Suicide 'encouraged' to jump

[andy-hughes]

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/Derby -Police-Criticise-Crowd-Who-Encouraged-Shaun-D ykes-To-Jump-Off-Westfield-Shopping-Centre/Art icle/200810115110890?f=rss

Press reports advise that while this young man was being taked to by negotiators, some of the crowd on the ground were calling to him to jump, with phrases like 'Get on with it ...' and 'How far will you bounce ...'.

Leaving aside the knee-jerk reaction of disgust at such behaviour, does anyone have any theories about why the crowd mentality takes over at scenes like this? Why do people make stupid flippant remarks, and then rush to film the poor man's corpse after he took their 'advice' and jumped.

Please don't post if you only want to rant about 'doing the same to them' - I am interested in any genuine insights into why people behave like this when faced with a potential fatality.

[andy-hughes]

Admarlow - you continue to use metaphors that simply bear no resemblence to the argument you are trying to promote.

My question concerns the thinking behind the actions observed - it is nothing to do with confirming or denying what happens in the world.

Comparing scary movies and snuff videos with strengths of coffee is simply not viable. I think you are trying to play devil's advocate, but your points continue to make no sense.

[PuffyFish]

Some people - especially young people seem to have a real lack of empathy. I guess it's just their age and not having enough life experience as well as pure and simple selfishness which is a natural part of being a teenager.

All teens are to some extent selfish but some really take it to another level. In my opinion anyway, that is where all of this making of videos of other peoples unfortunate situations comes from.

They don't stop for a moment to consider how that person feels, what they are going through or what they'd feel like if it were happening to them. All they are thinking about is how cool they will look in front of their friends when they show them the video and tell them the story of what they have witnessed.

Also I suppose that there are people who enjoy seeing people in terrible situations and physical or mental pain because it makes then feel better about themselves. Really it's the same reason as we have bullies.

Im not saying it is all just teens as there are others who act the same who are older but i suppose they still have a teen mentality about them.

Thats just my oppinion anyway.

[admarlow]

they make sense to me, does anyone else see what I am getting at?

[keyplus90]

Rosseta � I did not mean that violence should be shown on TV. I am talking about realities. For violence people can see movies. Perhaps different way of thinking but I would go back to Jake�s example that what he saw in India on the railway track. If media shows that image and tells you that this person was traveling clinging onto the door of the train (as it happens in India & many other hot countries) then next time anyone not listening to the people when told not to do that, will think about this twice.

[Nosha123]

Human emotional reactions like this I think are down to a lack of empathy and a lack of sympathy to the person involved. If we see someone being attacked we are these days less likely to want to approach and help... also if we see a lone stranger in need of help we are suspicious as to whether its genuine.
From a psychology point of view, to react in the way these people do - I would say is down to a lack of sympathy or tolerance to someones genuine troubles. Maybe on TV we are bombarded with so much doom and gloom (eastenders!) that to see someone trying to kill themselves is not considered shocking enough to try to save them.
A very sad state of affairs... life does not seem to be valued as much as it used too...

[Sachs]

Another train of thought. Are family units more fractured, less bonded/ loving and as a result are producing an uncaring/ emotionless society?

[anotheoldgit]

One wonders if when these young morons, are all alone in their beds, will what they have done actually start to haunt them?

They have got to live with this for the rest of their lives. In later years when they have children of their own, and they look into their eyes, will this event once again come to haunt them?

This is the report from the Local Newspaper.

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/news/Vigils- held-memory-tragic-teenager/article-364887-det ail/article.html

[Sachs]

I don't think it will affect them ano, they have to be completely void of emotion to act like this.