Things we don't need to see...

...such as what's left of the face of Charla Nash, attacked by a chimpanzee earlier this year.

I have to wonder at myself that I kept watching in fascinated horror when The Today Show aired the segment of Oprah yesterday where Nash removed the veil she ordinarily wears.

It would have been quite sufficient, IMO, for Nash to have sat there with the veil on throughout the interview since you could see vaguely that her lower face was horribly disfigured. Beyond that, mentioning what the extent of her injuries was would have been sufficient.

What on earth is wrong with us that this kind of thing is shown at all??? Yes, I know...attention, money, viewer ratings...whatever, but I think it's tasteless and wrong. I'm thoroughly ashamed of myself that I sat there and watched through it all.

Although, perhaps there was some benefit to her showing the extent of her injuries, because I'm now adamant that only strictly regulated facilities ought to be able to keep animals capable of killing or seriously injuring people.

What does this lead you to conclude are things that we don't need to be shown?

Can I ask, why... knowing what was going to be shown, you continued to watch? That will answer your question as to why mass media panders to the lowest common denominator.
As long as there are people who will flip that channel and enjoy the pain of someone else there will always be things we don't NEED to see.
I've stopped trying, if I think I don't need to see it, I turn it off.

I think I made it clear that I was ashamed that I continued to watch. And yes, I know why I did.

I wasn't asking for opinions on what I ought to have done or for the standard, "Well, if you don't like it, don't watch."

What I was asking was what things do you think don't need to be shown on tv? Does it say something about our society that tv has become something of a freakshow? (I'm thinking Jerry Springer and Maury Povich's paternity test result shows, also.)

Well, I had to go look. I heard about it on the radio this morning, then from you, and yeah I was curious.

I fully admit I wasn't expecting it to look so bad. That was rather frightening.

I am glad I did not see it, I can never get that kind of thing out of my mind.
I really wish we did not have shows like this, but back in the old days, people went to freak shows at circuses to see this kind of thing.

Seems to be part of the human condition, maybe it goes back to survival instincts, but now we do not have any where to channel it, and it comes out in the desire to watch the train wreck? I don't know.

MC, you remind me of me.... I have to guard my vision as once something is in, it's in to stay. I think a person is what they see.

My friend's mother, Julianne, lived in France During WW2. Julianne and her mom were walking down the street in a small southern village, and as they turned the corner, her mom quickly threw her apron over Julianne's head... reason being they happened upon a firing squad right out in the open and she, the mother, wanted to guard her daughter's vision. (We American's are more spoiled than we realize, but that's another topic.)

In any case, Netflix is a great way to see all the shows you love while screening out all the gossip-fodder.

I agree Sak! My stepsister caught a big fish in a fishing pond as a kid, and they took it and hammered it hard with a mallet so its eyes blew out of its head. What was standard proceedure for the fishers scarred her for a long time.

DOT, don't beat yourself up too too badly, hon. We all have been caught by surprise, & with our guards down. What you were describing above sort of had me going w the constant watching of news. Remember my rant about that?
Being a soldier deploying, I wanted to hear about world news, from different sources, sort of "seeing" things in different perspectives from local, to national, to world. Am I a "freedom fighter", "will I be welcomed back home", "am I a fly in the ointment."? After watching the news for weeks, I became sickened & depressed. Why? Thanks to you all, I found my answer. Did my search define views of "others", local national, world, or did my search define me? I'm happy to say my search defined me. So Dot, your sitting watching the program defined your compassion, & your threshold of "ugly". Not the physical "ugly" but the "ugly" in all of us. Sometimes it has to rear its head, to keep us (ourselves) in check!
I'm like Sak, & MC & probably you, I have to monitor what I view. Once its there its hard to get out. Am I ashamed? Yes. Am I embarrassed? Yes. Do I lose my path that I walk? Yes. Do I myself, feel just as ugly? Yes. Do I become angry? Yes. I feel alone, & I feel that I have killed my spirit. Unless I calm myself, & make my own effort to get out into nature & rejoice in being alive. Counting blessings that I have, & being reminded that there are checks & balances within nature. Yes, I have to keep MYSELF in balance, because I too am part of nature.

[quote]Although, perhaps there was some benefit to her showing the extent of her injuries, because I'm now adamant that only strictly regulated facilities ought to be able to keep animals capable of killing or seriously injuring people.
Question?
Something to think about: So where do you intend to put Mankind, darlin? For we are the greatest predator of the animal kingdom. Would it of been easeir to take if this disfigurement came from another "human"?
Does this help you at all?

Although, perhaps there was some benefit to her showing the extent of
her injuries, because I'm now adamant that only strictly regulated
facilities ought to be able to keep animals capable of killing or
seriously injuring people.

You do realize all of these animals exist in that unfenced disorderly area known as nature too? If you want to protect people from wild animals, beat them with sticks until they understand that wild animals are not Disney animations and will lash out at or even kill you because you happened to be within reach when they got angry/scared.

