For example, a pilot on a plane that you know is doomed, or someone drowning in a car on a cell phone. I don't 9 out of 10 times. When I do, I usually regret it. The other day, on tv, they played the audio of the 911 call where people were in a Toyota with the accelerator stuck. The reporter warned that it would be difficult to hear, but against my better judgement, I didn't changed the channel. I know everyone in the car died, two or three people; I didn't hear that.

The poor people were begging for advice on what to do. The 911 operator didn't know what to tell the poor souls. When they were reaching the end of the road, they yelled, "Pray, pray. Oh God". Then they screamed. I couldn't shake it for days. I just prayed for them.

no.

...and the best advice to those people would've been to put it in neutral and apply the brakes.

I remember watching the Space Shuttle Challenger explode in 1986. I was in first grade. It was so sad to see the shuttle blow up and know that those people died as a result. :( We watched it live as it happened.

I remember the news channels replaying the fire at the Branch Davidian.

The news channels replayed over and over the Oklahoma City bombing.

The news channels replaying the Columbine shooting repeatedly.

The news channels replaying planes crashing into buildings on 9/11.

The news channels replaying the Space Shuttle Columbia exploding in 2003. There were pieces of the shuttle that landed on the college campus where I was.

no.

...and the best advice to those people would've been to put it in neutral and apply the brakes.
Shame on those who trained the 911 operators for not knowing that.

I remember watching the Space Shuttle Challenger explode in 1986. I was in first grade. It was so sad to see the shuttle blow up and know that those people died as a result. :( We watched it live as it happened.

I remember the news channels replaying the fire at the Branch Davidian.

The news channels replayed over and over the Oklahoma City bombing.

The news channels replaying the Columbine shooting repeatedly.

The news channels replaying planes crashing into buildings on 9/11.

The news channels replaying the Space Shuttle Columbia exploding in 2003. There were pieces of the shuttle that landed on the college campus where I was.
I'm sorry. I guess I should have phrased my question differently. The difference with these well-known disasters is that we know what's coming and can look away. I'm referring more to when you have to make a snap decision when you're watching tv, and an unknown tragedy is being shown. When they tell you that the video or audio is disturbing and you know people died, do you change the channel or watch it?

I found it online. Very disturbing. You were right, Roby.

http://www.momlogic.com/2009/09/911_call_released_in_stuck_accelerator_crash.php

I I'm referring more to when you have to make a snap decision when you're watching tv, and an unknown tragedy is being shown. When they tell you that the video or audio is disturbing and you know people died, do you change the channel or watch it?

I usually change the channel, but I did watch a few days ago the footage of a man who was killed in Haiti for stealing a sack of rice :( . He was shown agonizing and finally died in the video. For some reason, even though they issued the usual warning that the footage was disturbing, I kept watching it.

No, I do not.

People can be seen having sex, giving birth, fighting with their families, working, and getting married. Our entire lives are now the province of the Internet and mass media, often despite our own wishes.

But dying is the most vulnerable moment possible and as such, should remain private.

No, sad to say, I'm always curious, so I keep it on. Weird because if it has to do with animals and that they're being abused or neglected, that breaks my heart, and I usually change the channel.

Janice, I know you really don't mean well-known disasters, but there is one video on Youtube that I find myself watching sometimes and it's a man who was in one of the towers and he's talking to a 911 dispatcher, then the tower collapses, and you hear him screaming Oh my God!!. Heartbreaking but also a little mesmerizing. Yes, I know, I'm sick in the head.

I have watched and heard a few things in the past, the last video was of the Tsunami wave/victims..I really couldnt stop thinking about it..and it still plays on my mind today. I dont think I'll watch anything like that again...too heartbreaking.

No

That's just wrong.:(

If I'm curious I do watch / listen to it.

The most sickening thing I have seen was the footage of that reporter, Nick Berg, who was beheaded by Muslim extremists over in Iraq around six years ago.

I've also seen some "famous incidents"; like Budd Dwyer who shot himself on a live news broadcast in the late 80s.

Absolutely not! I can't really even watch dramatizations of people dying. Movies are one thing; but sometimes even those are much too realistic. I watched Flight 93 or whatever it was called (that 9/11 movie) with my husband and it made me cry. OMG, I hated that movie because it was so real and I couldn't see the point of having to watch that scenerio. I also hated the World Trade Center movie with Nicholas Cage. It makes me shudder just thinking about it. I thought it was afwul, them making that garbage so soon after 9/11. It's bad enough having to watch that footage over and over again. I'd rather watch videos of how the victims loved ones are moving on with their lives.

On a related note (but not related to the topic at hand), there is a high school in the Seattle area called Todd Beamer High School. The students voted on the name in honor of the guy who kept Flight 93 from crashing into the White House. I thought that was pretty cool of those students to honor him like that.

I'm ashamed to say I would've listened knowing the outcome. :(

no.

...and the best advice to those people would've been to put it in neutral and apply the brakes.

Did they in the car know that? Do you know that if your car can't stop? Pull out the key or put on the brakes?

When you are in a scary situation like that, you aren't thinking... If I drive and I had that problem, I don't know if I'd think to put on the brakes.

I've also seen some "famous incidents"; like Budd Dwyer who shot himself on a live news broadcast in the late 80s.

I thought I knew about all the little oddities that happened on television during the 1980s, but I just read about this and it takes the cake. It makes stuff like Captain Midnight look subtle.

I don't know if there's a video of it, but anchor Christine Chubbuck killed herself on air as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Chubbuck

I thought I knew about all the little oddities that happened on television during the 1980s, but I just read about this and it takes the cake. It makes stuff like Captain Midnight look subtle.

I read on Budd Dwyer's incident a few years ago and after that I had to look at the footage online to see how it went down.

You can find it on Youtube and I'm surprised (but I guess it's not totally unexpected) to find that people made parody videos and online reaction videos to this.


Captain Midnight, that was some broadcast take-over right?

I don't know if there's a video of it, but anchor Christine Chubbuck killed herself on air as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Chubbuck

I searched on YouTube and it didn't come up with anything. Home recording wasn't as common in 1974 so it may not exist.

btw, is anyone familiar with the Faces of Death series?


I believe there were six of these with the last one coming out in 1996.

The series contained scenes of various footage showing people dying on camera from all over the world from police shoot-outs, executions, accidents, rituals...

However, it was later revealed that not all of it is 100% real and that they spliced in scripted scenes with the real footage.


I saw a few of these when I was younger on VHS. Wondering if anyone else has seen or heard of this?

btw, is anyone familiar with the Faces of Death series?


I believe there were six of these with the last one coming out in 1996.

The series contained scenes of various footage showing people dying on camera from all over the world from police shoot-outs, executions, accidents, rituals...

However, it was later revealed that not all of it is 100% real and that they spliced in scripted scenes with the real footage.


I saw a few of these when I was younger on VHS. Wondering if anyone else has seen or heard of this?

I watched the first one back in the 80's. And I also remember when it came out in the papers that part of it was staged footage while the other scenes was stock footage. Really have had no desire to watch the rest.

And believe it or not-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0889598/