Chip

All well and good having a minutes silence, but isnt 3 minutes a little long.
What with remembrance day, the 9/11 stuff and now this. If we keep having these silences every time something in the world happens then surely it will to be demeaning to what the original silence was meant for.

Chip

Wish

iTrader: (2)

I wont even comment........

PG

recreational grieving at its best

class_A

I see no problem with it. It's probably the biggest natural disaster we will see in our lifetimes and quite a few people will have memories of visiting places like Phuket, not to mention those who have lost family or friends. The British public have given a significant amount of money to the aid appeal, so I think it will be well observed.

Don't judge it against other recent events for which a silence has been held (e.g. Ken Bigley). This isn't a specific person we're "grieving" for, more a moment to take stock of what life would be like if it were washed away before our eyes without warning.

Watchdog

Don't remeber all these dieing people in africa having a min silence.

...yet they continue to die and starve.

But then these are not places we would go on holiday or we can claim to know someone or have relatives etc

class_A

Very true, but unfortunately that is not a one-time event. (I'm not disputing the cause BTW)

PG

but thats the thing. It is like a constant competition. The bigger the disaster the longer the silence.
I agree that this is indeed a horrific thing to have happened and am considering asking my work if there is any chance of any of us going out to help however 3 mins silence.........starting to kick the **** out of it now !

Watchdog

Old bob geldof must wonder what he has to do next!

class_A

3 minutes is defintely too long.

Bob would probably need to drop a nuke on Ethiopia for the world to take any notice for any length of time

Nice to see we're thinking of "freezing" debt repayments for those countries affected by the tsunami

alwong

I think 3 minutes is fine! Think of all the people who have died due to a natural disaster. 9/11 magnified by 100 if the no. rises to the expected 200,000. Why bring up a thread over it being longer than usual?? Most people waste hours in a day. Showing respect doesnt hurt anyone. You just starting this thread probably wasted 3 minutes!!!!

pslewis

Stopping the world for a minute gives you time to reflect ..... I cannot think why it is 3 minutes though?

But, either way, its a good time to think!

Pete

Petem95

Agree it seems pointless, and I wont be stopping for 3 minutes. Time would be better spent ringing up the donations line and giving some money.

corradoboy

Around 55m people lost their lives in WWII. Only ever been a minute for that in my lifetime. I will show my respect for 1 minute, and have already donated.

SimonH

I agree; it's almost like the government has to jump on the "bandwagon" of popular opinion and try and make these things their "own". Public shock and horror and the desire to help has been amply demonstrated by the unprecedented levels of donations we've seen - levels that put the government's own offerings to shame. Ordinary people are doing so much already to help, in any way they can. This is just a case of some blairite spin-doctor/oxygen thief trying to be seen to be "in touch" with the "mood of the people" and going for the grand gesture of a 3 minute silence. Absolute cobblers.

Armistice day sees a one minute silence for the hundreds of thousands nay millions, of UK and Commonwealth men and women who laid down their lives in war at the behest of their country/government. Three minutes for a natural disaster, no matter how horrific, is just an empty gesture.

So will I be observing the 3 minute silence? No. I'll be doing my bit but my bit won't be "bigging up" the government by joining in.

Rant off.

Leslie

Nothing wrong with showing respect to the dead and those who are suffering so badly. I do think however that 3 minutes is over the top and that 1 minute would be adequate. Dragging it out like that simply makes people lose sight of what they are dioing it for when the concentration slips away.

Les

Alas

Quite horrified watching the Scottish news tonight when they announced that Scotland has given more per head of population than the rest of the UK. Talk about a totally facetious. self congratulatory piece of sh&t news reporting(BTW I'm scottish). It was as if they were saying "Are'nt we great". Then they go out in the street to get the usual idiot quotes from the members of the public. Carefully picked of course.
Makes me sick.
Oh and agree the 3 minutes is a bit much. The length of time surely does not equate to the number of dead or type of disaster. One minute is a recognised time for a mark of respect. As said before what about WW1 and WW2.
Alas

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Might as well go whole hog and do 30mins

Seriously, if we didn't have a silence for every time sombody died that hit the headlines then the importance of the 1 minute would be enough. The meaning and importance of the national silence has been diluted and is becoming worthless.

Once I missed the memorial day silence whilst I was romping over field (in a military land rover- ironically-ish ). I felt bad and guilty that I missed it. I missed Ken Bigley's Silence, and felt nothing bad about it.

Too many deaths have been "celebrated" through Public Relation gurus trying to please the media.

Freak

how about kill everyone, then it will be quiet all the f*cking time
Or a minutes silence for all the turkey slaughtered for xmas
ridiculous

gsm1

I agree no problem in showing some respect but I think this 3 minute thing is more like political PR for the Brit govt, especially so after Iraq etc.

I'd rather people just did a bit towards a fairer world for everyone than x minutes silence.

scooby-si

3 minute silence,they can have 7 hours off me today,ill be in bed till 1pm

scooby-si

forgot to say 3 minutes is way to long,1 minutes ok,

we have lost 2 people that worked for us when me and the missus where living in sri lanka and the hotel we use to stay in in yala has gone and all died or missing,so in total we have lost 6 friends in this,and i still say 3 minutes is to long