A frustrated housewife stabs a 7 year old.
June 21, 2001 7:46 PM Subscribe
A frustrated housewife stabs a 7 year old. After her arrest, the assailant blamed it on her bad mood.
Without meaning to hurt anyone's feelings, do we really need yet another front-page post like this? I hereby humbly petition y'all to stop posting what are essentially local news stories unless there's something genuinely compelling about them (and yes, I realize that people disagree about what is "compelling").
posted by rodii at 8:58 PM on June 21, 2001
posted by rodii at 8:58 PM on June 21, 2001
I'm also curious what "in a bad mood" was translated from. I know that Japan is, in some respects, culturally several decades removed from Western psychological concepts. Would "depressed" have been more accurate?
posted by dhartung at 9:10 PM on June 21, 2001
posted by dhartung at 9:10 PM on June 21, 2001
Though I believe anyone should feel free to post anything they want in MeFi, there's also such a thing as restraint. I agree strongly with Rodii on this one. The search function that Matt coded into this place each time someone tries to put up a new link only does part of the job. the MeFi participant should do a bit of legwork too.
Look at other similar posts which have cropped up in the past few days. If there's links that are similar to what you have to share, post it inside that linkpost. This way, weeks or months from now there'll be a better overall picture of that general subject matter. For example, there've been many similar linkposts about assaults on other people. Ideally if they were all under one umbrella it would make for more meaningful discussion, and would be more interesting to look back on in the future.
And no I ain't saying this MUST be done or that Matt should insist it be done, and if these words gurgle some rebellious streak in you, just kindly ignore my opinion and continue doing whatever you want. I'm just strongly encouraging people to consider it the next time they linkpost to MeFi. It's topically more economical, it shows consideration to fellow MeFi participants, and it's just good common sense.
Besides, I'm getting tired of seeing links about people killing people. It's boring. If I wanted that, I'd watch the evening news on television.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:50 PM on June 21, 2001
Look at other similar posts which have cropped up in the past few days. If there's links that are similar to what you have to share, post it inside that linkpost. This way, weeks or months from now there'll be a better overall picture of that general subject matter. For example, there've been many similar linkposts about assaults on other people. Ideally if they were all under one umbrella it would make for more meaningful discussion, and would be more interesting to look back on in the future.
And no I ain't saying this MUST be done or that Matt should insist it be done, and if these words gurgle some rebellious streak in you, just kindly ignore my opinion and continue doing whatever you want. I'm just strongly encouraging people to consider it the next time they linkpost to MeFi. It's topically more economical, it shows consideration to fellow MeFi participants, and it's just good common sense.
Besides, I'm getting tired of seeing links about people killing people. It's boring. If I wanted that, I'd watch the evening news on television.
posted by ZachsMind at 9:50 PM on June 21, 2001
rodii, while I might ordinarily agree with you, the fact that Japan has seen a rash of children being stabbed is at the very least bizarre enough to merit discussion, just as the US's spate of school shootings was an aberration worthy of discussion. I mean, this is the third such story since June 9th or so, isn't it? That means that within one month, three separate individuals picked up knives and went after young children.
This is getting to the point where it almost isn't news at all when someone decides to kill a japanese child...which, paradoxically, makes it worthy of discussion again. Come to think of it, linked to the recent cases of women killing their own children in the states...and things are even less coherent than they were.
It's as if someone's put out a worldwide hit on children.
posted by Ezrael at 9:52 PM on June 21, 2001
This is getting to the point where it almost isn't news at all when someone decides to kill a japanese child...which, paradoxically, makes it worthy of discussion again. Come to think of it, linked to the recent cases of women killing their own children in the states...and things are even less coherent than they were.
It's as if someone's put out a worldwide hit on children.
posted by Ezrael at 9:52 PM on June 21, 2001
Thank you, Ezrael. You summed up what I wanted to say beautifully.
I should've written my comments on the strange rash of young children being stabbed with the link however, I was at a loss for words.
posted by modularette at 10:35 PM on June 21, 2001
I should've written my comments on the strange rash of young children being stabbed with the link however, I was at a loss for words.
posted by modularette at 10:35 PM on June 21, 2001
When I was a kid I remember having a friend who kept a hamsters as pets. The strange behavior with the hamsters was when the mother gave birth, the adults would often eat their own offspring. Even if they were being fed regularly. They were not being mistreated or whatever. Of course my friend was crushed to discover this. Maybe it was some kind of an instinctive survival reflex. The cage was small and the habitrail didn't help much. Maybe the parents sensed the restrictive world they lived in and didn't want to share it with a litter of potential full-grown duplicates of themselves? I think our world is getting so crowded that be it domestic disturbances or international war, unless something's done to change things (like population control or space exploration), this kinda stuff's just gonna continue. And I for one am still tired of hearing about it. I'd like to hear ways of fixing the problem, instead.
