Why Do Air Crash Investigations Bring Out Such Strong Emotions?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the emotional responses elicited by air crash investigations and related media, exploring themes of masculinity, empathy, and personal experiences with grief and emotional expression. Participants share their feelings about crying in various contexts, including movies and real-life events, while reflecting on societal expectations regarding male emotionality.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a personal interest in air crash investigations and note their emotional reactions while watching them, questioning whether such feelings are natural for men.
  • Others propose that empathy is a positive response to tragic events, suggesting that crying is a natural way to express feelings.
  • Several participants share their own experiences with crying, indicating that emotional responses can vary widely among individuals, regardless of gender.
  • There are discussions about the appropriateness of crying over fictional versus real-life events, with some participants arguing that real-life tragedies should elicit stronger emotional responses.
  • Some participants reflect on their past experiences with loss, such as pets, and how those experiences affect their emotional responses.
  • One participant humorously mentions performing surgery on a fish, leading to a light-hearted exchange about the seriousness of such actions and the emotional connections to pets.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the nature of emotional responses, with varying opinions on what is considered acceptable for men and how different individuals process grief and empathy. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of these emotional expressions.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about their emotional responses and how they relate to societal norms, indicating a complex interplay of personal feelings and cultural expectations. There are also references to specific emotional triggers that may not apply universally.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring themes of masculinity, emotional expression, and the psychological impact of media representations of tragedy.

  • #31
DaveC426913 said:
I most certainly did. Was the talk of the office too.

Wow! o:) That's cool! So what was wrong with the fish? Are you a biologist?
 
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  • #32
Well apart from the odd bit of dust in my eye at the end of films, I haven't cried since I was 18. I believe it's because either I am dead inside or just a bloke, one of the two. Still I haven't cried over anything real for 17 years, I had a lot of dust in my eye at the end of The Colour Purple.
 
  • #33
It's ok if a man cry... :) so don't cry
 
  • #34
I cry once or twice or thrice a year... Believe it or not?
 
  • #35
I cried to Jerry Springer when I was 16 or something when I was at my friends place, I couldn't watch it and had to leave, heh.
 
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  • #36
lisab said:
Wow! o:) That's cool! So what was wrong with the fish? Are you a biologist?
He had bloat. I had a needle.

pssssss...
 
  • #37
DaveC426913 said:
He had bloat. I had a needle.

pssssss...

I did the same thing to my Lucy. She survived, but I don't think the surgery worked. So one day when I knew she didn't have long to go, I took her and her husband Ricky for a walk in the Columbia River. Everyone had a grand time. Ricky died the next day. Lucy a week later. But still no tears. I knew she had lived a good life.

lucygoesforawalk.jpg
 
  • #38
wolram said:
Just for the technical side i like to watch air crash investigation, it has all ways been an interest to me as to how things can fail, but i seem to be getting all sissy and weeping
watching the programs, surly this not natural for a male.

no true man weeps
 
  • #39
Did you, by chance, see Brett Favre's goodbye speech the other day. I wouldn't call a Packer a sissy (unless from a long distance), but there were a bunch crying.
 
  • #40
marlon said:
no true man weeps

True if we do cry it's without blubbing and sans handkerchief. A manly tear rolls down our cheek, occasionally, but that's about it. We certainly don't get lots of hugs and sympathy, it's a very private affair between a man and his respective passions. :wink:
 
  • #41
Schrödinger's Dog said:
True if we do cry it's without blubbing and sans handkerchief. A manly tear rolls down our cheek, occasionally, but that's about it. We certainly don't get lots of hugs and sympathy, it's a very private affair between a man and his respective passions. :wink:

Truer words were never spoken, man...

marlon
 
  • #42
OmCheeto said:
I've lost 47 goldfish to date and have yet to shed a tear. Is there something wrong with me?

Depends...was Pepperidge Farm printed on the bag they came in? :rolleyes:
 
  • #43
Well it seems i am not as hard as i thought i was, i must work on this weakness, may be i should watch party political programs instead of disaster related topics.
 
  • #44
wolram said:
Well it seems i am not as hard as i thought i was, i must work on this weakness, may be i should watch party political programs instead of disaster related topics.

Maybe it was that "notaflu" you had that made your insides all mushy.
 
