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Suicide bombing in Pakistan. Christians targeted. Nothing in Irish Media (yet)

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    #32
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Also well done OP on the timing for the username.


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    #33
    Wibbs
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,073 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    Raging_Ninja wrote: »
    It was on the RTE news website last night you liar.
    Now I say this as someone who can be "robust" in posting but fcuk me, is there something in the air of late with the amount of the aggressive stuff? I'm not trying to single you out RN, there's the same thing running through the thread and elsewhere on Boards. Reflection of the wider times or something?

    Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.



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    #34
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 25,611 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Wibbs wrote: »
    Now I say this as someone who can be "robust" in posting but fcuk me, is there something in the air of late with the amount of the aggressive stuff? I'm not trying to single you out RN, there's the same thing running through the thread and elsewhere on Boards. Reflection of the wider times or something?

    TBH I think for me it was that I saw two different people on FB do the whole "Where was the coverage thing" having already read the story. Look at the OP's name and think about it tbh. There was plenty of coverage everywhere.

    Also yes, the 1916 stuff gets the blood riled up. :pac:


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    #35
    alchemist33
    Registered Users Posts: 10,969 ✭✭✭✭alchemist33


    Events in countries we're closer to, geographically and culturally, get more coverage because people are more interested in them. Five people dying in an accident dominated our news for days, whereas the same incident in India or even the US wouldn't get any mention here, and I bet Al Jazeera didnt mention Buncrana anywhere. It's human nature to be more interested in things that concern us more, yet people are constantly dragging this up as evidence that we're all racist and only a select few really care about everyone in the world. It's ridiculous point scoring, and I really wish it would end.


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    #36
    languagenerd
    Registered Users Posts: 3,201 ✭✭✭languagenerd


    jacksie66 wrote: »
    At the end of the day we're all humans. It comes across to me that people in the west view people in countries like Nigeria, Turkey and Pakistan as lesser, inferior people.

    Ah now. I don't think it's that at all. For the media, proximity and relevance to the reader are some of the key features that decide how much coverage something gets. People who click on to an Irish website or open an Irish newspaper are generally looking for the stories that are most relevant to Irish people. Paris and Brussels are in the EU, a very large proportion of Irish people have been to both cities and things that happen there could have big consequences here. For those reasons, events there will always get more coverage than events in Pakistan, Nigeria or Kenya, which generally will only get a handful of articles each. But if something happened in Ireland, it would not get rolling coverage on Pakistani or Indian or Kenyan news sites either.

    On a micro level, it's just human nature. If you hear a news story of someone dying in an accident, you might think "Oh Jesus, that's awful. The poor family", but it won't affect you all that much beyond that. But if the person was your neighbour or your friend's brother or someone who went to your school, it upsets you more. That doesn't mean that you don't care about the stranger or think they're inferior or condone their death. You still think the accident was horrible and feel sorry for the bereaved, but you can't dwell on every such story.

    And it's worth remembering that news sites, more than ever, are reflecting what their readers want to read. Rightly or wrongly, if their original summary articles about Pakistan or Nigeria got a huge amount of clicks, you can bet they'd quickly produce more....

    But I don't think it's a case of not caring or finding people inferior. It's more a case that events there are not likely to have ramifications here, so beyond thinking "Oh Jesus, that's awful, those poor people", we don't have a huge collective thirst for more information.


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    #37
    osarusan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,551 ✭✭✭✭osarusan


    Wibbs wrote: »
    Now I say this as someone who can be "robust" in posting but fcuk me, is there something in the air of late with the amount of the aggressive stuff? I'm not trying to single you out RN, there's the same thing running through the thread and elsewhere on Boards. Reflection of the wider times or something?
    I think people are getting very tired with the "not covered by the media as it doesn't fit the narrative" line that gets trotted out a lot.

    People thought the OP was one of those, based on the thread title and later responses.


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    #38
    AndyBoBandy
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 14,897 Mod ✭✭✭✭AndyBoBandy


    jacksie66 wrote: »
    At the end of the day we're all humans. It comes across to me that people in the west view people in countries like Nigeria, Turkey and Pakistan as lesser, inferior people.

    Inferior? No, but less interesting to me than Europeans? Yes. Absolutely.

    I've been to Paris & Brussels, I've lived in France and have French & Belgian friends ( a work colleague lost his sister in the Bataclan).
    So am I more interested in these events when they happen in fellow European cities, of course I am, because I've been there, I can somewhat relate to the place where these awful events take place.

    It really grinds my gears when keyboard warriors on Facebook are giving out about all the empathy we show for a 'European' tragedy while not giving a toss about a similar tragedy in Turkey/Pakistan.

    Maybe if those countries were close neighbors to me, and I had regularly visited them, and knew and worked with people from there, if they were members of the same collective Union of like minded countries that my country is a member of, if they were only an hour away from me in a plane, maybe then I'd be more interested in them.

