BBC Inside the Human Body: Filming Death

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   lizzieBooposted 6 years ago

   some people have been complaining that the live death shown on the BBC was step too far. I was affected by it, but was also in two minds about how ethical it was to show it. The old man was 84, fully prepared and not afraid to face his inevitable last breaths, and was thankful for his life. The film started with a live birth and ended with a natural death. Why is one so much more private than the other?

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      Baileybearposted 6 years ago in reply to this

      Presumably he agreed to the filming & so did his family.  I haven't seen a human die, but have seen animals die (usually peacefully from euthanasia).  Keeping death locked away is a western cultural thing I suspect.  All it does is fuel fears and misconceptions.

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         Baileybearposted 6 years ago in reply to this

         I just watched it.  He slipped away peacefully.  Many people in particular professions witness death all the time (eg nurses,carers for the elderly).   It was generous for him & his family to allow it to be filmed to help deconstruct the fear that is propagated by keeping it all in the dark
         
         http://palliumindia.org/2011/05/last-ni … of-a-life/

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            lizzieBooposted 6 years ago in reply to this

            I agree. I also thought it was a positive view of death for a change.

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   CMHypnoposted 6 years ago

   At the end of the day, if you don't want to watch it, you don't have to see the programme. It's a choice for each individual

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   cindi hposted 6 years ago

   I think the difference between a birth and a death is the emotion tied to it. A birth is a joyous happy occasion whereas a death is sad and depressing. I couldn't help thinking of my own mortality while watching that video. It was very sad yet comforting. We should all be so fortunate as to die to in such a way to have family and friends gathered around in the comfort of our own homes.

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   Cagsilposted 6 years ago

   Watching someone die should actually be no big deal, simply because death is a part of life. If should only matter when it is at your hands that the person is dying.
   
   I can see(watch) and have seen people die. I've accepted long ago that death is just a part of life and doesn't actually matter, providing you understand your own life to begin with.

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      cindi hposted 6 years ago in reply to this

      very wise Cagsil:)

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   kimberlyslyricsposted 6 years ago

   :

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   Polly Cposted 6 years ago

   I didn't know this programme was on, but I wouldn't have watched it anyway- not because I don't like talking about death, but because I don't want to watch something that final and depressing in the evening.
   
   The subject of death can raise certain feelings in people, such as thinking about one's mortality. I have not seen anyone actually die, but have seen the body of my grandmother after she passed, and that was quite hard even at the age of 34. Obviously, I attached more emotion to my grandmother, somebody I loved, than to a man I'd never met on TV. I don't mind that it was shown, though, as each adult has the individual choice to decide whether to watch or not. Death is a part of life of course, and something that we all face eventually.
   
   I don't know what time this programme was on, but I googled it and it said 9pm. Personally, I would have preferred it to be shown later than that, 11pm perhaps, to avoid it being watched by children and young people who might find it disturbing.

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