Crying about stuff that doth not concern you.

[JonB]

Was just reading the thread about Baby P and people shamelessly admitting they had been reduced to tears from reading what had happened.

Now call me an insensitive soul, but I never ever get reduced to any sort of sad emotion when reading these stories. Perhaps I emotionally detach myself from the events, but when reading about anything of that nature, it neither shocks me, nor saddens me. Perhaps as someone as a believer of people = shit analogy, I would not be surprised by this act of cruelty.
Equally, unless it is someone I know, I rarely get upset by the death of say a fellow biker, or someones tale of woe on the internet.

Perhaps it's cause I am not a father, that I would not understand fully the implications of the Baby P case, but one thing is for sure; I WILL cry if I get one more fucking invite on Facebook to a group related to Baby P.
____________________
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[hellkat]

I have a similar issue.

As a parent, I am generally outraged and disgusted of E16 that someone could treat their own child in such a way.

But the *frenzy* is what is doing my brain in, as well.
No, I will not forward on the Baby P text message (and increase O2's profits). No, I will not join a Baby P group on Facebook (and increase Facebook's profits) ... I may set a blue balloon free on whatever day, but if I forget, the world will not stop.

If I mention that I have not forwarded that text, or that I will not join those groups, I am made to feel ashamed ... for what? For the simple action of not declaring in public a principle I already believe in - that of not beating one's children to death. Or is it just for not joining in with the crowd?

Those of us who choose not to actually voice our opinion shouldn't think any less of those who do. Because the moral outrage of many other people (Jon) must go on, even if you or others of us (and I can think of at least one more) choose not to do so publically ... because otherwise precedents would be set for people to think it was OKAY to treat their children like that, or for social services across the country (world) to act in so disgracefully slack a manner, which obviously it is not.

Its okay NOT to join those groups or to voice outrage publically, so long as you actually acknowledge, even if only to yourself, that beating your child to death is a pretty shitty thing to do, and those people who do are heartless selfish cunts ... actually I can't think of a description bad enough, but they must be sick in the fucking head.
____________________
Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[Shaun]

I'll assume you stole this thread idea from my facebook status shall I?

I'll just post the comments I received here...

[hellkat]

I have other issues [specifically on the subject of "deaths of bikers"] but those are a bit controversial as well and I have to gather my thoughts before I post on that subject.

Shaun, yeah, I was thinking of you too actually ... LOL : I saw that "status" and wondered if you would cop any flak for it, but it was bed time and I couldnt be bothered sitting up waiting to read the fall-out.
____________________
Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[Visitor Q]

[Mudskipper]

[Kickstart]

[GhostRider]

I kind of know what you mean, but in cases where say, I hold my missus' niece who's like 4 months old for a while and you see how adorable she is and such, well, then you picture someone performing those kind of acts on them, an it brings it home a lot more.

Agreed about these groups on facebook though, people have now started changing their profile pictures to a blue ribbon, which apparently will help stop this sort of thing happening again.

And if I release a balloon at a certain time, something mytiscal and magical will happen, and the whole incident will correct itself...... im wondering if these people who are so set and determined to make a change and difference actually did something productive towards that cause, rather than forming groups (which normally turn into a fight between two factions and comes down to race/al queda/terrorist/george bush/crab people) or releasing balloons, they might actually succeed in making a positive change.

GhostRider
____________________
I have all the characteristics of a human being: blood, flesh, skin, hair; but not a single, clear, identifiable emotion, except for greed and disgust. Something horrible is happening inside of me and I don't know why. My nightly bloodlust has overflown into my days. I feel lethal, on the verge of frenzy. I think my mask of sanity is about to slip.

[Visitor Q]

[MarJay]

It just goes to prove that becoming a parent destroys all ability to think rationally...
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Kickstart]

[bazza]

Internet grief whores FTW.
____________________
"That's it. You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college."
'98 Ducati 750SS, '08 Suzuki GSX650F ©2004-2014, Bazza's Harmless Banter

[Dragonfly]

I used to be detached and unemotional to stories like this. Yes I would have been angry and then a bit sad but thats about it. Until I got pregnant and relised that how could anyone do that to a baby the carried and gave birth to and I cried my eyes out. I cry at abandoned dogs on tv now. Ok I have an excuse or hormones but being a soon to be mum, it does effect me more stuff like this. I think if you think of your own child or baby and see how fragile they are you cant imagine how this child must have felt and went through. ok someone pass the kleenex

Anyway I joined one baby P group on facebook and I am actually sick of getting invited to them all now. One is enough. Also getting loads of text messages with their names and addresses in it. sorry but they are arrested already what should I do fly to england and look for their house?

