Death & disease and the Irish.

Karl Stein

I don't mean to generalise but I'm going to go right ahead and generalise and ask why we Irish people are so preoccupied with death and disease? The Late Late show invariably has some poor person suffering from multiple horrifying diseases of the body and mind and this is considered as Friday night entertainment.

There was a place I used to work in and the lunch table conversation always ended up being about people suffering from aneurysms, brain hemorrhages, strokes, tumours, heart attacks, leprosy, scurvy and rickets. I used to say 'here we go with the doom and gloom' and go out for a smoke.

Is this really an Irish trait or am I suffering from the terrible disease of confirmationbiasosis? Do you know any doom and gloomers?

The Backwards Man

I'll reply in a minute, just checking the obituaries on the local radio website here.

kneemos

Oul wons alert.

4zn76tysfajdxp

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

I used to say 'here we go with the doom and gloom' and go out for a smoke.

Careful now, you'll get lung cancer.

Karl Stein

Gwendolyn Attractive Windsurfing wrote: »

Careful now, you'll get lung cancer.

Packed the nasty things in years ago.

Chucken

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I'll reply in a minute, just checking the obituaries on the local radio website here.

If you're not on it, your grand!

kneemos wrote: »

Oul wons alert.

Anseo

PS. You should check out the oul wans forum on here. Death and disease are the last things that are discussed.

Karl Stein

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I'll reply in a minute, just checking the obituaries on the local radio website here.

Yeah, a lot of people go straight to the obituaries in their local papers to see who's snuffed it. I have an Aunt who always rings around and tells people about who's suffering from what, who has so many months to live and who dropped dead. She's mad for it.

Micky Dolenz

Have you much experience with other nationalities and cultures, or is it mainly Irish?

Clandestine

I think its part of the human condition to be obsessed or at least interested with suffering. After all, death is something we are all to face and is the last great event in our lives, so why not discuss it? Sure, it is morbid and there are so many other, more optimistic topics of discussion available but suffering plays on our own deep seated fears, and mentions of it are bound to keep our interest.

seven_eleven

If I remember correctly heart disease is the #1 killer in Ireland.

Heart disease is probably fancy word for "you're an unhealthy fat bástard"

Karl Stein

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

Have you much experience with other nationalities and cultures,

Not a huge amount, no.

or is it mainly Irish?

It's probably just confirmation bias on my part but it does seem to be all over the talk shows on TV and radio.

What do you think?

Clandestine

seven_eleven wrote: »

Heart disease is probably fancy word for "you're an unhealthy fat bástard"

Or simply old.....

Chucken

seven_eleven wrote: »

If I remember correctly heart disease is the #1 killer in Ireland.

Heart disease is probably fancy word for "you're an unhealthy fat bástard"

Not always!

Chucken

Clandestine wrote: »

Or simply old.....

You think you have to be old to have heart disease?

kneemos

Chucken wrote: »

If you're not on it, your grand!



Anseo

PS. You should check out the oul wans forum on here. Death and disease are the last things that are discussed.

Checked out the Oulwans forum,making will,cod liver oil and home help nurses to mention a few...you were right.

Micky Dolenz

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

Not a huge amount, no.



It's probably just confirmation bias on my part but it does seem to be all over the talk shows on TV and radio.

What do you think?

People are people. Nothing changes except circumstance, climate, language and accent.

We all stress and talk about the same things. Politics, religion,sex, life, death, weather, war and so on.

Nothing is uniquely Irish in that sense.

qaswww

old people are very interested in dying and aches and pains

its worldwide just not ireland

smokey20

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

I have an Aunt. She's mad for it.

Tell her to PM me.

mike65

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

It's probably just confirmation bias on my part but it does seem to be all over the talk shows on TV and radio.

What do you think?

I think its easy crowd pleasing material for TV and radio. Everyone likes a good sob story esp if there is a happy ending. Human interest is the grist of the talk media and there is no end of gabbing on radio these days since station executives realised talk is far cheaper than playing records. Phone ins cost the public rather than the station.

Chucken

kneemos wrote: »

Checked out the Oulwans forum,making will,cod liver oil and home help nurses to mention a few...you were right.

Maybe read the threads with more than 2 replies

Karl Stein

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

People are people. Nothing changes except circumstance, climate, language and accent.

Well I have a little experience of comparing German culture to Irish and I can assure you there are most certainly different attitudes to timekeeping among other things. I think asserting that 'people are people' paints all of humanity 'magnolia' if you catch my drift.

