What is Digg?227 Comments
- coolmos, on 10/12/2007, -40/+129Before you condemn him as a nut, read up on him:
His mission statement:
http://www.savagesound.com/gallery99.htm
His obituary (by himself):
http://www.savagesound.com/gallery100.htm
Lots of reactions:
http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/post-no-bills/2006/11/07/malachi-ritschers-apparent-suicide/
Are you not moved by his words? Can't you see his pain for the indifference this world has for pain of others? For the cruel acts performed in the name of justice and righteousness?
If you only judge him by his insanity you are blind to what he was saying here.
http://www.iheardyoumalachi.org - canadianguy33, on 10/12/2007, -26/+76So what if he was crazy. That is one damn interesting piece of reading.
- beatstreeter, on 10/12/2007, -12/+61Yeah it's not crazy that we go about our lives everyday as if nothing's the matter while our weapons of war unleash terror on the citizens of Iraq. It's not crazy that we drive past a burning man on the side of the road because Starbucks is calling our name. It's not crazy that we feel no empathy for a people who never messed with the US, yet who had the unfortunate curse to be born over vast reserves of oil.
That's not crazy. Some dude burning himself....off the f-in wall nuts. Couldn't be that he had human emotions. Couldn't be that he empathized with the innocent Iraqis. Couldn't be that he felt more things than the average American allows his or herself to feel. - vertinox, on 10/12/2007, -11/+50http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-immolation
In Asia is it actually considered quite honorable. Hence the often touted image of the Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire. It is also a common suicide method in Japan.
And look at those list of people... Many of those were not insane, but felt so strongly in their cause they protested things like Communism and various other repressions. - dankoleary, on 10/12/2007, -17/+54Well, once this goes viral in about 11 minutes, a TON of people will get exposed to this, so yeah, he is about to get some main stream press.
- beatstreeter, on 10/12/2007, -21/+57Just insane. Sure. Just a nut. No need to pay attention. Catch 22 for anybody who feels strongly enough to protest our involvement in Iraq: don't commit suicide and you don't do something that might grab national awareness and shock people out of their apathy; do commit suicide and you're labeled a crazy nut bag.
- venicerocco, on 10/12/2007, -24/+51He obviously had a heart, unlike you.
- trghpy, on 10/12/2007, -16/+42Wow
Wasn't it like 30 some odd years back when buddhist monks did the same thing getting full media attention with out the Internet? - beatstreeter, on 10/12/2007, -16/+41The easy way out is suicide? Not for me buddy.
The easiest thing to do is be apathetic and as greedy as you possibly can be. Wreck as many lives as you can in pursuit of your own selfish aims.
If the people of Iraq get the message that some of us Americans do not agree with the actions of our president and those who facilitated this war, they may find a little forgiveness for us. This guy has done a great service for our country.
Jesus died for the sins of the world. This man died for the sins of our country. You want a religious insight? You just got one.
And frankly I don't care what the right wing political religious zealots think. They also root for a minister who had a male prostitute and a meth addiction. This world is pretty messed up. It's amazing that he's the first out of 300 million to make such an incredible statement for a cause he believes in.
And (as far as suicide goes) a bullet through the head is the easiest way out. You can rest assured that this man suffered terribly for the last two or three minutes of his life. - jaydj, on 10/12/2007, -26/+49Selfless or selfish?
The guy is trying to turn the easy way out of his depression into martyrdom.
I agree with his message. I disagree with his device.
If you read the article, the reason no one was listening is that no one even knew who he was for five days. Even the paper had to piece together the story. - stan205, on 10/12/2007, -11/+31Finally this story is getting some digg news. It's sad knowing in my lifetime the media has become just another corporation to feed the puppets on wall street. I long for the day, if it ever returns to the roots of actually reporting news.
- ersnyder, on 10/12/2007, -45/+65It's funny to see everyone who agrees this guy was a nut job get dugg down. I'd like to see all the people who want to pat this guy on that back to go out and do the same.
