68,109 dead... 19,851 missing - Bad karma?

[Touring Mars]

Actress Sharon Stone has been heavily criticised for suggesting that the recent giant Earthquake in China, which has so far known to have claimed the lives of 68,109 people, with a further 19,851 still missing, and has left millions more homeless, was a result of "bad karma". She said "I thought, 'Is that karma?' When you are not nice, bad things happen to you." She also admitted to shedding a tear at the news that Tibetans, despite their struggle against the Chinese government, were eager to help the victims of the quake, which made her cry. Article...

Personally I think her comments are downright ignorant, staggeringly insensitive and a bunch of pseudo-politico stupidity, and I hope she is thoroughly embarrassed. This is on a par with Pat Robertson's comments about Hurricane Katrina, except with the added bonus of horribly misplaced sentimentality coupled with an astonishing lack of empathy toward the victims of this immense natural disaster.

One comment on the Times website seems to back up the way some people think that natural disasters work:

History teaces (sic) us that she is probably right . Do leave the hysterionics (sic) out of it. Of course we are all deeply saddened by the earthquake and its outcome. To make an observation is not about wishing bad things on anyone. Stone simply observed the outcome of the very strict law of cause and effect

Erm, what?

 

[DQuaN]

Must be friends with Glen Hoddle.

 

[Stevisiov]

To suggest they brought the earthquake upon themselves is quite unbelievable, I am dissapointed that some people appear to defend her comments.

 

[FoolKiller]

I think the only cause and effect here is that China has a largely poor population, and thus they live in cheap housing in rural areas, which means that a large earthquake will destroy their homes and make them hard to reach.

At worst you could say that the Chinese economic conditions lead to the result of the earthquake being so bad, but nothing man-made caused the earthquake itself.

 

[TheCracker]

I thought it was a reference to the urban myth that if all the people in China jumped at the same time the force of the landings would cause an earthquake?

 

[Pupik]

Celebrities should just say they're saddened, and shut their lips, unless they have majored in the specific type of natural disaster.

That's my PR tip of the day.

 

[Sureboss]

No, because Karma doesn't exist. It happened because China gets a lot of earthquakes, this one happened to be very big. China doesn't have the protection that, say, America has against earthquakes. Buildings are built to survive earthquakes of a certain level in America, not in China. The sheer fact it happened within a few weeks of the Tibetan scandal is pure coincidence, though given China's record, the earthquake could have happened over the last several thousand years and you could call it 'karma', if you believe in that kind of tripe.

 

[the Interceptor]

To be honest, I don't see how anyone would believe the concept of Karma more or less than the concept of being traded well or bad by God. Therefore, I can not blame Ms. Stone for thinking that way, in the same way I can not blame any religious person for acting in a specific way to please God.

 

[YSSMAN]

She would have been more in the right to criticize the Chinese government for their otherwise small amount of action in the crisis, but alas, the "S" has hit the fan. Meh. Its not the dumbest thing I've heard this week. That title still goes to Clinton with the "assassination" remarks against Obama...

 

[Danoff]

I'm surprised anyone is actually listening to her.

 

[the Interceptor]

Actually, she is a very intelligent woman. This however sounds more like a thought spoken out loudly, and not a very good one at that, because she seems to sympathise with Tibet (which is not the wrong idea if you ask me though).

 

[Zrow]

Sharon Stone is a big dumb idiot. Next!

 

[Sureboss]

She would have been more in the right to criticize the Chinese government for their otherwise small amount of action in the crisis, but alas, the "S" has hit the fan. Meh. Its not the dumbest thing I've heard this week. That title still goes to Clinton with the "assassination" remarks against Obama...

Tell me more!

 

[the Interceptor]

Sharon Stone is a big dumb idiot.

http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/famous-people/sharon-stone.html

As a young woman, Sharon Stone's IQ was tested and rated at a high level of 154 points, other sources say's she is rated at 148. She is not a member of MENSA.

After skipping a grade in school, she was involuntarily transferred from Saegertown High to Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, enrolling at the young age of 15.

 

[superberkut]

Well, then!

Bad karma would not take on such a monumentous force even if it did exist. That would be an, 'act of God'. A lot of people say the wrong things once in a while; her position in society just means that she is scrutinized a bit more. She probably regrets what she said as we type...

 

[Zrow]

http://www.kids-iq-tests.com/famous-people/sharon-stone.html

Yeah, whatever. She believes in karma.

