Just in case anyone is still interested in a disaster NOT in the US.

reply to post by jude11


Aww, aren't you special? Captain White Knight of the anti-American Earthquake Brigade. The only one playing favorites is you.

I can't personally pretend to care to a significant extent about what happens in a country on the other side of the world. When I read about an earthquake near, say, Fiji or whatever, I'm interested for maybe a few minutes, and that's just because earth changes fascinate me.

I agree with watchitburn who suggests that we've also been desensitized to the severity of the earthquakes in question. Really, it also doesn't help when some turn out to be several miles deep and therefore practically harmless on the grand scale of things. (But I'm just speaking for myself.)

ahh its in china , its always in china or mexico or the middle east , thats why no one cares

reply to post by jude11


Jude, as always, awesomeness.

ATS, though its an international site, tends to focus on America... because its American founded, I expect. People need to hear about these other things too. Being awake on a global scale is all important.

Read my signature.

Originally posted by Def Youth
reply to post by jude11

 

Aww, aren't you special? Captain White Knight of the anti-American Earthquake Brigade. The only one playing favorites is you.

Jesus, can't anyone post anything about something outside of America without getting flak? I think its awesome. There isn't enough stuff being posted that isn't about American gun control, gay marriage, or the Boston bombings.

Honestly, you sound like a biased nationalistic whiner. Just my 2 Cents.

reply to post by jude11


I saw the headlines, but I just can't take any more tragedy right now. I LOVE the Chinese people, but I'll go crazy if I don't chill out for a while.

I read lots of threads and never reply. What I'm amazed is there are no responses of "They deserved it!", but that seems to only happen when crap happens to Americans or in America. So, just because you don't get a lot of feedback does not equate to people not caring.

Most people read and comment when it's much more personal to them. The crap happening in America right now with staged terror attacks and martial law conditions do hit home directly, and it's quite logical for those of us who do make up the majority of ATS from America to focus our attention there.

I don't need to comment about a tragedy to pray for the people or to show I care. Sadly, I do believe we will see a lot more tragedy come out of China in the near future.

Originally posted by watchitburn
reply to post by jude11

 

I understand what you are saying.
But most of ATS does live in the US, so it is to be expected.

And maybe it's just me, and my deficiency of knowledge about China, but that place just seems really large and mostly unknown. Then add in all the negative propaganda that is pushed on the public about China, and you can see how a lack of interest results.

Lastly, I think people have become very jaded and desensitized to news about earthquakes, to the point that anything under an 8 is regarded as inconsequential. Despite the dense population and lack of building codes of some areas effected.

But yeah, the more globally diverse news and discussions we can produce here, the better off ATS as a community will be.

I couldn't, or I should say wouldn't have said it better myself. Reason being, i'm tired of the whiny attitude people have in this regard about the US. It reminds me of White Sox fans crying about their team not being talked about on sports radio enough during years when the Cubs are the better team.

Which tragedies garner more sympathy for people in Thailand? A building fire where a bunch of people die trapped in Thailand, or a massive car accident in the US?

Were Russians as crushed by Fukushima as they were about Chernobyl? Heck, it doesn't even need to be tht far away...A guy got killed not too far from where I live recently. Big deal for me. I felt really bad for the guy, couldn't help thinking about what it must be like for his family and friends, and I was concerned about a killer in the area who hasn't been found. A bunch of people were murdered in cities all over the US and the world just today, and to this day, I still have more interest in the one down the street than all of the others combined.

To the OP, I can see why you feel the world is overly US-centric, as the US sports the biggest media machine in the world, by far, which also does contribute to the attitude a small but loud percentage of people in the US have, that the whole world should cry out in agony every time someone is victimized in the US, but that simply is not the case with the majority of Americans, and certainly not with more than a few scattered individuals if you don't county those with IQs under 70.

So please, realize that it is longstanding human nature, not only in the US, but throughout the world, to care more about those things which are "closer to home" (hence the phrase), and in many cases, specifically those which affect their own country and countrymen moreso than those of other nations. And further, if you want to share information about something, don't title your thread in such a way as to guarantee reduced interest in the topic. I knew about the earthquake, and pay a great deal of attention to earthquakes, but I paid no mind at all to that aspect of your thread, as it clearly wasn't your point anyhow.