Might as well . . .

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JUMP! This article killed me. If there was no chance of her hearing the song, then IMHO there's no legal reason he couldn't play the song. It was insensitive and I'd probably boycott the station after an incident like that, but it wasn't criminal.

Thoughts?

 

I see no mention of anyone in the article saying he did something illegal or criminal. People said what he did was "pathetic and nasty" and that he "showed a complete lack of compassion and sensitivity", and I can't say I disagree with either.

That said, bringing up the issue in the media is probably doing the woman a disservice even more so than playing the song was. There's little chance she would have otherwise found out about it, and if she has strong suicidal tendencies I can't see them improving after reading about this...

 

That's actually pretty funny. It would be a lot funnier if the DJ was actually playing the tune in response to the situation, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Believe it or not, Disc Jockeys aren't glued to the 24 hour news channels or their AP feeds. Most of a morning show is planned in advance.

 

I think it's pretty darn insensitive to make this into a thread. What if the woman is a frequent visitor to our boards. She comes here, hoping from an escape to the issues that are bothering her and -- WHAM! -- now she's confronted with the issues in the very place she was seeking comfort.

How could you, LKD?

 

Ziad, the article did say:

This implies they're seeking a legal/regulatory reaction, which I think is increadibly inappropriate, unless the UK media regulations include things about 'good taste' and 'sensitivity'.

 

Mmm I missed that bit somehow, thanks for pointing it out NOG. I'm not really sure what they can achieve by doing this. If the station stands by the DJ and defends him then there isn't really much the media regulator can do. About the only thing they could argue is that the song could have driven the woman to this extreme, but if the police have already stated that the woman could not have heard it and that it did not affect her decision to jump then the case will be throw out as frivolous before it gets anywhere (not to mention the woman wasn't seriously hurt anyway). Now defending the DJ might not be in the station's best interest, as that will probably anger quite a few listeners... or it will attract even more people (as cheesy as the saying sounds, it really is true that there is no such thing as bad publicity).

 

I agree with LKD and Ziad, I think it was pretty tasteless on the DJ's part. A person trying to commit suicide is not something that should be laughed at. I understand she didn't hear it, but there could always be a small chance that the music would have made it to her. You don't do anything that would make a situation like this worse!

On the other hand, I don't think any regulatory or legal actions could be taken at all. The station's manager should just have a sit down with the DJ's.

 

The guy who requested the song has a mean streak but the radio shouldn't be held responsible. If you start banning songs for no reasons then it's the beginning of the end.

That woman probably has issues but that's no excuse for making such a fuss. People have problems and life's hard enough as it is. I guess most people who kill themselves don't think about the ones who have to clean up behind them.

I've been stuck on trains for hours in the past because of people killing themselves and it may not be the politically correct thing to say but I can say that it sucks to lose two or three hours of your life because someone decided to commit suicide.

It seems to be even worse in the example LKD posted since there were negotiations. If that's not some desperate attempt at gaining some attention then I don't know what it is. Don't get me wrong, it's sad but negotiations? Come on?! You mean you haven't made up your mind before getting on that ledge? Never mind dear, we'll just hold the traffic until you've made up your mind. Take your time. Lovely weather by the way.

I wonder what would be the reaction of the public if they found out that bystanders or commuters were taking bets whether or not the woman would jump. Maybe the guy who requested the song had twenty quids on her jumping off the ledge...

Don't get me started on people who kill themselves by turning on the gas and eventually blow up half the building thus killing their neighbours (one reason I won't live in a building connected to town gas). It may sound like an urban legend but unfortunately that happens (I know someone who lost some relatives that way).

 

Seconded. Some people just have no sense of humour!

It's the United Kingdom of FAIL. What do you expect?

 

Exactly. While I should initially point out that I thought it was pretty funny - the DJ was likely just making a joke about it to give people a laugh who were stuck in traffic for hours - all I have to say is this:

If you are going to try and kill yourself by jumping off a bridge, then in addition to making sure you select a bridge high enough to do the trick (which this woman evidently did not), then you should be pretty damn committed to actually jumping when you get up there.

If this wasn't an actual suicide attempt, but rather a "cry for help", then at least be polite enough to do it on your own damn time, and not when people are trying to get to work. She'd find people would be much more open to helping when you aren't making them late for work.

 

From the linked article:

People in this state of mind generally aren't thinking about how their actions might cause minor inconveniences for others.

Anyway, it certainly was insensitive, but nit illegal IMO, particularly since the woman had no way of hearing the song (unless perhaps if people sitting in their car(s) opened their windows and turned up the volume).

 

Drew, he was playing the song in response to the situation -- he knew what was going on:

I know most radio shows are planned out in advance, but like all good plans, they have room for flexibility. I'm not sure what the regulatory laws are in England, but from a general standpoint, I don't think the guy should face any regulatory or legal sanctions -- if the listeners were ticked, they'll punish him by tuning in to a more sensitive station.

T2, you want to know how I could be so mean? Well, there's another song that is highly appropos to this situation. It's by my good friend Dennis Leary. Join with me everyone!

"I'm an <airhead>* . . ."

*preemptive edit -- I hate being asterisked out!

 

LKD - Are you saying you park in handi-cap spaces, to watch handi-capped people make handi-capped faces?

 

No, I don't do that, because if I get too many parking tickets, my wife will beat me until I'm handicapped!

If this woman was really in a mentally distressed state, I hope she gets the help she needs. I truly do -- I am a very compassionate man. But if, as Aldeth stated* was a possibility, she WAS in her right state of mind and was just trying to get attention, then she should be killed -- slowly -- for being so uncaring about her fellow citzens.

*Maybe he was being facetious. If so, it's just another reason I love the Aldeth sense of humor. But I believe it is a real possibility that the woman was a product of our incredibly self-indulgent society that teaches people to totally blow off the fact that their actions affect other people and should be controlled accordingly.

 

LMAO!!! Compassionate and Slowly Roasting someone in the same topic. You are too funny LKD.

 

I am compassionate to those who I feel deserve my compassion. To those who I feel do not deserve it -- ie: the evil, selfish, criminal, or downright stupid of this world -- I advocate the harshest of punishments.

 

LKD, just to clarify, people who seek attention in such ways as this are rarely in their right state of mind. They need therapy just like the actual suicide attempts (actually, real suicide attempts often just need medication).

 

...or perhaps just a really good reality check by someone giving them a good kicking.

 

It was a little facetious. I meant what I said that it appears it wasn't a real suicide attempt, seeing as how she not only did not die, but did not even sustain any life-threatening injuries. I will concede that I have never pondered just how high a bridge you'd need to jump from in order to kill yourself, and it is certainly possible that when you're on the bridge, pondering whether to jump or not, perhaps it looks like it's a lot further down than it really is.

Therefore, I cannot discount the possibility that it was a real suicide attempt, and that she simply didn't pick a bridge that was nearly high enough. Going with the assumption that this was a real suicide attempt, then clearly my comment about having some consideration of not inconveniencing others was facetious. If you really were attempting to end your life, then what would you care how much others were inconvenienced? Let's face it, when you make a decision to end your life, at that exact moment, it's all about you.