"Sad" Stories

I brought this up a year or so ago and they went apeshit on me. Best of luck.

yeah short of it being posted as the basis for some seriously black humour or for everyone to sit around in a 'tut-tut' circle-jerk, Im not sure of their purpose either

I wasn't too happy with that thread you linked to, the little girl who was beaten to death with a video game controller, especially when it turned into just another console system pissing contest with bad jokes. I thought it would be hypocritical, considering the stupid jokes I made about Chuck Heston, or maybe I was just overreacting because I have a toddler.

I guess I don't have a point. I've no problem with tasteless jokes, if it makes them feel better laughing at the death of a two year old, so be it.

But is that the purpose the article was posted in the first place would you say Keith or just what certain chewer turned the thread into?

Are people posting stories like this just to be able to crack off-colour jokes?

Cause like I said, other than posting them to remind us all what we already know - that the world is a shitty fucked up place - I don;t see their purpose. They don't inspire discussion.

...and this is a Discussion Board surely.

I suppose it's just where I personally draw the line. Ancient actors that I forgot were alive anyway- fair game. Child rape and murder, not so funny to me.

It would seem that the purpose was to crack bad jokes since every post in that thread but perhaps two were variations on controller cracks and Wii vs. XBox type stuff. Also, it wasn't like the title of the thread was "This is fucked up shit," and like Chris Anthony said, it's not exactly a subject that should invite much discussion.

Yes, this is a discussion board, that's why I would never say they can't say that shit, just personal taste as I've said.

I'm not even about to pretend I've been a beacon of serious discussion on these boards, I have my moments I suppose, but I'm just as guilty of making flippant meaningless comments as the next guy or girl. In the end, I am a hypocrite considering I had no problem with cracking wise in the Depression thread, which if that wasn't a cry for help, I don't know what is.

The best thing to come out of those threads in my opinion was the counter-thread with only happy news.

I'm just as guilty of participating in some of those threads as a few others, but I remember the discussion about prurient news stories and found myself agreeing with a lot of what Devin said. I mostly noticed the instances (messageboards, FARK, etc.) where a news story would pop up about a murderer or molester or some such and people would use the discussion for their own "five minutes of hate" to the point that the fucking thing ended up reading like a draft script for Hostel III.

I used to be pro-death penalty, but my stance on that has shifted somewhat drastically, mainly because of discussions like that where your average Joe and Jane get to re-enact their own fucked-up torture fantasies onnnn....someone who tortured someone. Right, makes a lot of sense.

And I understand where Fordyce is coming from on this one - it's the same reason that I stopped making dead baby jokes after a close friend's child died shortly after its birth. Not only were the jokes themselves played out, but I'd be horrified to see how she'd react to something like that. At the same time, there's a question about how far self-censorship should go, etc. etc. I certainly don't want to tell people that they can't make dumbass, terrible, insensitive jokes, but I'm working hard to not be "that guy".

Though, you could start a thread about how much you like the warm sun and people would go apeshit.

Which leads to my curiosity about people's perception of "bait threads" - are they reacting to the thread, or are they reacting to the fact that Devin posted it?

I'm pretty sure most of the time it's reason #2

Think of it this way, if I posted a thread saying people shouldn't wear sandals or cell phone clips, how many responses do you think I'd get?

You should try it and find out. Make sure to fill it with lots of swears.

Anyone remember that "death" thread from not too long ago where a good portion of the people stated they'd probably commit suicide at some point in their lives?

I'm guessing that might be the reason.

Link that bitch up!

Yeah, wtf is up with that? I've thought about doing it, but I was filled with teen angst at the time. Now, life's too awesome for that shit regardless of what happens short of total world collapse, and even then...that's awesome.

Death!

Haha, I too went through a hilarious "imma kill myself " phase that I just look back on and laugh at. I imagine how many awesome movies, books, videogames, and people I never would have experienced if I had gone through with it, and it only makes me appreciate life even more. I'm glad that the Good News Thread exists.

Hmmm...maybe we should let up on him a bit.

Damn, I missed that thread. Is it too late?

I'd like to die in a way that makes the news, so my fellow chewers can chime in with all kinds of great wise-ass comments and photoshop gags. If I can somehow work a killer robot into the equation, all the better.

Do me justice, Amphibatron!

You just brought up that thread so people would read that last post. Sneeky.

And it sounds like LisaNY and I should hang out.

I don't generally post the traumatic stuff, but I do read it every single time. Why? I don't really know, because I can't look away I guess. It always leaves me horribly depressed, which is why I was begging for someone to make a Good News thread before.

Speaking of which, that thread is looking pretty sparse. If there was more good news in the world we would probably talk about it.

I don't really get the suicide thing, I guess. I've been down in the dumps before and have fucked up hardcore on several things, but not once since I graduated highschool have I thought "Welp, this is it, better get it all over now." That thread's a sad story in itself.

Addendum:
I know it's cliched to say, but again, good news doesn't really make for "good news" as the networks would define it. We'd rather be shocked, afraid, disgusted, or angry than have to be subjected to news from "a well-laid Ted Turner."

I need less "I'm moping about life and posting about thinking about suicide" posts, and more "I faked my own death" posts. That would turn my frown upside down.

