Why are children so much more important than adults?
Discussion
ewenm said:
singlecoil said:
I also understand that the death of one's own child would be particularly devastating, but these deaths, unfortunate as they are, are the deaths of other people's children. Why would a person consider a child to whom they are not connected to be more important that an adult to whom they are not connected?
Because people are not 100% rational (thankfully) and the death of children provokes a stronger emotional response in most people.singlecoil said:
So, for the sake of the discussion, if any of you were to imagine for just a moment that your spouse and one child had been killed, you would think it OK that everybody was concerned mostly about the child, and that your spouse was mentioned as an afterthought? I know this point was raised earlier, but I'm pretty sure the person doing so was joking, either that, or he/she has a s
t marriage.
Friends and family wouldn't be "mostly concerned about the child", they'd be mostly concerned about the remaining family, surely? Regardless, you seem to be confusing the media's use of children as an attention grabbing tactic and human kind's instinctive caring and emotional response toward children, with some sort of black-and-white choice. It just isn't like that. "I have an emotional response to hearing about children dying, less so when it is adults" is not the same as "I don't care if any adults die". You are creating a straw man for some reason.t marriage.Still, whilst I think I'd have a very, very hard time getting over the death of my girlfriend, right now I know that the hardest thing to endure would be to live knowing my son does not. Entirely instinctive.
The simple explanation lies in the protective instinct we have as human beings(mind you animals have that too).That instinct becomes stronger when you become a parent.As a parent of a 2year old girl and a one year old boy I admit I had tears in my eyes upon hearing these tragic news.I put myself in those poor parents' shoes and imagined what it would be like to go through the pain of losing your son/daughter at such a tender age.The closeness I feel for my kids would make it impossible for me to cope if anything tragic happened to them tomorrow.The very innocence and purity they represent is what makes them special and important.You want to protect them from harm and evil, something you do not feel for adults because they can fend for themselves to some extent.Therin lies the difference.
mattnunn said:
The thought of my kids being on that coach turns my piss stone cold, retract my bks into my chest and puts the taste of whisky in my throat, i can literally taste the pain.
The thought of my wife being on it, well.... Tbh, i'd get over it.
You obviously aren't very happily married.ks into my chest and puts the taste of whisky in my throat, i can literally taste the pain.The thought of my wife being on it, well.... Tbh, i'd get over it.
The thought of losing my kids or my wife fills me with dread. TBH, I'm not sure if either scenario fills me with more dread than the other. I adore my kids. But I've known my wife a hell of a lot longer. We're like one person, not sure what I'd do if anyhting happened to her. But my kids have got their whole lives ahead of them.
So, only one sensible solution, that is to be sure that I die before any of them. Pehaps I'll slit my wrists now just to be on the safe side!!!
allnighter said:
The simple explanation lies in the protective instinct we have as human beings(mind you animals have that too).That instinct becomes stronger when you become a parent.As a parent of a 2year old girl and a one year old boy I admit I had tears in my eyes upon hearing these tragic news.I put myself in those poor parents' shoes and imagined what it would be like to go through the pain of losing your son/daughter at such a tender age.The closeness I feel for my kids would make it impossible for me to cope if anything tragic happened to them tomorrow.The very innocence and purity they represent is what makes them special and important.You want to protect them from harm and evil, something you do not feel for adults because they can fend for themselves to some extent.Therin lies the difference.
One of the most eloquent posts I've ever read.Pothole said:
I can only speak from a personal perspective, but I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way, show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier, let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be...etc.
Basically it's because we're genetically programmed to be a bunch of mawkish fools.
EFABasically it's because we're genetically programmed to be a bunch of mawkish fools.
singlecoil said:
I also understand that the death of one's own child would be particularly devastating, but these deaths, unfortunate as they are, are the deaths of other people's children. Why would a person consider a child to whom they are not connected to be more important that an adult to whom they are not connected?
You appear to have a highly logical brain Singlecoil, I share that trait too. To me all human life is equal regardless of age. singlecoil said:
So, for the sake of the discussion, if any of you were to imagine for just a moment that your spouse and one child had been killed, you would think it OK that everybody was concerned mostly about the child, and that your spouse was mentioned as an afterthought? I know this point was raised earlier, but I'm pretty sure the person doing so was joking, either that, or he/she has a st marriage.
I guess it comes down to your own humanity , how you regard human life a child is nurtured ideally in a family environment ,has limited choices , has not fully developed , an adult has choices so the combination of all these factors would lead most people to view the death of a child as more tragic than the death of an adult , this has nothing to do with your own personal grief from a relative or loved one t marriage.I could n't give a s
t about the media or Sensationalism journalism , The death of any close relatative would be tragic however your not comparing apples with apples in your statement ." if your spouse was killed at the same time and Everybody was concerned more about lets say a newborn baby you would be concerned ??"
put it simply
As a husband you would grieve for your personal loss , as a parent you would also have sense of loss for a) The child itself b) The childs parents ...........I would nt care less if the caption in the newspaper said " Baby dies in car crash "
On a similar note...
