Suicide Watch

[kinboshi]

Kevin Carter's famous photograph showing a starving Sudanese child and a waiting vulture.   He won the Pulitzer prize for the photo, but it always brings up the question of the morality of being a spectator to such events.  Maybe even more so with some of his photos and experiences in apartheid South Africa.

[boldie]

A journalist highlights an issue..he is not responsible for (and can't be held responsible for) solving it. The guy that took that picture could have given the kid something to eat but the picture isn't about the child as an individual and helping that child would have done harm to the issue and harmed more children like the one in the (truly horrid) picture.

The same goes for the crew filming the jumpers..it is not up to the camera crew to stop them, they only make a wider audience aware of the issue and thereby can help many more people. I couldn't do the job them reporters do but I commend them for doing it.

[madasahatstand]

terrible then in my opinion

For highlighting the effects of suicide on a jumpers family? I think it's a great thing to do!

Yes suicide is often a tabu subject and it's good to highlight the effects on families but the film crew could have intervened and potentially stopped a family from experiencing the effects in the first place. There are other ways to raise awareness than a 'shock' film but I do agree if it's helped anyone then thats good for the pople it's helped. I wonder how many people were hurt as a result of the film? I think if I was that family member and I knew the film crew stood back and watched, I wouldn't be too happy about it

[madasahatstand]

why would a crew making a film about suicide jumpers want to intervene?

they show up, see someone about to jump, persuade them it's a bad idea and then have to go home with no footage 'cos there's nothing to film anymore. they're not going to make much money from that film, would've been better hiring themselves out for weddings

eh, to potentially save just one life? And in that case it would be a great film for raising awareness, encouraging people to try to talk to their folks if they start isolating themselves or become depressed.....this of course won't work for everyone as some people have their minds made up that they don't want to be part of this life anymore. More i suspect act out, in a spur of the moment way and could be helped.

[madasahatstand]

The same goes for the crew filming the jumpers..it is not up to the camera crew to stop them, they only make a wider audience aware of the issue and thereby can help many more people. I couldn't do the job them reporters do but I commend them for doing it.

It's everyones responsibility, it's called humanity and Ill bet that film would have more impact if they filmed a few people being talked down?  Most of us don't get the chance to talk someone down but they did and chose not to. Now is that ethical?

[kinboshi]

The same goes for the crew filming the jumpers..it is not up to the camera crew to stop them, they only make a wider audience aware of the issue and thereby can help many more people. I couldn't do the job them reporters do but I commend them for doing it.

It's everyones responsibility, it's called humanity and Ill bet that film would have more impact if they filmed a few people being talked down?  Most of us don't get the chance to talk someone down but they did and chose not to. Now is that ethical?

We could all go to well-known suicide spots every week to 'talk people down', but we don't.  Well I don't.

We could all volunteer to help the Samaritans, but we don't. 

[cia260895]

what they should have done is gone to the families afterwards and said "hey we've just filmed your relative committing suicide and did nothing to stop it but dint worry cos it'll make a great docufilm" i know what i would have done if that had been 1 of my family members,chucked the fookers off as well

if i was the producer of the film i think i would have gone and filmed the saving of the poor souls and then filmed the family afterwards rejoicing in the fact that their loved one's had been saved.

Most suicides could be prevented with last minute intervention,fortunately most people have never been in the position of contemplating it but i bet when yr that low all you need is a cool, calm, sense talking individual to talk u round.

[gatso]

The same goes for the crew filming the jumpers..it is not up to the camera crew to stop them, they only make a wider audience aware of the issue and thereby can help many more people. I couldn't do the job them reporters do but I commend them for doing it.

It's everyones responsibility, it's called humanity and Ill bet that film would have more impact if they filmed a few people being talked down?  Most of us don't get the chance to talk someone down but they did and chose not to. Now is that ethical?

We could all go to well-known suicide spots every week to 'talk people down', but we don't.  Well I don't.

We could all volunteer to help the Samaritans, but we don't. 

exactamundo Kin

[boldie]

The same goes for the crew filming the jumpers..it is not up to the camera crew to stop them, they only make a wider audience aware of the issue and thereby can help many more people. I couldn't do the job them reporters do but I commend them for doing it.

It's everyones responsibility, it's called humanity and Ill bet that film would have more impact if they filmed a few people being talked down?  Most of us don't get the chance to talk someone down but they did and chose not to. Now is that ethical?

And you'd lose your money. The impact the pictures of Ethiopia made were because people were dying on television. Not because they were being saved.

You can be pretty sure they had a long hard discussion about what to do if they saw someone ready to jump and I think they made the right one.

[gatso]

it's terrible that journalists film starving orphans in Africa. they know these kids are more than likely going to die so why son't they take them home with them to surrey and raise them.

it's terrible that nature film makers just watch the lion stalking antelopes. they could keep bibbing the horns on their jeeps to alert the prey.

etc, etc. I could sit here and type nonsense like that all night

[Colchester Kev]

it's terrible that journalists film starving orphans in Africa. they know these kids are more than likely going to die so why son't they take them home with them to surrey and raise them.

it's terrible that nature film makers just watch the lion stalking antelopes. they could keep bibbing the horns on their jeeps to alert the prey.

etc, etc. I could sit here and type nonsense like that all night

please do , it appeals to my sense of humour

[boldie]

it's terrible that journalists film starving orphans in Africa. they know these kids are more than likely going to die so why son't they take them home with them to surrey and raise them.

it's terrible that nature film makers just watch the lion stalking antelopes. they could keep bibbing the horns on their jeeps to alert the prey.

etc, etc. I could sit here and type nonsense like that all night

Ahy yes Surrey..home of all the cruel journalist bastards.

[kinboshi]

Go take a running jump...

[gatso]

it's terrible that journalists film starving orphans in Africa. they know these kids are more than likely going to die so why son't they take them home with them to surrey and raise them.

it's terrible that nature film makers just watch the lion stalking antelopes. they could keep bibbing the horns on their jeeps to alert the prey.

etc, etc. I could sit here and type nonsense like that all night

please do , it appeals to my sense of humour

nah, sorry mate, originally wrote 'I could sit here and type nonsense like that all night but I can't be arsed'. not sure why I deleted the last 5 words but I stand by them anyway, have more (different) nonsense to write

[cia260895]

It's all getting a Bridge to far