Is there such a thing,,? I don't mean to offend anyone, I believe all of us have lost those we love

Can we acknowledge tragedy as tragedy or must we compare them

and when we compare, should we compare based upon the loss at the time, or the extent and devastation of the consequences of?


is tragedy a matter of numbers of lives lost?


was holocaust more a tragedy than slavery/jim crow

was 9/11 more a tragedy than oklahoma bombing

are the loved ones who lost someone in these tragedies griveing any less/mote than their counterparts?

should someone who is expected to grieve the loss of life on 9/11 whose survivors were at least somewhat assisted and reached out to,, not be equally expected to grieve the loss of life of their child by a cop who was afraid even though they weren't armed?



,,,,,,should we compare tragedies, and by what standard? what do you think about it?

pass
its all sad : (

I lost a child in a car accident....car she was in was hit by another driver. When people first hear about it, they often ask if the other driver was drunk. I can tell you that it doesnt matter to me. Wouldnt matter, my daughter is still gone....if that gives you any insight OP.

If we go by the true definition of this word, I don't believe there is a way to compare them.

An event causing great suffering, destruction, and distress, such as a serious accident, crime, or natural catastrophe:




I believe a tragedy is just that a tragedy and the really sad thing is most tragedies could be avoided if we just stopped blaming, or pointing fingers at others. I believe if we could just practice acceptance instead of practising
I am or my beliefs are superior to others

the tragedy is that I'm still single..
... and the degrees that this frustrates me.... is on measurable..
Ok..all done..

Should someone who is expected to grieve the loss of life on 9/11 whose survivors were at least somewhat assisted and reached out to, not be equally expected to grieve the loss of life of a young adult that is the consequence of the young adult's actions?

Seems Sitka and I are on the same wavelength....almost

The definition of tragedy in the manner to which you refer is:

A very bad event that causes great sadness and often involves someone's death...

A very sad, unfortunate or upsetting situation: Something that causes strong feelings of sadness or regret...

With respect to your question, I think that tragedies, when they happen, are just that, they're tragic occurrences...How people process them is totally personal and depends on their relationship to or connection with the tragedy and its results...

Should we compare them?...

In terms of actual events, of course...That is only natural...In terms of individual meaning, no that would not be possible because no two people are exactly alike and would not process the tragedy in exactly the same way...In terms of how they are handled by the authorities and media, yes and no....

On July 4th of this year, a drunk 22-year-old man died when he decided to place a fireworks mortar tube on his head and set it off.

Is his death a tragedy? Yes.

Should the general public treat his death any differently than the way they treat the deaths of terrorism victims?

thats not the scenario in my example,, but everyone is free to put in their own


I would consider it a different type of tragedy if my child pointed a gun at an officer and lost his life,, than if he merely lost his life because he ran from an officer who thought he 'may have a gun' or may eventually get the officers gun


,,,,in both cases, loved ones would grieve, although the former would probably provide its own closure,,,

If you are referring to the Ferguson, MO incident, then you have mischaracterized it.

Since what constitutes and defines "tragedy" can be highly subjective, then there are always going to be degrees of tragedies.

Since tragedies also affect different groups in different ways, there are going to be degrees of tragedy.


In their eyes they might be.


I'm not sure how you mean "expected."
Do you mean socially enforced?
Like "you're expected to attend the ball tonight..." with the implied unspoken threat that you'll be judged if you don't?
Or do you mean a guess?
Like "we're expecting maybe 20 guests at the ball?" where if more or less than 20 people show up it doesn't really matter, it's just denoting a level of preparedness?

As it stands, it seems you are using it in the former sense.
IMO if people are "expecting," as in demanding, people to grieve then there is a huge problem.
Then it's not about the tragedy at all. They are simply using the tragedy to control others.

People "shouldn't" expect others to grieve, only expect that some will.
Tragedies cause suffering, so it should be expected some people will grieve, but if you expect someone to grieve because you define it as a tragedy then that is a bad thing.


It's not really a matter of "should."
"Should" is kind of a childish concept.
We "shouldn't" have war.
We "shouldn't" have people dying of hunger.
We "shouldn't" have teen pregnancy.
We "shouldn't" pee on the subway.
We "shouldn't" have a government involved in marriage in any way.
We "shouldn't" have water problems with more than 70% of the planet covered in water.

"Should" matters not at all. Just "what is" and what people do.


I don't unless it interferes with my life.
It's like asking "should we compare farts? By what standard?"

Whatever floats your boat.
But if you expect me to jump into your farting contest and expect me to be a judge and expect me to enjoy it like you, then there is no how "we should" do anything, it's just how you want things done and have it be a universal standard to make your own life easier.

We shouldn't?

AGREED

While all tragedies are just that. I do believe there are different degrees.

Losing a loved one is right at the top. But losing a child is a entirely different level. In my opinion nothing could match that pain.

Most parents mind will not even allow them to think of that.. won't even let them go there. There are really no words of comfort to those parents who have lost children. JMO

The degree of a tragedy pertaining to a death depends on the relationship that one has with the party that has died.

The drunk man who killed himself by setting off a firework on top of his head was someone's son, and for his parents, the tragedy is off the scale.

To members of the general public who never heard of the deceased man until now, the tragedy is barely a blip in the grand scheme of things.

It is all relative to who and why the person is effected. I don't the loss of any life is acceptable but when it is a loss of someone significant tot he survivor of course is is more tragic.

Self inflicted or not has noting to do wuith how tragic something is.

I book therapy appointments, if mine starts to eat away at me. I don't bother mentioning it, as I don't want to be looked upon as someone who is vying for attention. One of my friends keeps hugging me, and telling me he feels sorry for me, but there's no need to feel sorry for me.

Degrees Of Tragedy: Well, at the very onset, it seemed to be that there is no such thing as 'degree of tragedy'.. A tragedy is a tragedy.. Something similar to A lie being a lie OR Truth being a truth!


However, a deeper rumination compels me to conclude 'otherwise'... A baby losing its mother and a mother losing her baby are both tragic.. However, the degree of 'pain' and 'suffering', probably, is 'much more' in the latter case.. I deduce this, not on the basis of the fact that a 'mother' senses 'more' than a 'baby' (who is yet to 'understand & learn' the ways of the world & realize the meaning of 'relationships' in life)..

I would have inferred this, regardless of the age of the child..As for example, a '30 year old son losing his mother' & a '30 year old mother losing her son' are both tragic, unquestionably..BUT seemingly (to me), the 'latter' mishap is by leaps & bounds, far more 'painful' than the 'former' one..


For 'all of them' reading these lines, I hereby express my sincere condolences to 'them' who have 'lost' their beloved ones in life..No matter what I/we 'say' or 'do', I/we remain 'desperately' incapable to 'mitigate' their woes..

Only they who have loved & lost, are aware of that pain of separation.. May the Omniscient, Omnipotent & Omnipresent bestow upon 'them', courage to bear this eternal grief and carry on fulfilling the mission of their 'human' lives.. Amen!