echidna

Yes, a tragic story.

But is anyone else uncomfortable at the mass mourning sweeping Britain ? I felt the same discomfort when Princess Diana died, that it almost becomes a national hysteria, a competition of who can wail the loudest.

Really, we are surrounded with tragedy & injustice every day. People even worse than these 2 girls, and yet no one bats an eyelid. They’re cute, white and could have lived next door, so that’s why we feel sad ?

I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s something very middle class and white about the whole phenomenon, which I find very artificial and hypocritical.

echidna

I use “white” as symbolic of the negative aspects of what can sometimes be an insulated and patronising culture.

case

I'm probably going to look like an idiot for asking this, but who are Holly and Jessica? I'm assuming they are two little girls who were murdered? If this is the case, I think we have a similar situation in America; I call it the Jon Bennet Ramsey Syndrom.

It really is horrible, what happened to her, but what is almost, but not quite as horrific is the reaction to it. Had this been a poor latino girl (and I use this example because there was a latino girl in Southern California who disappeared around the same time) no one would have even heard of it, much less been as shocked. Amazing what the media can do, isn't it?

Amen-Moses

Several worrying aspects about the case:

1) The media feeding frenzy that surrounded it (the police are possibly going to sue some of the newspapers for releasing information in an ongoing investigation without permission).

2) The police making a statement that they had arrested someone for "murder and abduction of" rather than saying they had arrested someone "suspected of being involved in the disappearance of", this makes any possibility of a trial by jury almost impossible as any potential jurers have already been tainted.

3) The linking by possibly well meaning individuals and groups of this case with political objectives like bringing back the death sentence and releasing the names of sex offenders. This has resulted in media polls and much TV debating even though there is no indication yet that the perpetrator was sexually motivated nor whether he would even qualify for the death penalty if found guilty, i.e from what has emerged so far it seems that he is suffering from some sort of serious mental illness which would preclude it, my guess would be some sort of multiple personality disorder.

4) The total waste of money and resources that occured during this case, not only in the police following up dead ends produced from so-called witnesses that may have just been attention seeking (not to mention a day wasted digging up a badger set!) but also from the massive police cordons needed to keep away the morbidly fascinated members of the public that wanted to visit the crime scenes and the vast numbers of people who travelled half way across the country just to deliver a posy of flowers by the side of the road.

Personally I would rather see a permanent fund set up that people could pay into at times like this that could then be used to pay for victim counselling and other immediate needs, that way people could show their empathy in worthwhile ways rather than descend upon the scene of grief like an army of sensation seekers.

I can't speak for the families involved but when my son died last year all I wanted was for people to leave us alone to grieve in peace.

Amen-Moses

The Other Michael

case,

I read an article in the last couple of months (might have been in the local paper, but could well have been online) about the family of a missing black child in the North East (Detroit, Chicago) that is having trouble trying to enlist media support in the search for their child. They pointed out all the publicity that goes to a few children, predominately white, while the great majority of children who might not be from such "photogenic" backgrounds are largely ignored.

Personally, I fail to see how any of these missing/murdered children qualify as news at the national level. This is not to say it isn't a tragedy, but it is something that should be reported at the local level.

The Chandra/Condit story was the same type of thing - massive amounts of media time for what was in actuality a pretty low-level story.

cheers,
Michael

DMB

I was appalled at the hysteria over Diana's death and I am appalled by the sick voyeurism of this latest episode.

I think a lot of the cause is the month: August -- traditionally the silly season when the media are scratching for stories because all the politicos are on holiday.

BTW, I am also appalled at the recent poll where people were asked to vote (from a list) which was the most historically important event of the 20th century and the Death of Diana won!

case

Wheter or not these disapearances are news for the national level is a matter for debate. News is a fickle thing as it is; trying to decide what should or should not become national news is a task probably best left to fools. But what I am concerned about is how easily some stories gain greater media attention then others, especially when there seems to be some sort of class/racial bias.

Do I think that by bringing national media attention to the disapearance of a black girl in Detriot will increase the chances of her being found? Maybe, but probably not. But I don't see how it could help find a missing white girl in Colorado, either.

Mark_Chid

I disagree that its middle class. Mass hysteria in Britain is very very working class. Its the same people who stand screaming at police vans containing suspects and who burned down the home of a pediatrician because they thought that was the same as a pedophile!

The Middle Classes couldn't stand Diana, she was very much a working class idol - being as trashy as she was, she would have to be.

echidna

Fair point.

Born Free

You're lumping working class and stupid in the same group which is very insulting. In fact your entire perception of working class is a bit far off imho.