Fox News (and possibly other networks) air man committing suicide after police chase

[Larry]

Its the logical end to a voyeuristic culture.

We LOVE other people's drama,, the messier the better. There's a reason why those trashy magazines have been on sale beside the cash register for fifty years.

They show us these chases, Fox in particular has always fed us chases.. it's dramatic, it's live, and no one knows what will happen... he may get busted trying to climb a fence, but we watch because he may run an intersection and get creamed by a trash truck, or fly off an overpass into some trees like we've all seen. but we don't watch to see if they catch the bad guy, we watch to see the disaster. we do't know if it'll be a guy who shoots himself, or a guy who runs over the center line and smashes into a minivan.

This is our world. We make it.

~Bang

I agree with you, but I keep remembering a column I read, years ago.

The subject was the annual debate over whether Hollywood was glorifying violence, et cetra.

The author observed that, if you had spent much time in Hollywood in the last year, you would be completely convinced that the film "Pulp Fiction" was not only the best film of the year, but perhaps a cinematic milestone. Something which had forever changed the world.

The author observed that, if one were to object to the idea of a film where the central story line involves the quest of a pair of drug-addict mob hit men to clean the brains of a murder victim from their car, you would be piously informed that Hollywood doesn't push violence on people, that they are simply demanding to the demands of the market. That Hollywood is a business, and they make movies like that because the public pays to see movies like that.

The author, however, then pointed out that, if you were to look at Billboard magazine's list of which movies made the most profit, for that year, that "Pulp Fiction" wasn't #1. That spot went to The Lion King.

In fact, Pulp Fiction, despite being The Film That All Hollywood Was Going Gaga Over, wasn't even in the top 10 money makers. In fact, the author pointed out, of the top 10 money makers that year, seven of them were rated G.

Yeah, Fox News gets ratings. But so does Disney.

[Destino]

That has no place on television. Common decency is a good enough reason on its own but I also consider those close to the deceased. Suicide is a crushing blow to those left to deal with it, having to dodge the spectacle of it and the cheers of peculiar enthusiasts of this type of footage only makes it harder. The news is poisonous enough without granting them an even darker pit to dredge for ratings.

[Larry]

Roger that - then do same as me don't watch it.

Partial problem, there, involves product labeling, though.

Yeah, people who tune into The Grossest Death Scenes on Video really can't complain if they see something icky.

People who tune into The Super Bowl, however, ought to have a reasonable expectation that they aren't going to see porn.

In your opinion, have people who tune in to watch The Evening News, consented to watch Suicide On Video?

[Bang]

G rated movies regularly pull in a LOT more money annually than any other rating.

Kids are always big business.

~Bang

[isle-hawg]

Partial problem, there, involves product labeling, though.

Yeah, people who tune into The Grossest Death Scenes on Video really can't complain if they see something icky.

People who tune into The Super Bowl, however, ought to have a reasonable expectation that they aren't going to see porn.

In your opinion, have people who tune in to watch The Evening News, consented to watch Suicide On Video?

Really? You of all people are going to defend Fox News as News - their star "journalist" is made from "Inside Edition".

Having said that, I am not defending Fox or National Enquirer or Inside Edition or anyone of the mindless "realty shows". Don't watch them unless you want to - I choose not to but do not want to see them censored. I would have had no idea about this "story" had it not been for ES.

As for the "wardrobe malfunction" her nipple was covered, you can see more "porn" on the front cover of the "women's magazines" while in the checkout line of your local supermarket.

[Koolblue13]

I'm somewhere between "kids can walk in and see this and I watched Bud Dwyer and I'll never forget" and "big ****ing deal, it happens and have you seen the games children play today? Not only is this not as bad as some games, but it could be a new EAsports game and if you can't get away, you shoot yourself in the face".

[Kosher Ham]

And yet all these Disney/Pixar/ etc., childrens movies are filled with suggestive sexual lines and tons of violence...

I don't think it's a big deal and after watching it... Seeing Joey T. get his leg snapped in half over and over was much worse to me. Same could be said for when McGahee got hurt in college.

Up in arms about this is pretty silly to me. Toughen up, we have seen worse and watched repeatedly.

[10fttall]

They show us these chases, Fox in particular has always fed us chases.. it's dramatic, it's live, and no one knows what will happen... he may get busted trying to climb a fence, but we watch because he may run an intersection and get creamed by a trash truck, or fly off an overpass into some trees like we've all seen. but we don't watch to see if they catch the bad guy, we watch to see the disaster. we do't know if it'll be a guy who shoots himself, or a guy who runs over the center line and smashes into a minivan.

I disagree. There are some people who watch to see that, but not everybody wants to see something horrible. For years, probably even before OJ, there have been chases shown, and people are riveted. Several have ended badly, but not most. What often happens is that we get treated to an impromptu episode of Cops, and it's sort of entertaining. We're watching people do something that is utterly unimaginable to most of us. It is something that seems weird, unnecessary, and nonsensical, to run from the police and break every traffic law in the book. That's a big factor in watching.

