Why not show the bodies?

[N.Bailey]

Actually yes. My initial reaction would be - LOOK at what we lost. It would be horrible to lose my mother - but whether or not her picture is on TV or not would not bring her back to life.

~Amanda

True, that it won't bring them back. I would be appalled if my family member was shown and I would raise Holy Hell with the news media that showed it too.

It simply boils down to respect for the person that died and respect for surviving family members. You have no idea how the family members would react so you can't speak for them. In this case, you're not going to offend or disrespect them by not showing the bodies.

 

[septbride2002]

I replied to this in the Oprah thread. But I'll throw in my lot here as well.

The relatives of the people who have been killed may not appreciate -or even care about- your personal need to fully conceive the death of their loved one, and have that "brought home" for you.

Unfortunately, many of the dead are unidentifiable, so there is no relative to stand up and say "please don't photograph my mother's corpse as it decomposes along the highway overpass."

So why not err on the side of discretion - assume that people do not want the dead bodies displayed in the media unless otherwise informed.

I don't think it's for us (collectively) to decide. My "need" to understand what happened shouldn't prevail over someone else's right to dignity and privacy.

thank you. That was a great post.

Let me just clarify - I don't feel any need at all to bring this "home" it was just a phrase that I used. And no I do not also believe the public's need is greater then those of the family who have lost loved ones.

~Amanda

 

[N.Bailey]

I replied to this in the Oprah thread. But I'll throw in my lot here as well.

The relatives of the people who have been killed may not appreciate -or even care about- your personal need to fully conceive the death of their loved one, and have that "brought home" for you.

Unfortunately, many of the dead are unidentifiable, so there is no relative to stand up and say "please don't photograph my mother's corpse as it decomposes along the highway overpass."

So why not err on the side of discretion - assume that people do not want the dead bodies displayed in the media unless otherwise informed.

I don't think it's for us (collectively) to decide. My "need" to understand what happened shouldn't prevail over someone else's right to dignity and privacy.

This is exactly what I was trying to say, but you've said it 100 times better than I ever could.

 

[Pete's Mom]

I think it speaks volumes that the media in the U.S., which is so prone to sensationalism, has shown restraint by not showing the bodies.

I know they are there, so I don't need to see them.

 

[septbride2002]

I posted on the other thread before seeing this one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by septbride2002
At least, in my opinion, their body is a testament to what mother nature can do - and that we all need to remember life is short. Their picture will show the truth in what was lost - not just material things, but lives. Their life was lost and that is truly precious.

~Amanda



I can see where you are coming from; however, to me the best testament to the preciousness of what was lost is not a picture of the dead body, but a picture (or description by a living loved one) of the person while they were living. After a plane crash, or other disaster, you will often see an episode of 20/20 or segments on the regular news that will give brief profiles of the lost--pictures from happier times, interviews with loved ones, etc. THAT is what brings home the loss to me. It makes the lost person "real" to me even though I didn't know him/her, and usually brings me to tears as I realize that the person was a living, breathing, LOVED individual who is gone forever.
I don't believe pictures of dead bodies offer that.

I agree. And lets not think that I want a eulogy going on next to a picture of a dead body. I don't really even want close up of the bodies.

I visited the Holocaust Memorial here in St. Louis one time which had horrific pictures ( you can imagine ) and I was moved to tears for what these people have been through and what we learned because of their deaths. I truly hope that the lives lost today will not be in vain and that our government will be able to put together a better course of action.

~Amanda

 

[AuntieM03]

And I get that - which is why you have the choice of turning off your TV, not buying a magazine, or newspaper. You have that choice to not watch those things. No one is going to make you. Did you support seeing Sadam's son's dead bodies?

~Amanda

Actually I did not support showing Sadam's son's, I don't even like old pictures from the wild west days of the outlaws after they are killed. I am not even sure what you are implying. It seems from this small sampling that most people do not want to see the bodies so why would the TV want to turn off the majority of the viewers? I also have the right to expect respect for those already suffering.

 

[DawnCt1]

And I get that - which is why you have the choice of turning off your TV, not buying a magazine, or newspaper. You have that choice to not watch those things. No one is going to make you. Did you support seeing Sadam's son's dead bodies?

~Amanda

There is no comparison between the victims of a natural disaster and the bodies of two thugs. There is no purpose in showing the victims of the hurricane except for sensationalism or to satisfy someone's curiosity. Uday and Quosay were shown to prove to the Iraqi people that they were indeed dead, which serves useful in war.
The television comes into the house, the newspaper and magazines are paid for and delivered. If it were my family or friends, they deserve the same respect and privacy that they would receive if they died from natural causes.
Because a natural disaster is played out publicly, it doesn't make the victims part of the public domain.

 

[septbride2002]

I consider my responses no more inappropriate than your question. If I didn't want to participate in this discussion, I would have avoided it.

Seriously - just go away. The tone of your post do nothing more then cause arguements and for the point of the thread to be diminished. You are more concerned about making a political point or to make other feel inferior that you take a thread way off topic.


