I've just finished reading this thread 'Khmer leaps off Stung Meanchey Flyover Bridge" and there is not a negative reaction with which I can disagree. For example the following- "

A road fatality on 271 tonight, truck wins over moto, the locals were running into traffic to take photos of the deceased in the middle of the road. Very much a carnival atmosphere. There's something tragically wrong with the national psyche - but this is not news." Stroppy Chops

No, my wife doesn't even stop at accidents, she hates the sight of blood, it upsets her, as it does me.
tbh, if I didn't have family here, I would have left long ago. Vladimir (this one really hit home with me>)

And I share this poster's concerns and final question. "

When you read reports like this, I do wonder what is wrong with people in Cambodia to be honest
Why are so many people interested in viewing the dead body of someone who jumped off a high bridge ?What is their fascination with such events ?
I can't understand it to be honest Jayne Newcastle

And the following does not seem to realistically explain such tragedies.

"The majority of Cambodians don't like reading, but we like looking at the picture instead. Without reading the content, we know that there is someone died from jumping off. "

So, Cambodians convene at blood-soaked scenes because it's a bad day on TV for pictures?

Sadly, this is not a one of a kind event. Not only does it happen in real life, it gets replay in all of the media. Robberies, theft, any kind of violent crime is fodder for consumption. Those who are familiar with my posts know that I have attacked certain facets of Khmer culture. But this voyeuristic obsession with death and dying escapes me. Can you explain it? Something more tangible that a dark gene on the loose.

"






"

I, for one, do not find death morbid, but I do find people grouping around it as spectators morbid.

Is it not morbid to post pictures of dead people or accident victims on a western forum then ?

Local lives are miserable and brutal in the majority of cases. They see death far more often and in far less pleasant ways than we are accustomed to in the West. It's not a big deal because it's normalized. And as Richard says, they're Buddhists, this isn't "the end" when someone dies - it's just a step on the ladder to coming back for another go round.

While the pictures make me flinch some of the time, there's nothing fundamentally wrong with a certain morbid fascination. We do extremely graphic horror movies, death and porno-grind metal, horror novels, etc. in Asia - they just do real life.

Maybe better to ask the question What changed us in the west?
Apart from the media not displaying such graphics anymore, don't people rubber neck in the US and Europe? Don't they cause further accidents sometimes by doing it? Good scene in the Cronenberg movie "Crash" where they come across a lot of rubber neckers.

Anchor Moy wrote:Is it not morbid to post pictures of dead people or accident victims on a western forum then ?

I do not consider it morbid, but in extreme bad taste. There is also the unfortunate possibility that family, friends, and relatives that had no knowledge of the death, find out about it in all its gruesome details.

TheGrinchSR wrote:Local lives are miserable and brutal in the majority of cases. They see death far more often and in far less pleasant ways than we are accustomed to in the West. It's not a big deal because it's normalized. And as Richard says, they're Buddhists, this isn't "the end" when someone dies - it's just a step on the ladder to coming back for another go round.

While the pictures make me flinch some of the time, there's nothing fundamentally wrong with a certain morbid fascination. We do extremely graphic horror movies, death and porno-grind metal, horror novels, etc. in Asia - they just do real life.

+1
Personally i do think that you understand about Cambodia, culture and its people a lot. i love reading your comments about Cambodia. The bold sentence answers everything. i grew up on national road number 4 which is known as the most dangerous road in the kingdom. I have seen so many fatally traffic accidents. I get used to it. I am fine looking at those graphic pictures as well as other Cambodian. All local news, have been putting the graphic picture in their article for along time. You guys can't change it. Moreover, those local news didn't target on expats in Cambodia to view, that's why they have never thought of expat's preference unlike Phnom Penh Post, The Cambodia News Daily and Khmertime.

I think CEO put those graphic pictures just to help the article make more sense. As you all know local news suck and google translate is not 100 percent reliable.

taabarang wrote:

Anchor Moy wrote:Is it not morbid to post pictures of dead people or accident victims on a western forum then ?

I do not consider it morbid, but in extreme bad taste. There is also the unfortunate possibility that family, friends, and relatives that had no knowledge of the death, find out about it in all its gruesome details.

Agreed