    I deplore all these acts of violence, but when they happen in far flung places that regularly suffer these atrocities, they get somewhat watered down. When they happen in places that we don't expect, closer to home, there is certainly more of a shock value, and certainly more interest in any news/media surrounding the event.


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    #39
    Pink Fairy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,666 ✭✭✭Pink Fairy


    jacksie66 wrote: »
    At the end of the day we're all humans. It comes across to me that people in the west view people in countries like Nigeria, Turkey and Pakistan as lesser, inferior people.

    No, not quite, it's all about distance, economics and to a lesser degree, genetics.
    Distance is too far for the ordinary irishperson to give too many fcks.
    We don't have any real economic links to those countries
    And unlike America, or Australia (which would be as far away) we are very unlikely to have relatives and family in Pakistan and Nigeria
    It may be harsh, but it doesn't make it any less true


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    #40
    Raging_Ninja
    Registered Users Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭Raging_Ninja


    Wibbs wrote: »
    Now I say this as someone who can be "robust" in posting but fcuk me, is there something in the air of late with the amount of the aggressive stuff? I'm not trying to single you out RN, there's the same thing running through the thread and elsewhere on Boards. Reflection of the wider times or something?

    The OP decided to make a post at 4am claiming that the Irish media was ignoring the bombing, which was a lie since it had been on the RTE news website since at least 11pm.

    Now, maybe I was a big harsh since I am tired and have a headache, but even on a good day I don't appreciate the childish nonsense that these sort's of threads are for.


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    #41
    FTA69
    Registered Users Posts: 9,252 ✭✭✭FTA69


    DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »
    Christians are second class citizens in Muslim countries. They live under the dhimmi staus and pay the Jizzah Tax.
    .

    It's not 1400 mate, you're talking absolute cobblers if you think the above sort of sweeping nonsense has any bearing on reality in the majority of the Islamic world.


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    #42
    Omackeral
    Registered Users Posts: 32,956 ✭✭✭✭Omackeral


    I actually know far more Nigerians than I do Belgians, I know more Pakistanis probably too come to think of it. However, those countries are on different continents and are, for want of a better word, worlds away. I'd imagine the Belgian way of life is probably more in sync with ours here. Also, ghe other two nations are massive population wise and culturally very diverse, making Brussels easier to relate to.

    I still think anyone who puts up those flag filters for France/Belgium is a bit of a knob and anyone who complains that there isn't a Syrian/Pakistani option is just as bad. All trying to outgrieve each other.


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    #43
    snubbleste
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 31,117 ✭✭✭✭snubbleste


    https://twitter.com/ianbremmer/status/713440785396531202


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    #44
    weisses
    Registered Users Posts: 9,430 ✭✭✭weisses


    in the Netherlands a portion of Turkish school children didn't give a fukc about what happened in Belgium... Some were even cheering ... General thoughts were that of "why should I care about Brussels ... No one here cared about Ankara and Istanbul" which in some way is even understandable.


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    #45
    RDM_83 again
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,116 ✭✭✭RDM_83 again


    FTA69 wrote: »
    It's not 1400 mate, you're talking absolute cobblers if you think the above sort of sweeping nonsense has any bearing on reality in the majority of the Islamic world.
    FTA69 wrote: »
    It's not 1400 mate, you're talking absolute cobblers if you think the above sort of sweeping nonsense has any bearing on reality in the majority of the Islamic world.

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-plight-of-the-middle-easts-christians-1431700075

    Loads of other links to this

    This trend has been accelerating in recent years as Christian communities are associated with supporting some of the strong men that have been falling.

    What middle eastern countries have equal rights and protections for Christians (in practice not law).

    Lebanon, Egypt (and its moving the wrong way in this regard) Turkey (and Turkey has a tradition of genocide against Christian peoples) off the top of the head, list of countries where persecution is occurring is much longer.

    Unfortunately the plight of Christians doesn't fit because we in the west view it as a "privileged" group


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    #46
    Donald Trump
    Registered Users Posts: 19,032 ✭✭✭✭Donald Trump


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Victim Claiming to the ****ing max.

    Who claimed who? Seems to be an awful lot of self righteous keyboard warriors on this site. I simply posted a news story about a lot of people being killed and immediately there was a gang of people on the offensive attacking me for no apparent reason.
    osarusan wrote: »
    I think people are getting very tired with the "not covered by the media as it doesn't fit the narrative" line that gets trotted out a lot.
    Nope, as mentioned in the opening post and later follow ups I made reference to the fact that it was a long weekend. It was also the middle of the night.
    LexieOnRale wrote: »
    Don't let facts get in the way of people trying so hard to be a bleeding heart.
    What makes someone a bleeding heart? Posting a story about a lot of people who were killed? Fair enough if you don't give a fuck about them personally but with even only a smidgen of basic cop-on, one should note that the mentality of the people who do these things is easily exported to wherever you live.
    Raging_Ninja wrote: »
    The OP decided to make a post at 4am claiming that the Irish media was ignoring the bombing, which was a lie since it had been on the RTE news website since at least 11pm.