~Amanda

 

[Tigger_Magic]

And I get that - which is why you have the choice of turning off your TV, not buying a magazine, or newspaper. You have that choice to not watch those things. No one is going to make you. Did you support seeing Sadam's son's dead bodies?

~Amanda

As disgusted as I was with Saddam's son's behavior/actions, I was equally disgusted when their corpses were plastered all over the media. I didn't support showing their dead bodies anymore than I would support showing anyone's dead body on TV, magazines, newspapers, etc. For heaven's sake, we give executed criminals, like John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy, more respect and their dead bodies weren't shown in the media. Can't we have a modicum of decency and respect for these poor unidentified victims of this disaster?

 

[septbride2002]

There is no comparison between the victims of a natural disaster and the bodies of two thugs. There is no purpose in showing the victims of the hurricane except for sensationalism or to satisfy someone's curiosity. Uday and Quosay were shown to prove to the Iraqi people that they were indeed dead, which serves useful in war.
The television comes into the house, the newspaper and magazines are paid for and delivered. If it were my family or friends, they deserve the same respect and privacy that they would receive if they died from natural causes.
Because a natural disaster is played out publicly, it doesn't make the victims part of the public domain.

Uday and Quosay still had family - sisters, aunts, cousins -- what about respect for them as well?

~Amanda

 

[Pete's Mom]

I agree. And lets not think that I want a eulogy going on next to a picture of a dead body. I don't really even want close up of the bodies.

I visited the Holocaust Memorial here in St. Louis one time which had horrific pictures ( you can imagine ) and I was moved to tears for what these people have been through and what we learned because of their deaths. I truly hope that the lives lost today will not be in vain and that our government will be able to put together a better course of action.

~Amanda

I don't think you can fairly compare the two. So many tried to deny that the Holocaust ever happened that I can understand having those photos. You have to take into account that there wasn't a CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc. broadcasting the Holocaust 24/7.

 

[va32h]

Edited to add: I am now genuinely confused as to whether there is a disagreement on this issue or not. So I am deleting my arguments in this post.

Besides, I got so many kudos for my last post, I want to quit while I'm ahead.

 

[septbride2002]

As disgusted as I was with Saddam's son's behavior/actions, I was equally disgusted when their corpses were plastered all over the media. I didn't support showing their dead bodies anymore than I would support showing anyone's dead body on TV, magazines, newspapers, etc. For heaven's sake, we give executed criminals, like John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy, more respect and their dead bodies weren't shown in the media. Can't we have a modicum of decency and respect for these poor unidentified victims of this disaster?

Good point.

~Amanda

 

[DawnCt1]

Seriously - just go away. The tone of your post do nothing more then cause arguements and for the point of the thread to be diminished. You are more concerned about making a political point or to make other feel inferior that you take a thread way off topic.


~Amanda

I didn't realize that you were a moderator now, but I am glad that you have changed your mind about your desire to view the deceased.

 

[swilphil]

First of all, was the body that Oprah showed recognizable? I remember the camera angle being behind the woman's head and I didn't get a good look at her face.

To be perfectly honest, if it were my child that died, the last thing on my mind would be whether the media showed a picture of the body. It would not make my child any less dead. I would direct my anger and grief to the officials who didn't do their jobs.

Most news organizations have guidelines that prohibit showing the faces of the dead, though I wonder if they bend the guidelines a little in unusual events. Fortunately, there are many talented photographers who have the ability to capture the tragedy of the death without revealing the face of the deceased.

I do agree with Amanda that the tragedy of situation is revealed through these pictures. The most haunting picture of the Holocaust for me is one where there's a pile of dead bodies. Yes it's shocking, but it's reality. Our history isn't always pretty. I do have a big problem with the fictional portrayal of dead bodies in action and horror movies.

 

[Pete's Mom]

Not that you asked me, but in the case of Saddam Hussein's son, the publishing of the pictures was intended to prove to any remaining followers that the Husseins were indeed dead - so that those followers would not continue to fight for their dead leader. I don't think it was a particularly tasteful thing to do, but there was some rationale for it. I also don't think that is an apt analogy for the purposes of this argument.

Well said!

 

[Laurajean1014]

If that was me lying face down in a sea over New Orleans, I would not want to be filmed. I think it should not be shown out of respect for the victims.

I don't think America thought the same for Saddam's sons. There was never a respect issue there.

 

[septbride2002]

I don't think you can fairly compare the two. So many tried to deny that the Holocaust ever happened that I can understand having those photos. You have to take into account that there wasn't a CNN, Fox News, MSNBC, etc. broadcasting the Holocaust 24/7.

Great point about the 24 hour news - however it's been 50 years since the Holocaust and those pictures are still here. Still a testament to what happened and what we can learn from it.

~Amanda

 

[septbride2002]

I didn't realize that you were a moderator now, but I am glad that you have changed your mind about your desire to view the deceased.

 

[DawnCt1]

Uday and Quosay still had family - sisters, aunts, cousins -- what about respect for them as well?

~Amanda

I guess when one has close family members who are murderers, war criminals and have committed atrocities beyond belief, one gives up a certain amount of respect. I would guess the hundreds of family members of their victims were relieved to see that they were actually dead. Perhaps that trumps their family's sensitivities.