Just let them die!

[lickem]

Originally Posted by Flatrater

The pope's accomplishments are no more important than anyone else's.

I really do not see how you can say this.
The Pope's life affected tens of millions, and is even affecting us right now.
Thats like saying Bush has no affect on what is going on in Iraq.

[Twitch1]

I am not catholic either but I see the pope, any pope, as an icon for Christianity. That's not a bad thing. It's just a thing. Those that wish to devine mortals will continue to do so regardless of others' feelings on the subject.

[Flatrater]

Originally Posted by lickem

I really do not see how you can say this.
The Pope's life affected tens of millions, and is even affecting us right now.
Thats like saying Bush has no affect on what is going on in Iraq.

Tell me how the Pope personally affected you?

[RSX-S777]

Meh- Even if you are not Catholic, the death of a Pope is interesting and relevant from a historical standpoint. So it is certainly newsworthy. For every one person who doesn't care, another will. So I don't get what all the controversy is about here. Should the news NOT report the death of a Pope? What would you have them report? I'd much rather hear about an event that is actually bringing people together as opposed to more aggravating bullshit from Iraq. And Frankly, I'm on pins and needles to see what kind of reception my fearless leader gets in Rome when he flies in to attend the Pope's funeral.

[2strokebloke]

What I'm wondering is what the Weekly World News is going to do without the pope. (it seems that every issue somehow manages to connect the pope in some way to one or two inane stories).

[lickem]

Originally Posted by Flatrater

Tell me how the Pope personally affected you?

I am having a discussion with someone about him on the internet

[Gotti]

Originally Posted by Flatrater

Tell me how the Pope personally affected you?

He helped to end communism in MY country while i lived there, which changed EVERYBODIES lives in ALL of Eastern europe. Thats hundreds of millions of people

And thats only one of his great accomplishments, his death is easily more important than any average joes.

[TexasF355F1]

Originally Posted by RSX-S777

Meh- Even if you are not Catholic, the death of a Pope is interesting and relevant from a historical standpoint. So it is certainly newsworthy. For every one person who doesn't care, another will. So I don't get what all the controversy is about here. Should the news NOT report the death of a Pope? What would you have them report? I'd much rather hear about an event that is actually bringing people together as opposed to more aggravating bullshit from Iraq. And Frankly, I'm on pins and needles to see what kind of reception my fearless leader gets in Rome when he flies in to attend the Pope's funeral.

Very very true. As you said, even if your not catholic or even religious at all, he's a man that just wanted peace among everyone and no one can knock him for that.

Gotti, you hit the nail on the head. Flatrater, watch the news about him a little more, he may have not achieved the goals he dreamed of achieving, but he made more attempts than most.

[Flatrater]

Originally Posted by lickem

I am having a discussion with someone about him on the internet

That is a product of his death and not his life.

[Flatrater]

Originally Posted by Gotti

He helped to end communism in MY country while i lived there, which changed EVERYBODIES lives in ALL of Eastern europe. Thats hundreds of millions of people

And thats only one of his great accomplishments, his death is easily more important than any average joes.

Not everyoine this so. --> http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl...ope/communism/

The Pope may of had a hand in the fall of communism but the credit for the fall in Poland should go to Solidarity's leader Lech Walesa who credited the pope with giving Poles the courage to rise up.

BTW I am a pure Czech, born in the Czech Republic as a Catholic.

[Gotti]

Originally Posted by Flatrater

Not everyoine this so. --> http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl...ope/communism/

The Pope may of had a hand in the fall of communism but the credit for the fall in Poland should go to Solidarity's leader Lech Walesa who credited the pope with giving Poles the courage to rise up.

BTW I am a pure Czech, born in the Czech Republic as a Catholic.

I didnt have time to read that whole thing, but i'll read it tomorrow


I'll let you in on a secret, Walesa is a bum. I can tell that article is an outsiders perspective on what really happened. Without the Pope the Solidarity movement would of just bin a blip on the communist radar. If you ask a real Polish person what they think of Walesa they'll tell you he's a debil, because to the outside world he made it look like he was this big Polish hero ending communism. But the true facts are he was working with communists, and as a result the same people that were in power during communist times are still running Poland today and our people are struggling to survive


Fuck Walesa... he can eat my big fat kielbasa

[Twitch1]

Gotti- I value your perspective on that guy since you were there. Interesting. It's like the pro-UFO people that the government probably employs to spread disinformation about the subject. Walesa was in the perfect position to be a stooge. I always had to wonder why they simply didn't brutally crack down on demonstraters.

[DVS LT1]

Where to start...

I hate the media these days like most people. I hate how our local tabloid-trash newspaper takes sensitive events and runs disgusting and tasteless front page coverage much like the example Taranaki posted.

I think the whole feeding tube fiasco was excessively covered in the news - to be honest it was only after that lady died when I asked somebody what was the whole deal with that feeding tube – I had no desire whatsoever to know why it was happening when it was, because to me it was the media taking over an otherwise serious and significant story and perverting it into a circus.

