Is there an upside to the deaths of human beings?

[Baz]

Perhaps unconventional to consider but what about these shooting incidents?

I realize families are changed forever.....children lose parents - parents lose children - etc., etc. - but in the big picture.....as a whole - does civilisation benefit at all?

Is it similar to deer populations that need to be thinned periodically to help the entire gruppe survive?

Sorry if this question seems insensitive - I don't mean it to be....

[porsche4life]

Seriously baz?

[Baz]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Seriously baz?

Yes.....I am curious if anything comes out of it that could be construed as helpful overall to our civilisation.

I said it was unconventional thinking so not surprised if the question is ridiculed.

I'll assume you say NO, Sid.

[porsche4life]

You would be correct Baz... We had a name for the last group that had a similar theory, we called them the nazis, and spent a ton of money trying to stop them.

[RWebb]

even the Black Plague was not a sufficient mortality event to cause much of a dent in human popn growth, so the deer herd analogy does not work on a popn ecology level

[HardDrive]

I believe in the integrity of systems as a whole. Zero sum game. So in some sickening way, yes, there are 'upsides'. These horrific events serve to indicate that the system is not functioning correctly.

[Flieger]

When people die in an engineering disaster you end up with safer planes, cars, buildings, etc. When people kill other people you end up with more laws. So no one benefits.

[VINMAN]

We do have a overpopulation problem. I don't think shootings like these are the "fix" though...

[Baz]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

You would be correct Baz... We had a name for the last group that had a similar theory, we called them the nazis, and spent a ton of money trying to stop them.

Sorry Sid - I wasn't as clear with my question as I should have been.

I'm not campaigning for human death(s)....just wondering if there are any positives that come from it.

Again I am not saying anyone go around killing humans.....that would be pretty crazy.

[jyl]

Looking on the bright side, seeing a glass half full, etc - a good general life philosophy but, hmm, not easy in this situation.

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

You would be correct Baz... We had a name for the last group that had a similar theory, we called them the nazis, and spent a ton of money trying to stop them.

So there is some good in the deaths of Nazi's, who are considered human beings by most people.

[M.D. Holloway]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that there could be a benefit if one was to look at the situation (the killings) as a failure of sorts. As with any failure there is the opportunity of success if not excellence.

While any death is a tragedy, do we ever stop and really think about why it occured? Granted there are whack jobs and plain evil folk but why? What is it that makes them cross the line of thinking to doing?

I would venture a guess that many on this bored have thought at one time or another about killing someone. Maybe it wasn't to serious but the thought has crossed some minds. Well whats the spring? Something in these folks pushes them. I would really like to know that mechanism.

I'm sure the pseudo shrinks and the closet pastors have their own ideas...

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by Baz

Perhaps unconventional to consider but what about these shooting incidents?

I realize families are changed forever.....children lose parents - parents lose children - etc., etc. - but in the big picture.....as a whole - does civilisation benefit at all?

Is it similar to deer populations that need to be thinned periodically to help the entire gruppe survive?

Sorry if this question seems insensitive - I don't mean it to be....

Yes, it helps. I'd say that there are far too many people here right now. Soon the scoops will come.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

You would be correct Baz... We had a name for the last group that had a similar theory, we called them the nazis, and spent a ton of money trying to stop them.

Not really the same thing, even remotely.

Let's call it attrition, and possibly even expand it from murder to include accidents and disease.

Clearly for people that are more directly involved, it's horrible.

For the entire human race and the planet, we have a very big problem, overpopulation. We have people in places that have rampant famine that are reproducing like bunnies. We have lots, and lots of problems globally that are due to people making too many babies and too many people trying to live in too small an area.

I think this is a valid question. It's not "should we kill people to make the world a better place?" It's "We have people dying every day, is there any sort positive or benefit to the human race?" At least, that's how I took it. I have wondered the same thing before, but rather than about these random killings, my thoughts are usually more centered around disease.

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by M.D. Holloway

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that there could be a benefit if one was to look at the situation (the killings) as a failure of sorts. As with any failure there is the opportunity of success if not excellence.

While any death is a tragedy, do we ever stop and really think about why it occured? Granted there are whack jobs and plain evil folk but why? What is it that makes them cross the line of thinking to doing?

I would venture a guess that many on this bored have thought at one time or another about killing someone. Maybe it wasn't to serious but the thought has crossed some minds. Well whats the spring? Something in these folks pushes them. I would really like to know that mechanism.

I'm sure the pseudo shrinks and the closet pastors have their own ideas...

Usually it's bad burritoes, IMO.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by RWebb

even the Black Plague was not a sufficient mortality event to cause much of a dent in human popn growth, so the deer herd analogy does not work on a popn ecology level

You don't think?

Statistics | The Black Death

The Black Death in Numbers

From 1347 to 1350 the Black Death struck Europe:

· In less than two years 30% to 60% of the population of Europe was wiped out.

· Nearly 75 million died in western Europe alone.

· 18000 people died in London in the course of three years.

· Almost 1/3 of the worlds population had died from the plague by 1350.

· Estimates go from 100 to 200 million deaths worldwide.

· The mortality rate of the bubonic plague was 30% to 75% percent.

· Within 1-7 days the first symptoms occurred, including fever, nausea, headache and an infection the lymph nodes.

Black Death - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The aftermath of the plague created a series of religious, social, and economic upheavals, which had profound effects on the course of European history. It took 150 years for Europe's population to recover.

30-60% and 150 years sounds like a pretty big dent to me.

[Bill Douglas]

I think it's the wrong people that get culled. Maybe if there was a shooting rampage at Walmart

[jyl]

But that's just in Europe. Even then, Europe was a smallish portion of human population.

Quote de RWebb

even the Black Plague was not a sufficient mortality event to cause much of a dent in human popn growth, so the deer herd analogy does not work on a popn ecology level

You don't think?



Statistics | The Black Death

Quote

The Black Death in Numbers



From 1347 to 1350 the Black Death struck Europe:



· In less than two years 30% to 60% of the population of Europe was wiped out.



· Nearly 75 million died in western Europe alone.



· 18000 people died in London in the course of three years.



· Almost 1/3 of the worlds population had died from the plague by 1350.



· Estimates go from 100 to 200 million deaths worldwide.



· The mortality rate of the bubonic plague was 30% to 75% percent.



· Within 1-7 days the first symptoms occurred, including fever, nausea, headache and an infection the lymph nodes.

Black Death - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote

The aftermath of the plague created a series of religious, social, and economic upheavals, which had profound effects on the course of European history. It took 150 years for Europe's population to recover.

30-60% and 150 years sounds like a pretty big dent to me.

[Noah930]

Those who benefit from these mass shootings:

News outlets.
Some lobbyists.
Undertakers.
Gun stores (temporarily).
People who make the flags to drape on the coffins.


But no, Baz, society as a whole doesn't really benefit. Sometimes we all just lose.

Deepest condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

[island911]

There are flies on the windscreen, for a start, reminding us, we could be torn apart, tonight.... (DM circa 1990.)

Death is part of life. "Hoping" this isn't so, or being offended by that aspect is useless.

During life, Statistically a small percentage of people turn nut-job at some point.
And, Statistically, a large percentage of people have the means to kill. (there is a relation w/in that for means and number)
Anyway, the growing sentiment of 'overpopulation' means that more people will intersect means and nut-jobness.

Life (population) sorts itself out w/o intellectualizing the 'proper' population number. IOW, don't worry about it, else you may be headed for nut-jobbiness.