We are less violent than most species on the planet, but nobody is surprised when humans attack for no reason. City people are just functionally handicapped when dealing with anything furred, feathered, or scaled.

John T Mainer wrote:

Although, perhaps there was some benefit to her showing the extent of
her injuries, because I'm now adamant that only strictly regulated
facilities ought to be able to keep animals capable of killing or
seriously injuring people.

You do realize all of these animals exist in that unfenced disorderly area known as nature too?

Well, yes, of course. I thought it was clear that my reference was to situations like this one of people keeping wild animals as if they're humans as Sandra Herold was doing with this chimpanzee. I mean, honestly! Dressing him in preppy sweaters and slacks, sleeping in the same bed with him, having a glass of wine together. Herold even admitted that Travis had occasionally driven her car for gawdsakes! Sadly, this was a woman who'd lost her husband and then her only daughter not long afterward, so it's somewhat understandable that she made a companion of this chimp, foolish though that proved to be.

If you want to protect people from wild animals, beat them with sticks until they understand that wild animals are not Disney animations and will lash out at or even kill you because you happened to be within reach when they got angry/scared.

A good point, which reminds me of the morons I've seen get out of their cars with their kids beside them to feed the bear they spot roadside in Yellowstone National Park. It apparently never occurs to them how they're going to explain to the bear that the food's all gone if the bear wants more.

But anyway...how about some remarks about what's on tv today that you think is beyond the pale?

TigersEyeDowsing wrote:I agree Sak! My stepsister caught a big fish in a fishing pond as a kid, and they took it and hammered it hard with a mallet so its eyes blew out of its head. What was standard procedure for the fishers scarred her for a long time.

Sakhaiva wrote:

TigersEyeDowsing wrote:I agree Sak! My stepsister caught a big fish in a fishing pond as a kid, and they took it and hammered it hard with a mallet so its eyes blew out of its head. What was standard procedure for the fishers scarred her for a long time.

I would never recover from seeing something like that. I may not recover from knowing people do such horrid and despicable things, now.

I told a friend of mine that I was putting exploding zombies in my NaNo and then she told me about a program she watched on tv this summer where a whale that was being pulled through Taipei exploded suddenly and sprayed whale guts and loops of intestines over cars and everyone who was unfortunate enough to be around. Now I can't get that image out of my mind.

She said it was called "The Whale That Explodes." Anyone see it?

LOL.

Okay, okay, it's not supposed to be funny but at "The Whale That Explodes" I've had to bury my head on the desk and laugh.

Reminds me of the whale in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that was manifested in the atmosphere, then fell to the ground to explode everywhere. "Oh no, not again!"

Okay, I can see that I'll be no help as usual to the conversation so I'll walk away.

I thought it was pretty funny, too. Here is a news article about it. I think there are videos somewhere too. Don't follow the links if you are squeamish!!!!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4096586/

Apparently more than a hundred men showed up to have penis envy. Or as they put it "experience the size of its penis."

LOL. I confess I wouldn't find the explosion funny seeing the grossness of it, but the visual I have has got me in laughing tears.

I vote for the exploded whale as something NO ONE needed to see except the unfortunate people who had to clean up the mess..

LOL Me, too, but like TED the visual I have of it (the one my imagination supplied) is pretty funny!

Watched the "Exploding Whale" program... and cringed at the phrase "five-foot penis". Three words I didn't need to hear together.

Back to things we don't need to see.

Any commercial for a "feminine hygiene" product. Pads, tampons, etc.

Any commercial for "male enhancement" -- srsly, just... no.

Any commercial for an ED drug (Cialis, Viagra). I can imagine a 5 year old turning to his mum and asking, "Mommy, what's erectile dysfunction?" Yeah....

Continuing news coverage of events. You know, when you're reporting the same thing day after day, with only small changes to the words, it's time to find something new to report on. Yes, there was a shooting at Ft. Hood. Yes, people were killed. Yeah, the guy that did it was nuts. Do we need to hear about it 24/7? Do we really need coverage of every last second of the memorial? And do we need to repeat it for three days? There's more happening in the world than just that, so please, please move on and report on something else.

Sex scandals. I don't want to hear about Senator Smith getting caught with his pants down, it really shouldn't be a matter for the public to discuss. Can't we just leave this shit where it belongs -- in the bedroom.

Everything Kitty just said,

And all the picture SG posted, show my feelings quite well

Oh come on, you know you catch Bob's happy smile now that his manhood is bigger!

I've always found TV commericals trashy in general, no matter what they are or what they're for the irk the piss out of me. When I watched TV I muted them. Then one day 5ish years ago I quit TV. Good choice, I think, though when I move I'm going to pick it up again because I'll have more time.

Oh, gawd, Bob... That smile is just SO creepy!

Uh, TED, your avatar just blinked at me. Please tell me it's actually animated!

TED:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5364006743071179351#

Commercials? Time to Zone out, & I thought it was just all the dope I used to smoke back in the day....they really are tasteless, & made for the very low on the mental meter.