Monthly Archives: April 2019

The commercial exploitation of human suffering

Tanja May’s emotional marketing of suffering

The crash of the Germanwings plane on March 24, 2015 in the French Alps has brought unspeakable suffering to many families. This stroke of fate was and remains hard to bear for all involved. This often pushes people to their psychological limits, and for many people it raises the question of the meaning of life.

Unfortunately, two professions manipulate this grief for financial gain: journalists and victims’ lawyers. Among them there are special representatives who, even years after the tragic event, attempt to continue profiting from it. In previous articles we have already reported on the “usefulness” of the legal actions of a certain victims’ lawyer.

For the fourth anniversary of the Germanwings crash, Tanja May recently published an article in BUNTE magazine, which, of course, followed a proven formula.

To be clear, this article was never about reporting any latest developments or news, but rather it was only for the purpose of selling emotions, and magazines, to people. Of course, this is Tanja May’s job, and it is typical of what we have come to expect from BUNTE. Truthfulness plays only a minor role, and it does not matter whether anyone’s feelings are offended or if some are exposed to personal risk.

Tanja May has ignored existing legislation by publishing a voyeuristic photo because it helps make her story more graphic, thus encouraging an emotional response. Within her text she repeatedly employs several keywords meant to trigger an emotional reaction in the reader: grief, tears, anger, horror, heart, soul, unimaginable event, conspiracy theories, etc. And a photo of a suffering relative gives a face to the story. The reader learns nothing new from the article. But for one exception: that there is a website for Andreas. It is interesting that Ms May makes note of this in her article, but dismisses the website as nothing more than “dubious expert reports and conspiracy theories”.

In fact, our website’s many articles offer quite interesting facts with supporting evidence and documentation, about which she could have reported. Instead, she perpetuates the established image “carved in stone” and maintains without question the “official crash scenario”, cynically disregarding the burden on our family. Yes, the article has hurt us again, but the wounds do not bleed so much as in previous years.

L.U.

 

further posts:

„80 percent of the reports on the 27-year-old have been proven to be false“ (1)

Prayer of comfort – Psalm 23

For you, for all readers of this web page:

We still need and seek comfort, which helps us deal with our loss. The following is a possibility, as it makes sadness and comfort perceptible for anyone who reads it.

Prayer of comfort – Psalm 23

And so I pray, The Lord is my shepherd, yet I feel so miserable and abandoned.

And I continue to pray, I shall not want; and I know: This individual, Andreas, I will miss. Nobody can replace his love, and I will miss him all my life. And I continue to pray, He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside quiet waters. And I think to myself, if God is planning a future for me, I do not yet see it. But if one day I might breathe again with relief, I thank him. So I continue, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. And I think that in my grief I am tested, but I wonder: For whom is this sadness? Do you cry because you have lost someone, or do you cry because that someone lost his life? But has he?

And in my questions, I pray, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, and grief is such a valley, I will fear no evil; and I will not be ashamed of my feelings – for you are with me; even if my way leads to the cemetery and my home has become emptier.

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. And I pray with new certainty, You prepare a table before me, I then think of the next meal – where a place will be empty – and my prayer continues, in the presence of my enemies; my grief has taught me how unimportant and groundless my hostilities are, so I thank this grief that frees me from existing enmities.

You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows. Yes you, Lord, transform my pain into maturity. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life; You, Lord, accompany my life wherever it leads. …and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

I have my home with you.

Amen

L. U.