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.

wolram
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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.
 
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I'd say empathy was the reason, and that's a good thing not bad. :smile:
 
wolram said:
surly this not natural for a male.
Maybe you're not. When did you last check ?
 
what a wimp.
just kidding. I cry during movies and tv shows and commercials. It's never the people dying that makes me cry though, I only cry for really happy things.
 
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Sometimes, if I'm sad about "X" but can't do anything to change it, I'll get weepy at stupid things that have nothing to do with "X". I hate getting weepy at McDonald's commercials. But then I'm a woman, it could be different for men.
 
I haven't cried in probably 15 years. I don't even remember when the last time I cried was.
 
Greg Bernhardt said:
First time I saw Braveheart, I cried at the end. :cry:

Yes, its a terrible film, but no need to get upset. :wink:
 
Kurdt said:
Yes, its a terrible film, but no need to get upset. :wink:
You're just mad that a Scot got some good press. :smile:
 
  • #10
humanino said:
Maybe you're not. When did you last check ?

Some times you guys are so creepy and i do not know how to answer, or even know if you are serious,but i can tell you all my bits are in order.
 
  • #11
wolram said:
Some times you guys are so creepy and i do not know how to answer, or even know if you are serious,but i can tell you all my bits are in order.
No offense, I was just kidding ! I myself feel very easily like crying when watching sad movies, or listening to Shostakovich's string quartet #8, or when I flushed the golden fish last week, or such... I think it's fine as long as you don't let it show too much :rolleyes:

edit
Ok I'll go check now. Be back in a few.
 
  • #12
Crying is perfectly natural and a good way to express your feelings. Much better than keeping it all bottled up.

EDIT: Oops, I missed the part where you said you are a guy. Never mind, then.
 
  • #13
There is a pretty wide gap between weeping at a story designed to manipulate your emotions even though it's fictional - and a real-life event involving the death of innocent men, women and children.
 
  • #14
I'm a sucker for a weeping man, they get me everytime.
 
  • #15
hypatia said:
I'm a sucker for a weeping man, they get me everytime.

Me too...not all out bawling, mind you, but if there's a bit of glisten in the eye that they're desperately trying to hide at the end of a movie, awwww...that's just the sweetest thing. :approve:
 
  • #16
Why *shouldn't* men weep? Ditto what Moonbear said. If it was a sad movie, of course.

Now, if they cry because the parking lot at the mall is crowded...
 
  • #17
Evo said:
Now, if they cry because the parking lot at the mall is crowded...
:smile: True.

As I left my boyfriend this morning (I don't see him very often...I can never seem to find someone to date close to wherever I live), he had a tear in his eye. I brushed it away, and commented that it seemed his eyes were watering...he claimed it was the cold. :biggrin: It was really sweet...nearly got me all choked up too.
 
  • #18
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.

Oh come on, I bet you cried when Harley was sold the first time.

Movies can get me - very sad but true stories can certainly get to me. Losing a pet rips my heart out every time.
 
  • #19
Ivan Seeking said:
Losing a pet rips my heart out every time.

If a guy DIDN'T cry over losing a pet, I'd think something was seriously wrong with him!
 
  • #20
turbo-1 said:
You're just mad that a Scot got some good press. :smile:

Not at all. Its just terribly historically inaccurate. Besides, wait till Culloden the movie comes out :-p:wink:.
 
  • #21
Ok, what about sores? Do weeping sores charm the ladies?
 
  • #22
DaveC426913 said:
Ok, what about sores? Do weeping sores charm the ladies?
Ewww, weeping sores are not attractive. A bit of neosporin will prevent that.
 
  • #23
tribdog said:
what a wimp.
just kidding. I cry during movies and tv shows and commercials. It's never the people dying that makes me cry though, I only cry for really happy things.

I didn't cry at my mother or fathers funeral, but I cry every time Forrest's leg braces fall off.

Death is au natural. Miracles in movies always move me.
 
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  • #24
Moonbear said:
If a guy DIDN'T cry over losing a pet, I'd think something was seriously wrong with him!

Oh, hear, hear!
 
  • #25
lisab said:
Oh, hear, hear!

I've lost 47 goldfish to date and have yet to shed a tear. Is there something wrong with me?
 
  • #26
Goldfish are a little different I think
 
  • #27
OmCheeto said:
I've lost 47 goldfish to date and have yet to shed a tear. Is there something wrong with me?
I, on the other hand, took my poor Betta 'Spike'* - upon his natural death, following a year of healthy life after his belly operation (which I performed with antiseptic and a needle on my office desk) - down to Lake Ontario and set him free there so he could make his way down the St. Lawrence into the ocean and back to his native Thailand.

That was five years ago.



*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.
 
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  • #28
DaveC426913 said:
I, on the other hand, took my poor Betta 'Spike'* - upon his natural death, following a year of healthy life after his belly operation (which I performed with antiseptic and a needle on my office desk) - down to Lake Ontario and set him free there so he could make his way down the St. Lawrence into the ocean and back to his native Thailand.

That was five years ago.



*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.

Wait - wait -wait ----- you did surgery on your Beta? :smile: OK so I can be gullible, but are you serious?
 
  • #29
DaveC426913 said:
I, on the other hand, took my poor Betta 'Spike'* - upon his natural death, following a year of healthy life after his belly operation (which I performed with antiseptic and a needle on my office desk) - down to Lake Ontario and set him free there so he could make his way down the St. Lawrence into the ocean and back to his native Thailand.

That was five years ago.



*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.

Did he write you when he got to Thailand? Was it a rough trip?
 
  • #30
lisab said:
Wait - wait -wait ----- you did surgery on your Beta? :smile: OK so I can be gullible, but are you serious?
I most certainly did. Was the talk of the office too.
 

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