    I'd be grateful if you could point out where I said they were "ignoring" it? In your haste to go on the offensive and show what a big man you were, you neglected to properly read the post and follow ups.



    Jesus there are some amount of gobshites on here in fairness. I posted some news about people who were killed. Regardless of whether or not you give a flying fuck about those killed, it is relevant to us given the recent events closer to home. These countries are softer targets. And a "victory" in those countries is a useful propaganda tool for these groups to stay alive and "inspire" the next generation of martyrs.


    Still, if it's more important for you to focus on the competition to print these stories then that is your prerogative and good luck to you. I don't think that I have any interest in posting further on this topic


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    #47
    FTA69
    Registered Users Posts: 9,252 ✭✭✭FTA69


    RDM_83 again wrote: »
    http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-plight-of-the-middle-easts-christians-1431700075

    Loads of other links to this

    This trend has been accelerating in recent years as Christian communities are associated with supporting some of the strong men that have been falling.

    What middle eastern countries have equal rights and protections for Christians (in practice not law).

    Lebanon, Egypt (and its moving the wrong way in this regard) Turkey (and Turkey has a tradition of genocide against Christian peoples) off the top of the head, list of countries where persecution is occurring is much longer.

    Unfortunately the plight of Christians doesn't fit because we in the west view it as a "privileged" group

    I'm not for a second saying that Christians in some Muslim countries aren't getting a bad deal because many are in numerous countries. That however, is a lot different to blanket statements like the one I quoted above casually suggesting that all Christians are paying jizya which is outdated nonsense that is nowhere near the norm.


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    #48
    RDM_83 again
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,116 ✭✭✭RDM_83 again


    FTA69 wrote: »
    I'm not for a second saying that Christians in some Muslim countries aren't getting a bad deal because many are in numerous countries. That however, is a lot different to blanket statements like the one I quoted above casually suggesting that all Christians are paying jizya which is outdated nonsense that is nowhere near the norm.

    Alright I presumed the Jizya was a historic analogy to their current treatment. Basically the way I see it Christians in a lot of the Middle East are in a similar position to Jews in Europe in the middle ages, they are tolerated but are dependent on the existence of a strong state for their security so a reciprocal relationship develops


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    #49
    Jayop
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,388 ✭✭✭✭Jayop


    All of this "why are they ignoring this tragedy" and "how come people care more about Belgium/France" is so annoying. Honestly, the people on my FB feed who commented on the Belgium/France killings and changed their profile pics to the flags are the same people complaining that there's no comments on Pakistan. The thing is that if they just commented on it rather than asking where others comments were there'd be just about the same as there was for France.

    Anyway, it's a stupid assertion that there should be the same amount of concern or coverage. It's only natural for people to be more shocked/moved by things happening on their doorstep. If someone dies in your village you'll be shocked or concerned more than a similar case a hundred miles away. A tragedy like what happened in Buncrana last week happening in the UK would barely have raised a whisper here but because it was here and not there it was massive news. The same logic applies to bombings and shootings in places where we tend to live and go, tend to know people there and visit there as opposed to places we'd never go. It's not that we care less for the individuals, but proximity matters in these stories.


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    #50
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 90,700 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    alchemist33 wrote: »
    Events in countries we're closer to, geographically and culturally, get more coverage because people are more interested in them. Five people dying in an accident dominated our news for days, whereas the same incident in India or even the US wouldn't get any mention here, and I bet Al Jazeera didnt mention Buncrana anywhere.
    Just to give an idea of how different things are in other countries

    The Global status report on road safety 2013 estimates that more than 231,000 people are killed in road traffic crashes in India every year.


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    #51
    BlibBlab
    Closed Accounts Posts: 145 ✭✭BlibBlab


    jacksie66 wrote: »
    At the end of the day we're all humans. It comes across to me that people in the west view people in countries like Nigeria, Turkey and Pakistan as lesser, inferior people.
    Pink Fairy wrote: »
    No, not quite, it's all about distance, economics and to a lesser degree, genetics.
    Distance is too far for the ordinary irishperson to give too many fcks.
    We don't have any real economic links to those countries
    And unlike America, or Australia (which would be as far away) we are very unlikely to have relatives and family in Pakistan and Nigeria
    It may be harsh, but it doesn't make it any less true

    It's also a more regular occurrence in these countries, it's not massively shocking when it happens. If it occurred in say Tokyo it'd be a bigger story than Lahore.


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