 

[Sage]

There are few words that I hate more than karma, especially in its lifted form adopted by New Age fools. And as for Sharon Stone, the next time something bad happens to her, she can blame herself for being a heartless c(urriculum) when she said that thousands of dead Chinese people brought disaster on themselves.

I’m more interested though in why Chris used American-style quotations instead of British-style.

 

[sLg]

Karma does exist. You guys wouldn't understand, and me trying to convince you would lead to a massive flamewar of catastrophic, apocalyptic proportions... I'd probably get flamed more trying to convince you than the combination of all of the hate/flames that I've received on all my other accounts.

 

[niky]

Karma does exist. You guys wouldn't understand, and me trying to convince you would lead to a massive flamewar of catastrophic, apocalyptic proportions... I'd probably get flamed more trying to convince you than the combination of all of the hate/flames that I've received on all my other accounts.

Well, how is the death of hundreds of poor children living under a communist regime (with the poor part indicating that they are most likely not children of members of the Communist party, per se) Karma?

Sharon could have just as well said that 9/11 was the result of Karma, with thousands of clueless office workers paying for centuries of western oppression of Muslims.

 

[sLg]

I'm not gonna answer that, because you won't understand, and hundreds of people will flame me.

 

[Touring Mars]

This case is a prime example of just how silly the whole concept of karma really is, and how people tend to use the word (and hence the concept) as a pretext for justifying an outrageous opinion. I bet Sharon Stone is having a hard time explaining exactly what she meant by it, too. With any luck she will issue an apology, or, if not an apology, a detailed account of just exactly what she did mean by the remark.

Of course, we know that the latter isn't likely to happen, for a multitude of reasons - but the most obvious reason being that Sharon Stone, like everyone else who professes to know what karma is, how it works, and how to correctly recognise it when they see it, frankly don't have the first clue what they are blathering about.

In the meantime, there is a stony, embarrassed silence... but perhaps that's the best option. I refer you to daan's signature quote for details.

 

[the Interceptor]

This case is a prime example of just how silly the whole concept of karma really is, and how people tend to use the word (and hence the concept) as a pretext for justifying an outrageous opinion. I bet Sharon Stone is having a hard time explaining exactly what she meant by it, too. With any luck she will issue an apology, or, if not an apology, a detailed account of just exactly what she did mean by the remark.

What she said actually is easy to understand:

"I'm not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans because I don't think anyone should be unkind to anyone else,"..."And then this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and then I thought, is that karma? When you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"

Of course, we know that the latter isn't likely to happen, for a multitude of reasons - but the most obvious reason being that Sharon Stone, like everyone else who professes to know what karma is, how it works, and how to correctly recognise it when they see it, frankly don't have the first clue what they are blathering about.

In the meantime, there is a stony, embarrassed silence... but perhaps that's the best option.

She already has apologized for what she said:

"My erroneous words and deeds angered and saddened the Chinese people, and I sincerely apologise for this. I'm willing to participate in any earthquake relief activity and to do my utmost to help Chinese people affected by the disaster"

Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hYMs8IJwj_FL1Mdbf2cF6jjGYPUQ

On a sidenote, I'd like to add that this case is blown up to something it just isn't. Everyone of us has said things and generalized the inhabitants of a country before. How often have you seen something in the media and thought:"Meh, it's the <insert inhabitants of county X here> again!".

What I give you is that it was not exactly the best moment to think and actually say this, but as long as she can stand up again, say that she was wrong and offer help (which she did), I can live with that.

 

[Touring Mars]

She already has apologized for what she said

Well, that is good to see, and thanks for pointing it out. It was certainly necessary...

 

[niky]

I'm not gonna answer that, because you won't understand, and hundreds of people will flame me.

Well... try it. This is the opinions forum, and a measure of how good your opinion is is how well you can defend it. While you have the right to an opinion, in this forum, your right to your opinion is only as good as your ability to justify it logically.

I've seen too many good people suffer and too many bad people go unpunished to actually believe in Karma, other than in the sense that those bad people may actually get their comeuppance in the next life.

-----

Good to see Sharon owning up to her mistake.

Was watching the news today... sad to see so many people suffer because of the incompetence and corruption of government officials involved in building and certifying those schools... sadly familiar, too...

 

[V1P3R]

lol, What's sharon smokin these days? If Karma actually were true she'd be like MC Hammer or somethin...

Who cares about that has been anyway.

 

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Police break up protest by parents of China earthquake victims ...

 

[Sureboss]

Killing of kids? I'm sure their government isn't that fussed.