An antipodean freind of mine once pointed out something I'd never really noticed until then: the British media's habit of highlighting the number of British casualties in any international disaster as if - like children - their deaths are more of a disaster.
I notice the media have discovered one of the children on the coach was British, and this to them seems to enhance the sense of tragedy.
An antipodean freind of mine once pointed out something I'd never really noticed until then: the British media's habit of highlighting the number of British casualties in any international disaster as if - like children - their deaths are more of a disaster.
I notice the media have discovered one of the children on the coach was British, and this to them seems to enhance the sense of tragedy.
A lot of very sentimental stuff written in this thread about the death of children and how it affects us differently.
Which seems very strange when the fact is that 22,000 children die every day on planet Earth, most of those being of hunger/malnutrition/preventable disease, and we just carry on regardless without so much as a second thought most of the time. Every now and them there's an appeal and we might chuck some coins in a bucket and that's it.
I think the uncomfortable truth, for those brave enough to confront it, is that white european kids doing something that our own kids might do, like going on a coach trip, matter more to us than a sub saharan bag of bones covered in flies. Disgraceful really, but it's difficult to reach any other conclusion.
Which seems very strange when the fact is that 22,000 children die every day on planet Earth, most of those being of hunger/malnutrition/preventable disease, and we just carry on regardless without so much as a second thought most of the time. Every now and them there's an appeal and we might chuck some coins in a bucket and that's it.
I think the uncomfortable truth, for those brave enough to confront it, is that white european kids doing something that our own kids might do, like going on a coach trip, matter more to us than a sub saharan bag of bones covered in flies. Disgraceful really, but it's difficult to reach any other conclusion.
That's neither uncomfortable nor surprising - people identify more with people who are more like themselves. I'm sure the sub-saharan Africans don't care about white European kids dying (and why should they, they have enough problems of their own). Family > Tribe > Rest-Of-World.
As an onlooker, unconnected to any of the people involved in the coach crash, I feel it is a tragedy and one that appears it could have been mitigated by a different tunnel refuge design. I'm also entirely unsurprised that the media concentrate on the children killed: Journalism - Sensationalism Matters.
As an onlooker, unconnected to any of the people involved in the coach crash, I feel it is a tragedy and one that appears it could have been mitigated by a different tunnel refuge design. I'm also entirely unsurprised that the media concentrate on the children killed: Journalism - Sensationalism Matters.
blindswelledrat said:
INterestingly I noticed a tabloid front page headline today was "British CHild Dies in COach crash"
To thier delight it turns out one of the victims was British. A quick scan revealed several pages about this child, his family and his last days.
I felt quite ashamed
Gutter press in living in the gutter shocker.To thier delight it turns out one of the victims was British. A quick scan revealed several pages about this child, his family and his last days.
I felt quite ashamed
If that was my child, the last thing I would want would be the media intruding on my grief, but that thought wouldn't cross the minds of the journalists - the story is everything.
Johnnytheboy said:
On a similar note...
An antipodean freind of mine once pointed out something I'd never really noticed until then: the British media's habit of highlighting the number of British casualties in any international disaster as if - like children - their deaths are more of a disaster.
I notice the media have discovered one of the children on the coach was British, and this to them seems to enhance the sense of tragedy.
It's not more tragic, it's of more interest.An antipodean freind of mine once pointed out something I'd never really noticed until then: the British media's habit of highlighting the number of British casualties in any international disaster as if - like children - their deaths are more of a disaster.
I notice the media have discovered one of the children on the coach was British, and this to them seems to enhance the sense of tragedy.
julian64 said:
Society has a value on every member.
Somewhat in order
coach crash kills 22 old age pensioners.
coach crash kills 22 blond haired catwalk models.
coach crash kills 22 teenagers.
coach crash kills 22 children.
Its a preprogrammed thing but affected by your particular attitude to various things. For most people the programming is above.
Imaging you were in a lifeboat in the middle of a freezing sea and those people were dying unconcious in the water and you only had space to pull one or two onboard before they all died. I don't think its even a concious decision.
You could also put, 22 celebs in there.Somewhat in order
coach crash kills 22 old age pensioners.
coach crash kills 22 blond haired catwalk models.
coach crash kills 22 teenagers.
coach crash kills 22 children.
Its a preprogrammed thing but affected by your particular attitude to various things. For most people the programming is above.
Imaging you were in a lifeboat in the middle of a freezing sea and those people were dying unconcious in the water and you only had space to pull one or two onboard before they all died. I don't think its even a concious decision.
deeps said:
singlecoil said:
I also understand that the death of one's own child would be particularly devastating, but these deaths, unfortunate as they are, are the deaths of other people's children. Why would a person consider a child to whom they are not connected to be more important that an adult to whom they are not connected?
You appear to have a highly logical brain Singlecoil, I share that trait too. To me all human life is equal regardless of age. Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff