DescentBB

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/479859.html

....well thats it really.

... wow

That is interesting...

I would want to read the actual study itself before passing judgement...

That gives the term collateral damage entirely new meaning.
Just wondering what a similar study in other countries with similar experiences would bring to light?

Towards the end of the article..shows how weak minded people can be. Someone suicides on TV, so a bunch of nutjobs off themslves? And murder rates increase after a boxing match. r. o. effing. l. It's a sad laughter, really.

Birdseye wrote:I would want to read the actual study itself before passing judgement...

Birds, i sent the reporter an e-mail asking for a copy of the study and he kindly said he'd get on it. I hope it's not in Hebrew 'cause i'm a crap translator. (unlike the mrs)

that is quite interesting. it would make sense, a shock causing the intelectual to shut off the primal, it will eventually cause a swing the other direction when it wears off.
i think it's a noble effort on the brain's owner's part. but i know some of you guys wouldn't ("KILLKILLKILL!!").

the "i am scared and want to spand as little time as possible out in the open roads in my car" factor; causing accidents; goes without saying. but the 3 days figure, is a very interesting figure.

the instant drop in road deaths 1 day after a significant terror attack would be explained by people being in mild shock, being extra careful. post WTC attack i noticed it around, everyone careful and timid. no-one lashing out, that's for sure.

"One possible explanation is that after an attack we all behave more carefully and politely. After two days of restraint, there is a converse response and the aggression we have bottled up breaks out on the road," Stecklov said.

oops, i guess they kinda already said that eh ^_^

But he also offered a second astounding explanation. "It is possible that this is the response of the society to violent events. Studies released in the 1980s found that three days after a character committed suicide in a television series, there was a wave of suicides and a rise in road accidents and light plane accidents. This is known as `suicidal mimicry,'" Stecklov said. "Other studies found that after boxing match, there are rises in the number of murders in the United States."

the suicides makes sense - the power of suggestion.
it almost seems similar to the process of dreaming:
the brain disables the motor neurons while you dream for your own safety, so that you don't act out your dreams. liken that to the 3 day shock period while no-one kills themselves. then after that wears off the person now again has their faculties, and has to deal with the mourning of their tv character.

i have never heard of a 3 day period accompanying multiple real-world suicides (ie: someone killing themselves, then 3 days later one of their friends killing themselves) so perhaps the 3 days thing is only when our brains are dealing with partially psychotic situations, situations that they only hear about throug word of mouth, or on a TV screen, it isn't REALLY real to them, it's somewhat detatched. so they take 3 days for it to sink in, while they filter/integrate the information through their thought process. until it settles and is identified by the psyche as 'real'.

the murders may be different altogether. they could be heavily influenced by debt anxietys that woudl be common after a boxing match - they are commonly accompanied by betting yes?

'mourning over a tv character'

Anyone who does that ought to off themselves! "Oh no! 'Friends' is canceled!" stab stab stab. That's a riot.

Humans are indeed a strange animal.

FC,

You still on the kibbutz? I hope so. I'm thinking the cows are relatively immune to the negative secondary effects of terrorist attacks.

Just don't go into town and we won't have to worry about your safety any more than we already do.

Margo