Holy jeez.
Brandon and Parados: First of all, I think we can all agree that merely shoving food in TS's throat would have killed her, since she doesn't have a swallow reflex. SO, any debate about "food ingested orally" vs. "food put in the mouth" can, I think, be attributed to a misunderstanding. Brandon, you
did cite the case of the people trying to give TS food as supporting your argument, but I am willing to accept that you only meant it as a form of "give her food."
blueveinedrobber said:
Quote:McGentrix wrote:
Terri Shiavo had no swallow reflex. That is why the food tube was neccessary.
And probably why he had a girlfriend.
Uncool. Funny, but uncool.
Secondly, I see the removal of her feeding tube as an example
of respect for life, not
disrespect. By taking out that feeding tube, they honored the person she was, who, according to her husband,
did not want to be kept alive artificially. If all he wanted was to get with his girlfriend, he could have just divorced her. the only motivation for taking out the tube was either homicidal(unlikely), or just out of a true respect for his wife's wishes.
Thirdly, Brandon, in the beginning of this topic you said:
Quote:It really should be very obvious that this thread was not intended to be simply about the TS case, although I can understand why some people want very much to restrict the discussion to that. It was intended to raise the general topic about whether our culture is promoting a respect for life, or moving towards the opposite. I think that the existence of the link I started the thread with on the Humor board is not an encouraging sign. At a minimum, it shows quite a lack of empathy.
However, when approached with parados' comments, you fell back upon it like a crutch.
Quote:parados wrote:
Brandon wrote:
Quote:
Once the process of disrespect for life is allowed to start, it continues under its own momentum. I wonder what fraction of the people who wanted Terri Schiavo killed for her own good
I think this statement in and of itself shows how little you really know about life, in spite of all your claims to the contrary.
For thousands of years when an adult couldn't chew and swallow food they died. The recent disrespect seems to come from forcing them to stay alive in any way possible.
Oh, yes, I'm sure that the person who posted the link to the mocking Terri Schiavo dance was one of those who campaigned tirelessly for her to be allowed to have food and water.
I can understand the use of examples, but since you refused the TS example previously, only to use it yourself some 3 posts later, it is apparent that it is your only real example, which is fine, as long as you
own up to that.
I think the real issue here is your inability to comprehend others' humor. Yes, Brandon, some people are assholes in their humor, but that doesn't make them miserable human beings. It makes them
human. Imperfect, scared of death, and helplessness, humans who need jokes to ward off their own fears. Could they have done it more sensitively? Of course! But there's no need to brand them infidels and bar them from humanity.
I really hope we can end this endless bickering over the word "mouth" and get back to the real issue: respect for life. I would like to delve into it further, but if we're going to continue on this path of semantics, I would rather bow out. I hope to hear from you all soon.