Jump to content

Death and the Internet


Redeemer

Recommended Posts

First of all I want to send my thoughts and prayers to the victims of the Colorado shooting on Friday. May the lost rest in peace, the wounded heal, and the families stay strong.

Why am I making this topic? Something struck a nerve with me today. When I opened facebook, I was met with some pretty disgusting statuses and pictures mocking what happened yesterday. Statuses like "I heard the shooting scene was pretty realistic" or "Now kids, we all know Batman hates guns", or "That's Colorado, you must never go there, Simba". Just memes, puns, and things that people are hoping that others will find funny.

What's my problem here? Especially since I have a pretty weird sense of humour. I laugh at women jokes, I laugh at jokes regarding controversial things, and I laugh at jokes about death. But not the day after. Not the day when I know that people were shot and killed yesterday when going to see the new Batman movie, and not when I know that people are in hospital still fighting for life.

So when do I find it acceptable to laugh at stuff like this? I don't really. Call me prude, but there are two things I never laugh at: the murder of innocents (such as 9/11 and the Dunblane Massacre) and rape. These things aren't even really laughed at in real life - but online they become memes, or people post stuff that they so badly want others to find funny.

I follow an odd kind of rule: It's better to laugh than cry. It's better to see the funny side of things than the darker side, because otherwise, everything would be pretty dark, right? But why do people online have to laugh so soon? Do they really find it funny? Are they just wanting to appear witty and shocking? To me, this displays a lack of respect, and to be honest, I resent that. But that's just my opinion.

What I'm asking you here, is your opinion on the internet, and its sense of humour. Why do people post stuff life this online but why does it not happen in real life?

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I think its partly due to people feeling untouchable on the web.

Personally, I don't know if its the case for everyone, but I sometimes think up a joke or of something funny about a sad event. However, I'll feel really bad about thinking of something making fun or lacking respect to the sad event, and I will just disregard it to avoid shocking others. But I think some people might want to express that, and think that by posting it online people won't judge them. Like those dumbass posting jokes and insults on sad youtube videos, like 9/11 stuff for example.

However, that's just my theory.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can hide on a computer screen, with a fake name, and say whatever the hell you want, and no one (most of the times) can do anything about it. Which is why it's easy to troll in the internet, and not on real life. On the internet, you can instantly log into news sites such as cnn, go to the article, and troll or post a funny reference, you will get people mad and hence your trolling will be even more effective. On real life, do so next to random people, and you will get your ass kicked.

I suppose it's mostly because the fact that in the internet, you are not directly dealing with other human beings and that gets most of our online trolls/bullies, their "big balls".

Let's not forget that kids and teenagers like to appear all "cool" making fun of whatever the hell they want, the internet just makes this easier. Tragedies, wars, politics, and yes, even death news are all a good source of "trolling", sadly.

I dunno, I just think some parents need to do a better job at raising their kids, that might make things a little bit better for all of us. I mean, sure, some internet trolls are fun and stuff, but when you make fun of serious stuff like a person's death, right after it happened (and in most cases, anytime), yeah, no.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

all_about_timing_by_humon-d3dixpd.jpg

It all depends on timing, place and situation. 9/11 and cancer jokes at a black humor performance: Awesome for me (if they're good). But it may not yield the same results if you tell them to the son of a victim or a sufferer in general.

Black humor's special that way. It may hurt people who doesn't have to do anything at all with the fact joked with (really annoying, IMO) and at the same time can make someone that had lived through it literally ROFL.

Bear in mind that, ironically, those kind of jokes have to be delivered tastefully in order to work. If you just start to sprawl nonsense or hti the wrong button, you might end in deep.

But I do think that joking about that kind of event that soon it's universally distasteful and rude, and one shouldn't abuse Internet anonymity for that purpose.

Now, for the appropiate time that the "too soon" should dissapear; it would be something really subjective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tragedies like this have been watered down to the point that humor is the initial and only response you'll get out of people, especially on the Internet. I also think that most people that make jokes like these really aren't trolling. To troll you have to have the intention to cause controversy. You can't just joke about something, see that you pissed a lot of people off, then claim to be trolling.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So this is a thread all about trolls?