But they won't, they'll join the rest of us in our pursuit of "corporate holiday's," "Starbucks" and living our lives. You are all bark and no bite. I'll pay attention to nut jobs like this when the rest of you are doing it together, cleansing the gene pool.
In a way, I'm commiting digg comment suicide, I'm ready for the bury. Bring it on. - JimV, on 10/12/2007, -15/+32@coolmos
Two things:
1. An idiot with noble intentions is still an idiot.
2. In America, no one cares if you're a loon and set yourself on fire. - Chongo, on 10/12/2007, -5/+18Regardless of being a nut or not, It's pretty interesting how the media wrote this one up. As someone who was actually stuck in the traffic this caused, I only read that it was some guy who lit himself on fire.
- Urusai, on 10/12/2007, -5/+16He got it all wrong. You have to burn people who disagree with you, not yourself.
- beatstreeter, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15well datter, you bought the media talking points hook line and sinker
- oxyrubber, on 10/12/2007, -9/+21The Quaker who committed self-immolation (leading to his death) outside McNamara's office at the Pentagon:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Morrison
(ZenMojo was very close)
This is exactly what I thought about when I read the headline. I knew about the Buddhist Monks, but I didn't know why they had done this.
For those of you who think this is supposed to start some sort of epidemic, YOU ARE WRONG. This man wanted to rise above the political "discussions" and make a statement. It only takes one person to show the depth of feeling involved in this issue and I would say Malachi Ritscher is him.
People don't usually take their own lives without being very depressed (in western societies). In societies that value honor very highly, a deep feeling of shame and a desire to shed oneself of the shame could be enough to commit suicide.
In a world where politicians shift the blame and accountability among even elected officials is slipping away, this man decided to use his life to make a statement. Most of us will never actually see "15 minutes of fame" and fewer of us will actually make more than a marginal positive difference in the world. He might not have been the first person to self-immolate in protest of a war, but he seems to be one of the only people who have taken an active interest in seeing our part of the War in Iraq stopped.
Too bad I haven't heard about him until now. I'm sure his timing (just before the election) had something to do with his motives. It's a shame the press didn't cover his death (for whatever reasons). - DisposableRob, on 10/12/2007, -10/+20"Are you not moved by his words?"
Not really. It reads like a self-important MySpace entry. - GeneralFailure0, on 10/12/2007, -6/+15That's really not funny. How can you suggest you'd rather someone be dead than vote for a party you don't support? Talk about a polarized nation...
- marklj, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Good point. All this accomplished for him was a 60 second *blip* on a few thousand peoples computer monitors, and he will be forgotten soon enough.
What if Gandhi burned himself alive? - appetite, on 10/12/2007, -11/+19Whether he was crazy or not, it wasn't a good idea. Set yourself on fire when it's an absolute last resort to show how crazy the situation has become and your powerlessness to make any impact.
But until then, do some actual work to affect change in small steps. I don't agree with John Mayer's "Waiting for the world to change" strategy, but burning yourself alive is also a tragic display of missing the point. - Adamande, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11This is gonna get me dug down to hell, but the double standards coming from some people here are incredible.
American occupants who kill civilians in the middle-east while trying their best to keep their own asses alive are heroes and everybody loves and respects them.
But an american who actually musters up the balls to finish it all because he thinks he's living in a country doing ***** things (and the world agrees with him), while trying to make a statement through his death, is ridiculed.
The soldiers in Iraq are dying for a lying governments' corrupted politics. This man died for you. The biggest yellers at this page will never have half the guts this man had. Guess that's why you're all hiding behind your little keyboards, spewing your pathological teenage crap.
Some of the comments here are right out detestable, and I seriously wonder how old you people are. - dicerandom, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9I was wondering how long it would take before self immolation would resurface as a form of protest against US imperialism. The last instance I'm aware of was during the Vietnam War era.
- elShaggy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+9A Czech student, Jan Palach, immolated himself in Prague as an act of protest against the Soviet military invasion. He now has a monument built in his honor. Just as Thich Quang Duc's self-immolation generated one of the most powerful and important photographs taken. To say this act means nothing is ignorant.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9"The easiest thing to do is be apathetic and as greedy as you possibly can be. Wreck as many lives as you can in pursuit of your own selfish aims."