Just a couple weeks ago, I saw bank robbers being chased. They got off the freeway into Compton and started driving around a couple blocks tossing money out the windows. When they finally got blocked in, the police approached. Even as many police as were chasing them, there were about twice as many bystanders that were making a rush for the car when it stopped. The police had a tough time keeping the crowd away from the car. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on live TV.

It's obvious that what happened was the live feed and studio feed got reversed, so it was a mistake. It was poor taste to broadcast it, and someone probably deserves to get fired for making a screw up of that magnitude. For everyone repeating the mantra of "fines, fines, fines," maybe one of you could find the regulation that would allow such a fine.

[Bang]

I disagree. There are some people who watch to see that, but not everybody wants to see something horrible. For years, probably even before OJ, there have been chases shown, and people are riveted. Several have ended badly, but not most. What often happens is that we get treated to an impromptu episode of Cops, and it's sort of entertaining. We're watching people do something that is utterly unimaginable to most of us. It is something that seems weird, unnecessary, and nonsensical, to run from the police and break every traffic law in the book. That's a big factor in watching.

Just a couple weeks ago, I saw bank robbers being chased. They got off the freeway into Compton and started driving around a couple blocks tossing money out the windows. When they finally got blocked in, the police approached. Even as many police as were chasing them, there were about twice as many bystanders that were making a rush for the car when it stopped. The police had a tough time keeping the crowd away from the car. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on live TV.

It's obvious that what happened was the live feed and studio feed got reversed, so it was a mistake. It was poor taste to broadcast it, and someone probably deserves to get fired for making a screw up of that magnitude. For everyone repeating the mantra of "fines, fines, fines," maybe one of you could find the regulation that would allow such a fine.

And NASCAR fans go to see who wins.

As far as the regulation that allows for a fine?

Q:

who gets fined more by the federel government.. a company who dumps poisonous chemical sludge in a river, a mining company who ignores safety regs, or a radio station who has a deejay that accidentally says "****" (poop) on the air?

A:

It's the radio station.

It's not like the FCC operates under any semblance of common sense.

~Bang

[Koolblue13]

I wonder what the percentage of NASCAR fans still watch for the crashes, even after the sport lost its biggest star ever.

People love to see this stuff. Everybody is so desensitized to their sterilized protected worlds, that it takes seeing a person die violently to feel anything.

Or a nipple slip, which should tell you just how ****ed up we are as a society.

[Bang]

i always kills me how football announcers will dance delicately around words, acting asif the slightest curses will actually offend anyone in their audience, while their on field mics pick things up that are never allowed over the air under any other circumstances.

we are SO uptight.

but I'd still agree with predicto in that this guy's family has a lot to deal with.. and that video makes it worse.

~Bang

[Koolblue13]

I agree with that. The way we hide from words. I have personal conflict with it. I can see peoples point about not using those words, but at the same time, being that I've lived most of my life in an adult world away from children and church folk, it's never been a problem.

I look at cursing, kind of like how I look at smoking. If I'm alone or with a few friends or at a bar, etc, I'm only hurting myself and nobody thinks twice about it. If I'm at Disney and I'm smoking/dropping f bombs, it's offensive to others.

[KingGibbs]

We have always been creatures of curiosity. It starts as children. Remember the days of playing with your friends outside hearing the sirens, jumping on your bikes and trying to find out where the engine/ambulance/police were headed to see what happened? We don't want to look. but we just can't help to do so. It's how we are wired.

[#98QBKiller]

I know that children get kidnapped, raped, and tortured to death, too.

I don't need to see it on my TV.

Neither do I. And that's not what we're talking about with this video.

[jly0784]

you know something bad is going to happen if youre watching a chase, either theres going to be an accident or worse, so why sit there, watch whatever happens, and then complain about it? if you dont like it, change the channel... its not like it was on basic cable or nickelodeon or anything like that, it was a news source, they air videos of war, the WTC disaster, court hearings where they go into great graphic detail about heinous crimes all the time.... no one made you watch it, you chose to

[10fttall]

As far as the regulation that allows for a fine?

Q:

who gets fined more by the federel government.. a company who dumps poisonous chemical sludge in a river, a mining company who ignores safety regs, or a radio station who has a deejay that accidentally says "****" (poop) on the air?

A:

It's the radio station.

It's not like the FCC operates under any semblance of common sense.

~Bang

Ok, I don't remember anybody using profanity in that clip from Fox News. I'm not trying to be an ass here, just realistic (and slightly curious) Is there a regulation or law against showing a death on TV, much less a cable station? I kind of doubt it, and thus I'm wondering why many people are calling for a fine....on what grounds, I'm not sure. That's what I'm asking.