Because no matter what happens in the world, there's going to be some jackass, some so and so who will make a joke about it. But there is no reason to make a big fuss about it. Leave their stupidity to themselfs. In the end they will regret it.

However my heart still goes out to the families affected.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Given that i am guilty of partaking in the occasional memes and trying to "look cool":

It still concerns me when people don't know how/when to turn their meme off. But you're never gonna control people...especially internet wise. You gotta learn how to control yourself...which sometimes includes walking away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People are quite ridiculous at times; the internet serves as a way to amplify their thoughts and emotions, no matter how insensitive, idiotic, and dark. Tragedies will always be made fun of by someone that has no concept of what occurred, or that was not able to visualize themselves in it. If it doesn't matter to them, it should matter to no one by their own logic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You know this topic intrests me......I'm telling my self right now that these people ,who ever they may be, just don't understand the tradgady called death.( yes i think i mispelled it) And this is going to sound harsh and possibly ruin how you guys may look at me, But i am not terribly distressed by this event. I can't say that i am really sadened by it. I can't bring my self to be troubled over it. However, i could never make a meme of a tragic event that occured. I know what happened was horrible, so my question is what leads people to do junk like that? After some heavy thinking i belive it to be a combination of being uneffected by the event, and lacking the common decency required to reliaze was is appropriate and what is not.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually played a bit of Devil's Advocate on a Facebook post in favor of those making jokes, so I'll copypasta my main argument I made in favor of it.

The people who are making jokes about it -are- doing so to cope. They just aren't doing so consciously. For a long time now, we've coped with the horrors of the world by becoming more and more calloused to the things that happen in it - becoming assholes, if you will. You can't deny that the people making the jokes aren't nearly as bummed about the event as those who are going on about how terrible it is and dwelling on it constantly. Some coping mechanisms are conscious, and some people do consciously decide to make jokes to cope with bad situations. But it's entirely plausible, IMO, that a very large chunk of the population have become so accustomed to dealing with bad shit through humor that it's second nature at this point to be an asshole and joke about any bad thing that happens, so they won't have to dwell on how horrible the world can be. It's not necessarily the most tactful way to live life, but it does work for them.

This argument was based on using the jokes as a coping mechanism to deal with tragedy. It's not based on fact or anything. It's basically just a theory or whatever of mine as a way to justify making the jokes. Granted, I don't disagree that making jokes about horrible shit the day it happens on a highly public forum like Facebook is quite tactless, but I can see a reasonable defense being made for those who are doing so.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to agree with both Xort and R3d. You both have spoken for each side of the coin that this topic is. Some people do this stuff to cope, I think, but others just want to appear bold or seek popularity.

For example, one can make jokes about it. But some go as far to make stupid images for 9gag and imagechan. Why? What's the point other than to try and make a funny? As R3d said, people have to comment on everything, and the internet gives them the backbone to do it.

The coping mechanism theory, actually, is one that is easily abused. Not exactly intentionally, but it's usually the reason people turn to when they try to figure out someone's outlandish actions to a tragedy. Of course, people jest about things they are required to get over, but reflecting upon what R3d said above, making a facebook status about how hilarious the shooting is because Batman hates guns is anything but a coping mechanism. It's an arrogant attempt at trying to shock others and looking like a hardass.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some people do this stuff to cope, I think, but others just want to appear bold or seek popularity.

Honestly, I don't think that people that digest this with humor would resort to the Internet. Also, I think the humor coping only happen with people who lived through it/know people who lived through it. If someone isn't related to the situation, I don't think they have nothing important to do in order to assimilate what happened.

The vast majority joking through the Internet are the ones that don't seem to get their head around the fact this actually hurts to some people and just focus on the bizarre factors involving it (Batman Premiere, him screaming movie quotes, etcetera).

Whether those people are doing that with that knowledge or without it, it would be hard to tell.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...