posted by ZachsMind at 2:03 AM on June 22, 2001
posted by ZachsMind at 2:03 AM on June 22, 2001
The way this Web page is laid out, my first thought was that a Japanese woman had slashed Haley Joel Osment.
posted by bilco at 3:45 AM on June 22, 2001
posted by bilco at 3:45 AM on June 22, 2001
Total tangent, but - Wow! Japan Today! Thus far, I've had yet to meet anybody else who read JT.
Unfortunate story, though... I was vaguely surprised to see the familiar JT banner pop up on the page. I was expecting some US newspaper.
posted by atfrost at 7:43 AM on June 22, 2001
Unfortunate story, though... I was vaguely surprised to see the familiar JT banner pop up on the page. I was expecting some US newspaper.
posted by atfrost at 7:43 AM on June 22, 2001
I mean, this is the third such story since June 9th or so, isn't it?
Then why not post this link within the thread for one of those other stories?
This is getting to the point where it almost isn't news at all when someone decides to kill a japanese child...
No offense intended, but it isn't news. Without trying to sound insensitive, the girl wasn't even seriously injured. She walked home afterward. It bothers me that the actions of some lunatic in japan can draw the attention of so many people around the world. Don't we have anything more important to talk about?
It's as if someone's put out a worldwide hit on children.
Before the internet, how much local news did we receive from other countries? Approximately none. As the internet has grown, we hear about such things more often. The "worldwide hit" is all in your mind.
<devil's advocate>
Suppose these things actually are happening at an increased rate. Has it occurred to anyone that the fact that one's actions can now be heard around the world in an instant might have something to do with that increase?
1. Kid is unhappy. Wants more attention from parents and peers.
2. Kid sees school shooting on the news, minutes after it happens.
3. Kid shoots up his own school.
</devil's advocate>
posted by jpoulos at 7:52 AM on June 22, 2001
Then why not post this link within the thread for one of those other stories?
This is getting to the point where it almost isn't news at all when someone decides to kill a japanese child...
No offense intended, but it isn't news. Without trying to sound insensitive, the girl wasn't even seriously injured. She walked home afterward. It bothers me that the actions of some lunatic in japan can draw the attention of so many people around the world. Don't we have anything more important to talk about?
It's as if someone's put out a worldwide hit on children.
Before the internet, how much local news did we receive from other countries? Approximately none. As the internet has grown, we hear about such things more often. The "worldwide hit" is all in your mind.
<devil's advocate>
Suppose these things actually are happening at an increased rate. Has it occurred to anyone that the fact that one's actions can now be heard around the world in an instant might have something to do with that increase?
1. Kid is unhappy. Wants more attention from parents and peers.
2. Kid sees school shooting on the news, minutes after it happens.
3. Kid shoots up his own school.
</devil's advocate>
posted by jpoulos at 7:52 AM on June 22, 2001
All I can say is that thanks to the photo that loads with the story, I thought the woman had stabbed Haley Joel Osment.
posted by Skot at 8:21 AM on June 22, 2001
posted by Skot at 8:21 AM on June 22, 2001
(meta:)
rodii, while I might ordinarily agree with you, the fact that Japan has seen a rash of children being stabbed is at the very least bizarre enough to merit discussion
OK, I understand--it's a judgment call. I'm just trying to raise the issue a little bit so that people will think more about what they post. No disrespect meant to modularette.
posted by rodii at 9:35 AM on June 22, 2001
rodii, while I might ordinarily agree with you, the fact that Japan has seen a rash of children being stabbed is at the very least bizarre enough to merit discussion
OK, I understand--it's a judgment call. I'm just trying to raise the issue a little bit so that people will think more about what they post. No disrespect meant to modularette.
posted by rodii at 9:35 AM on June 22, 2001
No disrespect meant to modularette.
Absolutely! I'm overcome with guilt when I check someone's profile to find that I've just criticized someone's first- or second-ever MeFi link. I don't want to discourage any new voices. Carry on. :-)
posted by jpoulos at 10:11 AM on June 22, 2001
Absolutely! I'm overcome with guilt when I check someone's profile to find that I've just criticized someone's first- or second-ever MeFi link. I don't want to discourage any new voices. Carry on. :-)
posted by jpoulos at 10:11 AM on June 22, 2001
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posted by netsirk at 8:03 PM on June 21, 2001