As far as the Pope’s coverage that began exactly one week ago today, I have to say I appreciate the fact they were on the air throughout the night when he was passing and during the whole week for his visitation. I had plans last Friday night but when we heard he was close to death my girlfriend and I stayed up all night watching his biography that was aired on CBC and flipping back to newsworld to see the coverage. I fell asleep on my couch late that night with the TV on because frankly I didn’t want to be alone.

So who was the Pope? In recent years he was a decrepit old man who a lot of people though should have stepped down from the church, there was at least one local radio station a few months back that ran a brutal (but I had to admit I laughed) add making fun of the Pope’s health and uselessness. We all knew his time was coming and although we may have thought we were prepared I think now a lot of people are having trouble dealing with the change.

It’s messed me up a bit. I was not only raised as a Catholic but as a Polish catholic – the only world I’ve ever know is the world of John Paul II as our Pope; our spiritual and cultural leader. Last Sunday for the first time in my entire life I did not hear John Paul’s name mentioned as the priest asked us to “join in unity, together with Aloysius our Bishop, and all the clergy…” It was so strange.

Some people don’t get what John Paul was all about, and if they never lived and experienced what life was like living in a communist country controlled by Russia they never will. I am thankfully first-generation Canadian but some of my older cousins who grew up in Poland before coming to Canada were like totally fucked up by the Pope’s death – my one cousin had to walk over to my grandmother’s house because she was too upset to drive. This man was these people’s SPIRIT during the dark communist times.

I tried to wake up this morning at 4am to watch his funeral. I’m glad they are re-airing it at 7pm again tonight because I want to watch it.

[Gotti]

Great post DVS.. i completely agree

Twitch: Thats exactly what he was, a stooge. People outside of Poland dont know that there was other people pulling his strings. He was a puppet.

[RickwithaTbird]

I have to go with the idea that if you don't care, just don't watch it. I personally was not wrapped up in the pope story. I heard that he was dying, and I thought, what a shame, but its about time. I don't even know who schiavo was. I don't need to hear stories about other peoples' tragedies and such to understand that life has meaning. I can imagine that people die unjust deaths, and live sad lives, or live good lives and die tragically, but I don't need to know about it. I really didnt care, and I still don't. If I was dying a sad death, I don't think the world needs to know about it. Live your own life.

However, I do agree with the frustration you have with the mass media. They have more power than anyone to help resolve important issues, and they waste that power by talking about bullshit. If they shed some light on the ghettos, or poverty, then more people would remember that there is more to our world than celebrities, and things would certainly change.

But the Pope is a different story. I didn't know much about the pope, and all I really know about him, I learned from reading threads about him in the last few weeks on these forums. I understand that he was an icon, so it doesn't bother me that he gets the spotlight. He apparently was a person who used his power and influence accordingly for the good of mankind, so I agree he deserves headlines. If you don't care then don't watch. But don't get mad that they play it a million times over. Not everyone has the luxury of sitting on the couch and watching every replay on the news. Some people missed the forst 999,999 and were happy to catch the millionth airing. Remember that it's not all about you.

I live my life, I work and I pay my bills while trying to enjoy myself. I respect any man who devotes his life to helping others, but some people are born with the opportunity, and when you are brought up right under the worlds microscope, expected to be in a position of power and reform and aide to those who need it, then thats exactly what your life will consist of. If I was born with the opportunity to help the world, I would be more than excited to do it, and I would be known by the world as a great man. But that wasn't my calling. I was born to be another lemming in the regular world and have some aspects of my life taken over by the media, or I have the choice to shut it out because it doesn't concern me. I respect the Pope, but I was not affected by his death, aside from hearing other people talk about it.

I don't know the Schiavo story and I really dont give a shit. I'm sorry if she died a tragic death, because I feel for all humans, but thats the end of the line. What happened with schiavo does not affect my day tomorrow or yesterday, or my ability to go to work and earn money to pay my bills. If there was no mass media shoving this down the worlds throat we would all live our own lives and probably be happier and more productive without all this stress over other people who have no impact on us.

If other people care about a political issue, I don't have the balls to disrespect that concern, it's just that I don't care. The only media which gets on my nerves is... "Ashton and Demi might be pregnant! Oh my god!" I don't think anybody with a life cares. It just bugs me that I see such useless things plaster the headlines. The pope is important enough to be on the news, but if you are concerned about what is going on with Demi Moores life, why arent you concerned with the ghettos of America. If the news consisted of more important issues like that, then things would change quicker, but our world is quickly becoming more and more materialistic and concerned with gossip about celebrities. It is directly affecting the kids these days, which directly affects the future, and that is what frustrates me with the news. If we show no concern with things that matter, then why are the kids going to grow up and care? Society is becoming very stupid.