I agree with his message. But this method is not the way to go. He basically did what you said. He's greedy in the sense that he just wanted it to end. He didn't want to put long term work into it. He wanted the easy way out. I'm an almost absolutely sure he did it because of depression, but he wanted to give it meaning. He wrecked the lives of those who loved him as suicide will mostly do.
It was selfish for him to make himself a martyr. Others make you a martyr, not you yourself. I do hope though that his message is heard so that some good my come of it. - aviazn, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8@xenofiend
And the same to you, sir--thank you. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Signs also do pretty well.. Lighting yourself on fire isn't too safe.. nor is jumping off of a building..
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10It changed his life, that's what it caused.
- beatstreeter, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I have seen some of the most outrageous arguments in my life in reaction to this guys statement. One dude said, "If you support this guy than you must be a hypocrite for not [burning yourself] too." Well that's about as logical as a three-legged hooker. You're damn right it makes no sense.
Other people say its a waste of life. Well...it provoked a small city's worth of thought and opinion here. Others invoke Jesus as if they know what Jesus thought. Jesus knew he was going to die. Isn't that suicide? It's like standing in the tracks when you know a train is going to come. And he died for our sins. You read it here. In one sense, one COULD say, Jesus actually committed suicide to appease a God angry with our transgressions. In the same way this guy is trying to appease Iraqis pissed at our transgressions.
Then the small minded branch of the republican party showed up and started tossing around the kindergarten bitch-slaps: libtard, etc.
Then profrogs came in and told us that jesus never really died because he's just god. Just goes to show that right wing nuts can spin the bible to tell different stories different days. Some days jesus died for our sins, other days he didn't die at all. - Koopy, on 10/12/2007, -5/+11I think you are all missing the point. He killed himself to protest something. All that does is cause harm to his entire family and friends. Doing this will not cause any end or change to anything.
- aristotle1990, on 10/12/2007, -7/+12We're not committing mass murder; we've stopped a man who actually *did* commit mass murder and genocide. Our intentions were honorable. Granted, we've ***** up quite a bit, but to kill yourself in protest of what you see as U.S. led mass murder is delusional. The guy was apparently depressed anyhow; it's not as though Iraq was his sole reason for burning himself up. He probably saw his own (inevitable?) suicide as an opportunity to make a political statement.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10What can you say? The guy had a burning desire to make a change.......
(thumb down in 3....2....1..... - marklj, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10The media ignored it because suicides aren't news. If this guy really wanted to make a difference then he would have used his LIVING resources to do something.
Now he's dead, and its my guess that he regrets what he did. - aviazn, on 10/12/2007, -5/+10@xenofiend
Sure, I'll explain why I disagree with his statement.
"Here is the statement I want to make: if I am required to pay for your barbaric war, I choose not to live in your world. I refuse to finance the mass murder of innocent civilians, who did nothing to threaten our country," he wrote in his suicide note."
When I first read this I expected that bit to go "I choose not to live in your country." That would've made sense--if you don't like what your nation stands for, moving to another one is logical and rational. But "not to live in your world?" Come on. If this guy was just worried about his taxes he could've moved to any one of the over 100 nations that did not support major combat operations in Iraq.
"... If one death can atone for anything, in any small way, to say to the world: I apologize for what we have done to you, I am ashamed for the mayhem and turmoil caused by my country."
So all he can offer for this "mayhem and turmoil" are apologies? He's a perfectly healthy citizen, perfectly able to make a real difference in the world today--to give speeches, to debate his neighbors, to write letters to newspapers, even to run for office himself to put things right!--and all he can offer the people of Iraq who are dying because of our mistakes are goddamn *apologies*? Give me a freakin' break. - l33tspam, on 10/12/2007, -14/+19What you see on TV and in newspapers arent news, places like digg (for the most part) are where you can find actual news...its sad that its come to this...
he was a real patriot, god speed. - WallyAnti, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7I don't admire his method, but unlike many who take on political issues you cannot doubt his sincerity. As far as suicides go we definitely DO go around reporting them so long as there is enough people who want to know about it. Just look at Kurt Cobain.
