Rubbernecking: Right or Wrong?

[Disco Pickle]

annoys me to no fucking end and am glad that I have lived in my city long enough to know the roads to take to get around the monkeys who enjoy watching other people's suffering and making those of us who don't get their kick from it suffer even more.

It might say something to your own outlook that your assumption is that it's an enjoyment of suffering and not a hope or relief that there isn't any.

It might.  If I hadn't read the previous replies to this thread about seeking out the gore, or known far too many people in my time who actually like knowing someone had a worse day than they did to make themselves feel better or give them perspective, then I might even say it was an unreasonable outlook.

Seeking out gore has many uses--Cain pretty much hit on the preservationist side.  Babies are the ultimate gawkers.  They watch EVERYTHING and pay attention to the slightest, most benign of details, both awful and unawful.  Why?  Because that's how they LEARN.  

The human tendency to overcome fear of the unknown and seek knowledge has to have titillation in it--otherwise we wouldn't do it.  The visceral reaction of seeing torn flesh and wreckage as we hurtle down the same road that others in their 3-ton vehicles had found their final end on is something that a lot of people keep in their minds at all times.  Overcoming that reaction of fear and abhorrance is necessary to a large degree to 1) rescue them if you're in the rescue business and 2) treat them when they arrive at the hospital if you are in THAT end of the show.

I think pretending you're of a "higher mind" and above it all is disingenuous, though I understand being pissed off at traffic.

that's fair.  I've done it, and been secretly glad it wasn't me.  I'm not above slowing, I do attempt to find away around them whenever possible though.

[Disco Pickle]

so I gave this some thought while I was crawling down the interstate home from work.

the OP concerns rubbernecking in traffic but really, rubbernecking can apply outside of a vehicle.  You see this phenomenon on neighborhood streets when blue lights go flashing down an otherwise quiet street, or when someone is getting the cuffs put on them but there's no ambulance or evidence of another person harmed.

I only have experience with two countries news papers, but in the states you don't see violent pictures in news papers, just segments describing what happened if it's known at the time.

In Mexico however, violent color pictures showing bad accidents and especially violent shootouts between police and drug gangs make front page news.  When I discussed this with a friend down there, he said it is supposed to act as a kind of deterrent to the population: slow down in your car, don't deal drugs and don't shoot at police.  But then there was one instance I remember in particular of an apparent murder aboard a Yacht that was found anchored between Cancun and Isla Mujeres.  There was a picture of the woman, dead in the bed, blood all over.  I say suicide but If I remember correctly they were investigating it as a homicide.

Would this be valid along the same lines?  I'm not sure I agree with the idea of showing blood splattered carcases in newspapers, but it follows along with what Cain was saying: You see it and how it happened, so you maybe remember to think twice before doing the sorts of things to cause that end.

I'm still kicking this around and may have more later.  There's dinner to be cooked.

[Triple Zero]

tangent, might be interesting to some:

http://trafficwaves.org/

this website talks about what causes traffic, and how to actually clear up traffic by driving in certain ways.

Yeah. Emergence. If there's a lot of traffic, even just a slight instinctive slowing down when seeing a traffic accident (or anything, really) in the opposite lane, can cause a traffic jam 20 minutes later. Usually a bit earlier up the road, not next to the accident. For some reason the traffic density waves move backwards in the direction of traffic.

The simplest trick to clear traffic is to drive at the most constant speed possible, even if it means occasionally leaving a huge gap in front of you. Cruise control helps. I wonder if that site offers more advanced tips, though.

[hooplala]

Ok, so what about gory horror movies?  Life affirming?

[Triple Zero]

Ok, so what about gory horror movies?  Life affirming?

I only watch gory horror films to make sure they are all right, call emergency if necessary and to make sure I don't end up as one.

[hooplala]

I only watch gory horror films to make sure they are all right, call emergency if necessary and to make sure I don't end up as one.

WINNER.  Thread over.

[Disco Pickle]

I only watch gory horror films to make sure they are all right, call emergency if necessary and to make sure I don't end up as one.

[Sir Squid Diddimus]

A HA HA HA HA!