  • #45
Moonbear said:
Maybe it was that "notaflu" you had that made your insides all mushy.

May be, how can anyone reconcile being mortal?
 
  • #46
wolram said:
May be, how can anyone reconcile being mortal?

Alcohol is nice.
 
  • #47
OmCheeto said:
I've lost 47 goldfish to date and have yet to shed a tear. Is there something wrong with me?

Yes, you seem to be prone to misplacing your goldfish.
 
  • #48
DaveC426913 said:
*whom I wrote a poem for:
"I like Spike."**

**What? I didn't say it was a good poem. I'm a fish buff, not a poet.

Oh, my wet pet.

-Author Unknown

Google "fisherman poetry". You can be both. :biggrin:
 
  • #49
Is this men's talk?
 
  • #51
This thread sucks because it's insulting to men, hence : THREAD LOCKED
 
  • #52
Moonbear said:
If a guy DIDN'T cry over losing a pet, I'd think something was seriously wrong with him!

Three days after this post we lost our beloved cat Einstein. He was seventeen years old almost to the day; and healthy right to the end. He was hit by a car; probably couldn't hear well enough anymore. It is a very, very sad week for Tsu and I.
 
  • #53
Ivan Seeking said:
Three days after this post we lost our beloved cat Einstein. He was seventeen years old almost to the day; and healthy right to the end. He was hit by a car; probably couldn't hear well enough anymore. It is a very, very sad week for Tsu and I.
Oh, Ivan, I am so sorry. When my cat Bob died, I was in bed crying for two days. She was so special. When she had kittens, she came and got me, and wouldn't give birth unless I sat next to her the entire time. She suffered a brain concussion during the last litter she had, either a car accident , or kicked in the head by a horse. I found her staggering home and soaked to the bone. She had one dilated pupil that indicated a concussion. She'd also been attacked by some cruel kids that shoved a stick into her abdomen.

When she died, she collapsed and died in the street in front of me trying to make it home.
 
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  • #54
Ivan Seeking said:
Three days after this post we lost our beloved cat Einstein. He was seventeen years old almost to the day; and healthy right to the end. He was hit by a car; probably couldn't hear well enough anymore. It is a very, very sad week for Tsu and I.

I'm very sorry to hear about your cat Ivan.
 
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  • #55
Ivan Seeking said:
Three days after this post we lost our beloved cat Einstein. He was seventeen years old almost to the day; and healthy right to the end. He was hit by a car; probably couldn't hear well enough anymore. It is a very, very sad week for Tsu and I.

I am very, very sorry to hear this news about your sweet Einstein.
 
  • #56
How heartbreaking! I love my kitty soooo much, I can't imagine losing her.

Ivan, I'm so sorry. It sounds like he had a healthy, long life. My sympathies to you and Tsu. I lost my beloved kitty, Mr. Jones, by being hit by a car.

Evo, your story made me want to cry! I hate cruelty so much. It's the quickest way to get me totally irrational. Reading your story made me think of all the ways I would pummel those damn psychopathic kids! I'm so sorry!
 
  • #57
wolram said:
May be, how can anyone reconcile being mortal?
Kurdt said:
Alcohol is nice.


This is one of my favorite quotes:

“Oh many a peer of England brews
Livelier liquor than the Muse,
And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God's ways to man.”
· A.E. Houseman​
​
⚛​
 
  • #58
CaptainQuasar said:
This is one of my favorite quotes:

“Oh many a peer of England brews
Livelier liquor than the Muse,
And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God's ways to man.”
· A.E. Houseman​
​
⚛​


Very nice!
 
  • #59
Thanks all. Yeah, he was a really great kitty - very loving, extremely smart, completely attached to both Tsu and I as we were both completely attached to him. After seventeen years of his ever-presense in our lives it will be difficult to get used to this. That's a lot of years of reaching up while half asleep and knowing that he'd be there.
 
  • #60
Ivan Seeking said:
Three days after this post we lost our beloved cat Einstein. He was seventeen years old almost to the day; and healthy right to the end. He was hit by a car; probably couldn't hear well enough anymore. It is a very, very sad week for Tsu and I.
Please accept my condolensces Ivan. :frown: I am very attached to our animal members of our family.
 

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