac- then you must have had your eyes closed :(

[naomi24]

But if what you say is true your father wasn't a lame duck who wouldn't help himself and thought the world owed him a living, was he nailit. He was a sick man who needed - and deserved - to be cared for.

[sanmac]

I have to admit that I missed the "corpsicle" post...Yes, that was not called for and quite insensitive even though the body was a block of ice.

[naomi24]

Calicogirl, //don't take everything so personally all the time//

You addressed your comments to me. That makes your comments personal to me.

[douglas9401]

Is this to be a short diversion from the subject or are we down for a right good wallow?