[Shaun]

Dragonfly, I'll let it slide (for now) because pregnant women are even more mental than normal ones.

I've just been 'informed' by one of the people who invited me that the group she is inviting me to is worth it because they're actually doing something...

They're holding a march to downing street on december 13th and if you can't make that then you should release a blue balloon.

What the hell does a march achieve? Yes, someone messed up, they know this, it's being dealt with, if you're going to do that then you might as well organise another march to downing street to tell them there's a credit crunch.

[Dragonfly]

[SoulRider]

[Tarmacsurfer]

Polite note to the OP:Slightly off topic here, please excuse my rambling, Jon.


The Di frenzy had a very personal impact on me. Not because I liked or had any respect for her but because in the days following her death (including the day she died, I was working a weekend shift) there was abuse hurled at me and in two cases people actively trying to injure me simply because I was on a bike. And as all the newpapers were telling us, it was someone on a bike chasing the car that made "the peoples pricess" (/gag) crash. It was not a pleasant time to be dizzying.

Thankfully it died down inside a day or so, but I'll always remember one florid and frothing face sceaming "you scum should just die" as I filtered through Coventry and he opened the car door on me.

It was a good lesson in mob mentality.
____________________
I'm immortal. Well, so far.

[Mudskipper]

[JonB]

Let's be honest, how many Blue balloons will you see fluttering in the air?

None, that's because most of the dumb people who act like they care fail to have the intellect that to make a balloon fly into the air you need Helium.
____________________
Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it?s worth.

[hellkat]

Yes but you can fill a balloon with helium very easily from a birthday shop, or indeed an enterprising person might buy a canister of helium or two, which only costs around thirty five quid (I know this cos I bought two for anita's birthday last week)

Air balloons will still float, just not as high.
____________________
Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[hellkat]

As each canister does around 30-40 balloons, if you sat in a public place with a rake of blue balloons on whatever day it is they are banging on about, and if you sold them for a pound each, you'd make you money back, if you sold them for £1.50 each you'd make a tidy profit and go home by morning tea time.
____________________
Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[Mr Hammers]

Have to admit that since becoming a parent i am moved a lot more when i hear the news these days, and this whole Baby P thing made me feel sick to my stomach. It still does. Just the thought of what that poor kid had to endure, all alone in a world of hell for months and months, completely and utterly helpless, and hopeless.

Try and imagine what that must be like, like really imagine. In all honesty i can't, i can't even begin to imagine the horror he went through, and that makes me sad. It also makes me sad because it reminds me that there must be many other kids in similar postions, as we speak, all around the country, all around the world.

But i generally keep that grief to myself (with this obvious exception) and i've never had this hive mind that starts joining groups and letting balloons go, and if i felt pressure as some of you have described, it wouldn't bother me, i would just ignore it. I know it's sad, but i don't feel the need to prove to others that i feel that way, and i couldn't care less what those who do pressure others think at all.

The only thing that concerns me really, is that the feelings of sorrow for such a tragic and terrible event, are sometimes lost or replaced by anger at all the peripheral stuff surrounding it; the media convulsions, the fake emotions by the general public and their desire to show how affected they are, pressure from facebook..etc etc.

It troubles me sometimes that, for the wont of a better phrase, sometimes the baby gets thrown out with the bath water in situations like these. Don't bother feeling sad for the kid, get angry at everyone else instead.

Like yesterday, one of my co-workers was more concerned about the effect the Baby P thing had on his news, in that it was taking up his football results time or something, and hadn't really given any consideration to what that kid must have gone through. Too concerned about getting angry at the meeja than to spend that time thinking about what really matters.

I'm not suggesting anyone here has done that, btw, but some people do, and i find that sad in itself as well.


Talking of Maddie jokes..did you hear the one about...........
____________________
A Guide To Powerbands

[AJI]

[J0Al1]

I think especially when you have your own kids, you can, if you want, imagine it as if it had happened to your own. That thought might make you cry.

But realistically,I dont see how those emotions can be for the child in question. Just maybe empathetic.

Facebook group for it? What the hell is the point in than. Big waste of time and a bit pathetic really, as I dont think there are many people in the world that would actually stand up and do anything positive about it. Just resting their own guilt for probably not giving too much of a shit.

[Steve H]

Balloons? Marching? All you need is a couple of people on floats chucking boiled sweets into a crowd of onlookers and soon you'll have Billy Smart setting up his big tent on the wasteland just outside town.
____________________
Mellow Yellow
The BCF Top TEN - 2010, 2009, 2008, The Original.