I also don't agree with your point that it gives more reason for others to go around doing it. Even if so its their body to do with as they please even if it is illegal. - aviazn, on 10/12/2007, -3/+8@xenofiend:
"This man's final statement has inspired thousands of people to do all the things you mentioned."
You asked me to explain how I could disagree with his statement, which as provided by you consisted of him whining about how he was being forced to pay taxes to fund the war. Sure, his actions may inspire people, and I'm not taking anything away from that. But read what you posted: his written statement is not an attempt to inspire anyone--it's an attempt to exonerate his own self-guilt through suicide.
"What are you doing about the situation? Still commuting to work? How many miles? How many gallons? How much do you pay in taxes each year? If you balance out what you contribute to the problem with what you are doing to remedy the situation do you come up with a positive result? Is it better to burn out or to fade away?"
I'm a university student and I ride the bus or walk to school (I work in the student union). I vote, go to political debates on campus, read blogs, and write letters to my university paper. I drive my car a couple miles down the highway to get groceries, and it gets about 25 mpg. I don't know about taxes--I file with my parents. I have no idea whether or not I come out positive or negative--all I know is that I try my best to balance my personal goals of becoming an astrophysicist with my obligations to society. It's best to be a fire--your flames burn brightly, but your embers stay warm long after and fade away slowly. - Salladin, on 10/12/2007, -9/+14good man.
- ZenMojo, on 10/12/2007, -21/+26So since we think he's courageous for committing suicide for a cause of peace, we must be hypocrites for not doing it ourselves? I'm sure that was supposed to be clever, but the point is that he is willing to do something we can't or won't do.
A quaker committed a similar act outside the gates of the White House to protest the Vietnam War. - xenofiend, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7@aviazn
I find no fault with your assertions. I suspected you were something you are not. You deserve to be heard, Thank you for a proper debate.
I digg you sir. - sinfree, on 10/12/2007, -26/+31I am shocked at the mass show of support for this idea. You do realize if everyone of us who are opposed to the war in Iraq set ourselves on fire, then we are essentially killing off the resistance to the war ourselves. I will say it is honorable to see a man willing to stand up for what he believes, but I just wanted to point out that all of us killing ourselves isn't going to solve the problem.
- xenofiend, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5You are witnessing complete desensitization.
everybody knows what it is, but lets read it again together:
Desensitization is a method to reduce or eliminate an organism's negative reaction to a substance or stimulus. - jotux, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7"At 6:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 - four days before an election caused a seismic shift in Washington politics"
Maybe he should have waited a few days. - wevegotthejazz, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Pitchfork actually did pretty in-depth article on this a couple weeks back
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/39663/Malachi_Ritscher_19542006 - elShaggy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4some people just have that mind set. Rep. - Dem., Good - Evil, Win - Lose. when its really lose - lose, amirite?
- KickyG, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5moving words. maybe he didn't pick the best way to convey his message, but he felt strongly enough to do that, so thats the choice he made. and i can respect that.
- tuxidomasx, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7at least he didnt hurt anybody else
i dont care if people are suicidal or not. just as long as they dont try to take other people out with them.
if u wanna kill yourself, be my guest. just do it in a safe, responsible way. - tw0k1ngs, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7@PragmaticSense:
Yea, with that kind of atitude NO *****. - oxyrubber, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4@cymrubeats
Your story was interesting, but the next day the Glaskow Daily published this story about him:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=dog-ate-face-of-dead-robbie-&method=full&objectid=18175558&siteid=66633-name_page.html
On the 28th, they reported his age was 19, on the 29th they reported his age was 17 (which agrees with the BBC article on the 28th).
It is interesting that you picked these two articles because the longer one (which is more "detailed") actually has less accurate information and more speculation.
/tangent - elShaggy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+7i dont think he has the ability to feel regret.
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