Reading these odd sad stories is like seeing a Zebra on the freeway in Atlanta. It's an oddity and it's human nature to wonder WTF went on.

Cracking wise at the expense of the misfortune of others, well I guess there's that degree of separation the allows the morals to be skirted to have a laugh.

I'm no saint when it comes to this. It's easy to poke fun when it doesn't directly affect you in any way what so ever except for it causing pause.

More importantly, did they ever figure out where the hell that zebra came from? If you lost your zebra, wouldn't you notice that pretty quickly?

I couldn't escape that for weeks. Hell, even while watching regular television there would be a news bump for that story.

I don't know about you guys, but if I don't type the words "Jesus, I'm ashamed to be a human being" 4 times a week, I get all jittery.

I think you have that backwards, actually. There's so much good news that we don't bother with it because it's not noteworthy. This is why I always find it kind of interesting when people claim that "human beings are inherently bad"...it's clearly not true*. There's a fully functional and amazingly efficient market for information out there, and we clearly don't place too much emphasis on the good stuff. If it was rare enough to be interesting, it would be the news. Instead, these stories stand to shore up our view of the world that essentially, we're all doing pretty well. At the same time, they also serve to remind us to empathize with the people who are less fortunate than us.

I do believe that there are other, subtle sociological reasons why we show an interest in these stories, but this is the one that seems most pertinent to the thread.


*We are self-interested, but that's not synonymous with bad at all.

Really? I see very little evidence in my day to day interactions with other people to support that. If we're essentially good you'd think it would show up a little more.

I'll let every third car merge in front of me. I'm essentially good.

Or that Devin posted it in a significantly more belligerent and combative manner than Jay?

I don't think it's any more complicated than the fact that really screwed up stuff gets people's attention. I agree that the torture brainstorming sessions can be almost as creepy as the stories themselves, but I also get off on black humor, so I still usually check them out. If you think they're dull or pointless, you oof course don't have to.

When does it not, really? We all benefit from being good to one another on the balance. I mean, maybe your school/workplace is all stabbings, all the time. But, I can have pleasant conversations with almost all my coworkers. We hold the elevators for strangers. I make it home from work with my wallet every day, despite being jostled in a packed metro car. People smile at each other at the grocery store and pet stranger's dogs on the street. You see a lot of happy couples walking around on spring days like today.

Sure, there's also a lot of ugly stuff going on, but it's a huge, huge world. You're going to have reams of good and reams of bad. Yeah, the bad tends to be impossibly bad. But, on the whole, I have a hard time believing that the average person you pass on the street wishes you harm.

There was a video study done on this. A guy faked his misfortune and yelled for help in a large US metro area, New York, and was subsequently mugged several times instead of being helped out. A similar person of misfortune did the same thing in a small European town, he was helped out really quickly, so much it was excessive help.

Unsolicited hand pleasure?

Hmmm, maybe I just need to move.

It's interesting, but purely anecdotal, so you can't really draw conclusions from it. Also, do you have a link? I'd be interested in reading up on it?

You clearly have those rose tinted glasses glued to your face.

I wish I did, I saw it on TV several years ago. There were questions raised about the locations chosen. Known criminal areas, etc.

Ok, but that puts a burden on you. I've given a rational, behaviorally economical explanation for our interest in morbidly ugly news stories. You haven't, and you insulted me. I can let the insult go, but I'd like to hear the rationale by which you decided I wear rose-colored glasses.

If it was in regards to the study that Billylove saw, I'm in no position to refute it, and I don't even want to try. But, I don't see it as any more compelling than any studies that I've read that go to show the opposite.

That's exactly what I'd find fascinating. Whenever you hear about sociological studies, the amount of variability you have to screen out is so tremendous, I'm surprised we can accomplish anything, but we seem to have our ways.

Oh, I was kidding. You just weirded me out with that description of all the good or decent stuff that happens during your day. I see the same stuff, I guess that in the end I consider pleasant small talk to be fairly minor when compared to all the awful things you see walking down the street. Anyway, I wasn't actually trying to be insulting, so apologies if it was taken that way.

On any given day walking down a city street you can see a ridiculously high amount of homeless people huddled in doorways, crackheads screaming at each other or kicking the shit out of each other, heroin addicts shooting up in doorways, drunk guys peeing on the side of buildings, garbage absolutely everywhere, pollution, rude assholes on the bus picking fights, Pro-Life people screaming that you're going to go to hell, Jesus freaks screaming that you're going to go to hell, etc. etc. etc.

To me this only supports the impression I get of humanity from the news, and seeing the occasional happy couple or little kid playing at the park only does so much to sway my opinion.

Pleasant small talk is a fucking nightmare. Have something of interest to say or shut up and leave me alone. Small talk is one of my biggest peeves.

Well then, I'm glad I didn't overreact. And yeah, I don't believe we're a world of altruists either, which is why so many people get left behind.

Absolutely. But, going up to a stranger in a bar and saying "Hey, tell me about your passions" is creepy as hell. We didn't develop small talk as a social tool because it's useless. People who are good at it use it to create effective social bonds that enhance cooperation. People that suck at it bitch about it. I'm not that great at it, but I recognize why it exists.