Another Round of Copycat Hangings (punishment)

[Buttercup]

I was terribly distressed to read this just now.....a number of boys have hung themselves after watching Saddam's execution.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070114/...micry_hangings

Should anything be done about televised/internet executions such as this?

Should the posting of executions be banned altogether online and on tv around the world?

Why do you think young boys are the ones so curious about the hanging and trying it for themselves?

[lunamoth]

Wow...that is awful. I have so many reactions to this kind of news...none of it good.

First, I think the boys should not have been exposed to the hanging...but I also think that there must be something else going on with them...

Second, actually this should be first...I object to capital punishment to being with...so I don't think there should have been a hanging.

[Shadow Wolf]

I think the parents should take more respsibility and explain things to thier kids.

[Quoth The Raven]

Originally Posted by lunamoth

First, I think the boys should not have been exposed to the hanging...but I also think that there must be something else going on with them...

A lot of these kids were old enough to know that actual dead is not something that changes when people stop watching. I would agree there were probably other factors at work here.
It reminds me of a case here where a girl watched Scream at a friends party - she was about 12 from memory - and had what amounted to a psychotic eposide when she got home. Her parents put it down solely to the fact she'd seen the movie and started a campaign to stop people showing their kids horror movies. If they'd got anywhere with it, my 5 year old would have been bereft...she loves her horror movies with a passion.
On a different note, no, I don't think the execution should have been shown. By the same token, if people weren't by and large such a morbid lot, there'd have been no money and no mileage in it for anyone.

[lizskid]

Clearly, the execution was not meant to be shown. I do feel the Iraqi people needed to see him in his shroud for closure and reassurance that he was, indeed, dead. However, to blame the actions of these kids solely on this is a bit naive. It may have given them a means to attempt, but the ages of the kids, and I study this stuff-in a course right now dealing with death awareness and kids-means they were able to comprehend death as final. They had more issues, and if someone talked to other adults with whom they had contact, say teachers, bosses, whatever, you might get a slightly different picture than that of a grieving parent. Not to belittle the tragedy, because, that's surely what it is!

[Buttercup]

Originally Posted by lizskid

Clearly, the execution was not meant to be shown. I do feel the Iraqi people needed to see him in his shroud for closure and reassurance that he was, indeed, dead. However, to blame the actions of these kids solely on this is a bit naive. It may have given them a means to attempt, but the ages of the kids, and I study this stuff-in a course right now dealing with death awareness and kids-means they were able to comprehend death as final. They had more issues, and if someone talked to other adults with whom they had contact, say teachers, bosses, whatever, you might get a slightly different picture than that of a grieving parent. Not to belittle the tragedy, because, that's surely what it is!

Do you think it could be that given the ages of these very young boys that perhaps a couple of them were "experimenting" and didn't mean for it to cause their death? The pictures of Saddam with a noose around his neck were very widely publicized over several days. It's all so sad.

[Ozzie]

Originally Posted by Buttercup

I was terribly distressed to read this just now.....a number of boys have hung themselves after watching Saddam's execution.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070114/...micry_hangings

Should anything be done about televised/internet executions such as this?

Should the posting of executions be banned altogether online and on tv around the world?

Why do you think young boys are the ones so curious about the hanging and trying it for themselves?

Saddam's video sets an example of contempt for life. Why should we expect impressionable possibly depressed minds to have any more respect for their own especially if we also show them how to kill themselves?

[Ciscokid]

Darwin award stuff. There are millions of kids that didn't do this. I blame the kids.