# What (Public) Events Sadden You Althought They Didn't Directly Affect You? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 16, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914 "2010-07-16T14:07:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/1 "2010-07-16T14:07:49Z")
And no need to state why. (Hopefully politics won’t be dragged in). For me: 1. September 11 2. Munich Olympics Massacre 3. Kent State University. In no particular order. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/2 "2010-07-16T14:38:45Z")
Princess Diana’s death. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/3 "2010-07-16T14:50:48Z")
The Tiananmen Square protests. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/4 "2010-07-16T14:53:47Z")
The Dunblane primary school shooting was a tough one for me. I just remember hearing it about it over the radio and my heart sinking. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/5 "2010-07-16T15:17:10Z")
I heard on the radio today a detailed account of how the Chinese government is flooding Tibet with Han Chinese people, slowly but effectively carrying out their genocide. It made me sad. Another indigenous culture disappearing under the heel of industrial society. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/6 "2010-07-16T16:25:46Z")
Columbine and Phil Hartman’s murder spring to mind. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/7 "2010-07-16T16:32:54Z")
In no particular order: Phil Hartman’s murder The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster (more than Challenger, I was too young to be as affected then.) This current gulf oil spill Hurrican Katrina 9/11 ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/8 "2010-07-16T16:37:14Z")
I’m confused - your thread title has ‘Sadden’ in the present tense. What public events continue to sadden me even though they happened a while ago? Or just what saddened me at the time? ---
**Author:** ![History\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b19c9b/32.png) [@History\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Geek)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/9 "2010-07-16T16:56:58Z")
Both space shuttle disasters, definitely. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/10 "2010-07-16T17:12:48Z")
Pretty much everything. The news regularly makes me cry. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/11 "2010-07-16T17:50:31Z")
Outside of 9-11 I can’t really think of anything. I recall the vivid images of people falling out of the towers and one really odd image of people drinking coffee and smiling for the news helicopters as they flew by and took film of them. I guess they thought they’d get out. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/12 "2010-07-16T17:53:45Z")
The Columbine massacres. The assassination of Salvador Allende, President of Chile, by the fascist regime of Augusto Pinochet, an event which also occurred on September 11th – in 1973. The event would be catastrophic for Chile. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/13 "2010-07-16T18:01:53Z")
9/11. It’s the only major loss of life (tens just aren’t enough) that was directly insulting to me. Everything else was either mundane in scope or didn’t really say anything about me. Thus, no emotion. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/14 "2010-07-16T18:16:12Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > This current gulf oil spill I think that more than anything. 9/11 really had me spooked for about 6 months, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/15 "2010-07-16T19:04:09Z")
Columbine. Virginia Tech. 9/11. Challenger. There are probably more, but those jump to my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/16 "2010-07-16T19:10:37Z")
Humans. On the other hand they bring me great joy as well. It’s all about the occasion. ---
**Author:** ![Panurge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/fbc32d/32.png) [@Panurge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panurge)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/17 "2010-07-16T19:22:39Z")
Hmm. Just realized that humans aren’t events. I’ll rephrase: most stuff that humans do to each other. Does that count as “events”? ---
**Author:** ![Simmerdown](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simmerdown/32/14859_2.png) [@Simmerdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simmerdown)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/18 "2010-07-16T19:28:21Z")
Any tragedies or wrongdoings involving children. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/19 "2010-07-16T19:42:51Z")
(1) The killing of John Lennon (2) 9/11 (3) The death of Princess Diana (4) The elimination of the Vancouver Canucks from Stanley Cup contention (this is one I’m doomed to repeat every year). All of course in no particular order. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914/20 "2010-07-16T21:05:40Z")
I lost two friends on 9/11, so I can’t say it didn’t “directly” affect me. Definitely Katrina. Even now, when I think of the magnitude of the loss, it’s horrendous. And the two Shuttle disasters. And the airplane crash that happened at the Madrid airport in August, 2008. I was actually in that airport when it happened. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-public-events-sadden-you-althought-they-didnt-directly-affect-you/546914.md?page=2)