Micky Dolenz

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

Well I have a little experience of comparing German culture to Irish and I can assure you there are most certainly different attitudes to timekeeping among other things. I think asserting that 'people are people' paints all of humanity 'magnolia' if you catch my drift.

Do you mean in their infrastructure,I.E public transport or business meetings etc? or the normal day to day life of people meeting up?

WilyCoyote

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

I don't mean to generalise but I'm going to go right ahead and generalise and ask why we Irish people are so preoccupied with death and disease? The Late Late show invariably has some poor person suffering from multiple horrifying diseases of the body and mind and this is considered as Friday night entertainment.

There was a place I used to work in and the lunch table conversation always ended up being about people suffering from aneurysms, brain hemorrhages, strokes, tumours, heart attacks, leprosy, scurvy and rickets. I used to say 'here we go with the doom and gloom' and go out for a smoke.

Is this really an Irish trait or am I suffering from the terrible disease of confirmationbiasosis? Do you know any doom and gloomers?

You seem to have aged just recently. In your former life did you watch the Late Late? What I meant to say was, "You're getting old Cathal".

seven_eleven

Chucken wrote: »

Not always!

I know I know I was joking!

Karl Stein

Micky Dolenz wrote: »

normal day to day life of people meeting up

That part.

My name is URL

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

I don't mean to generalise but I'm going to go right ahead and generalise and ask why we Irish people are so preoccupied with death and disease? The Late Late show invariably has some poor person suffering from multiple horrifying diseases of the body and mind and this is considered as Friday night entertainment.

Small pond syndrome. One would be forgiven for assuming we're preoccupied with various things as a nation. In reality, it's just because our media industry is so small and there's not a whole lot of demographical focus on their part.

In other countries, different talk & variety shows exist for different audiences. In Ireland, everything just gets fcuked into The Late Late Show and it's hit or miss whether or not the 'best' audience is viewing at the time.

As for people generally talking about morbid subjects, that happens everywhere.

Karl Stein

WilyCoyote wrote: »

You seem to have aged just recently. In your former life did you watch the Late Late? What I meant to say was, "You're getting old Cathal".

*shakes walking stick angrily at Wilycoyote*

I don't actually watch TLLS unless there's a very particular person I'm interested in seeing. Am I getting old? Not that old. Late 30's.

Micky Dolenz

My name is URL wrote: »

Small pond syndrome. One would be forgiven for assuming we're preoccupied with various things as a nation. In reality, it's just because our media industry is so small and there's not a whole lot of demographical focus on their part.

In other countries, different talk & variety shows exist for different audiences. In Ireland, everything just gets fcuked into The Late Late Show and it's hit or miss whether or not the 'best' audience is viewing at the time.

As for people generally talking about morbid subjects, that happens everywhere.

That is it all right.

I don't really watch the late late, unless there is someone I want to see.

Now I may be just nostalgic, but used it have top celebs back in the day and not some moan fest?

NuckingFacker

For me, it comes under the heading "gossip" and I just zone it out. "He said she said and then I he did" is the fave conversation of feckin everyone. MYOB and if they die they die, is pretty much my attitude.

WoollyRedHat

When I was a young un', I used to think death was intrinsically linked with murder, so when the old lady from across the road died, I presume someone whacked her off.

whatdoicare

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I'll reply in a minute, just checking the obituaries on the local radio website here.

We call it "Megadeath" in our house :P

wolfpawnat

You'd love my MIL. Only happy when miserable. Death notices and ringing people to see why someone died are actually the only things that make her happy. She snaps at my 4 year old for making noise when the death notices are on! I get about 2 calls a week complaining she has to go to funerals, I ask her why she feels she has to go, "because they were a neighbour of my cousins wife" and is actually annoyed if she doesn't make it to the funeral.

She judges a funeral like normal people judge weddings. We talk about the dress, the food, the music etc, she goes on about what Undertaker got it, was it a coffin or a casket, what the dead person was WEARING :eek: I **** you not. And then you have to ask her what they died of, she won't stop talking about it until you ask her, her usual answer "Sure don't you know what" and honest truth pending the age and background of the person it is either suicide, cancer or a heart attack, but there is no way of actually knowing. A few of her friends are like that too. And it is so fúcking morbid. Older Irish women are only happy when they are miserable, and I hope never to get that far in life, take me out and shoot me when I start ringing people to discuss the obituaries!