NationStates Jolt Archive

Ok, a few days ago the story about experiments being conducted on children against the wishes of their parents in some cases, and without their knowledge in others, was linked to on this forum. I expected great indignation from US posters that such a shocking and cruel thing was happening in their very own Land of the Free, I certainly expected to hear from the 'pro-lifers' since some of these experiments have ended in fatalities.

So what give? Do Americans really not care that this is going on in New York City? Do all those who find homosexual marraiges such a huge worry due for instance to their religious values not find these experiments at least as unpalatable? How about those pro-choicers who think mothers should decide the fate of thier unborn, does the 'right to choose' end after birth?

Seriously I cannot understand why there is not a huge ground swell of indignation in regard to these experiments... :confused:

Linkie (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/4038375.stm)

Ok, a few days ago the story about experiments being conducted on children against the wishes of their parents in some cases, and without their knowledge in others, was linked to on this forum. I expected great indignation from US posters that such a shocking and cruel thing was happening in their very own Land of the Free, I certainly expected to hear from the 'pro-lifers' since some of these experiments have ended in fatalities.

So what give? Do Americans really not care that this is going on in New York City? Do all those who find homosexual marraiges such a huge worry due for instance to their religious values not find these experiments at least as unpalatable? How about those pro-choicers who think mothers should decide the fate of thier unborn, does the 'right to choose' end after birth?

Seriously I cannot understand why there is not a huge ground swell of indignation in regard to these experiments... :confused:

Linkie (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/4038375.stm)
I haven't heard of this at all. But. Yeah. Now, I'm outraged.

I haven't heard of this at all. But. Yeah. Now, I'm outraged.
Hurray for that! I am greatly relieved that someone is outraged....but come on the rest of you.

It came out in my country that hospitals had in the past held onto the bodies of stillborns and used them for experiments without the consent of the parents, and there was a general outcry followed by investigations, apologies to parents and the return of their beloved children's remaining body parts... that was bad enough (that it occured) but these children in New York are being experimented on while still alive....surely more people have a problem with this? :confused:

most of the time we save our outrage for things that are currently going on, it looks like the courts are already going to nail this one, and the people behind it

They're poor, inner city kids. I mean, how much can they contribute to politician coffers? Not that much. And they're probably not even white. That sure as heck won't get ratings up. Welcome to America, land of the free(if you've got the money/power), former home of the brave (they're all fighting in Iraq).

I'm outraged by this. I have a feeling though american media is never going to let this story see the light of day though. I can already hear the propaganda machine moving to a higher gear.

I'm a pro-choicer but messing with kids who are terminal is just all kinds of wrong. They should be doing everything in their power to prolong & make their lives more comfortable. Not torture them for the benefit of science.

You bet I'm mad.

The experiments are psychotic. It's illegal to stuff kids full of drugs without the consent of their parents and hopefully them too. But, it's happening in America and most of us are completely apathetic to anything that isn't on MTV or some bullshit celebrity worship and whatnot. Anyways I'm pissed about this.

I'm outraged by this. I have a feeling though american media is never going to let this story see the light of day though.

why would the media want to cover this up? this could be front page material

I read the story, and it did outrage me. I was amazed that this wasn't a story being rotated every hour. But I think the lack of attention in the media was probably lacking because of the color of their skin. Despite their economic status, poor white children probably would've garnered more attention than the Runaway Bride. :(

why would the media want to cover this up? this could be front page material
because it's the American media. All they care about is which celebrity is getting married, dating, etc.

New York City....the citizens are great, its a great city...but sometimes the city authorities completely lose their minds....and social workers...good God, they should focus more on the thousands of children they lose track of each year, and not make trouble for the innocent for medical experiments...ghastly.

I should point out that the BBC is a fairly leftwing and occasionaly anti-american source.
However I do not doubt that at least some of this is true, and it does indeed sicken me. P'raps some government employees need to do some voluntier work testing HIV drugs, eh?

because it's the American media. All they care about is which celebrity is getting married, dating, etc.


they care about making money and this could make them quite a lot

That is absolutely disgusting. Why, pray tell, did we have to hear of this from the BBC?

they care about making money and this could make them quite a lot
ya that to, i just dont think it's gotten out, or it's being paid off or covered up.

That is absolutely disgusting. Why, pray tell, did we have to hear of this from the BBC?
I have wondered the same thing myself! I really dont want to make blanket generalisations about any nation's media (most especially since I rather doubt that the media of any nation is adequate), but really the mind does boggle....surely this is headline material in any country, let alone the country it occurs in...in fact why isnt it headlines news internationally, much less in the US where it is happening....

So much for the media! :confused:

God, I really hope someone does something about this. That is just sick and wrong. Well, I'm across the country, but I'm going to see if I can get my local news to take a crack at it.

The reality is that in America, this just isn't front page material, dig a little deeper and you'll find that there are so many legal intricacies its amazing the courts are even willing to touch it. Pharmaceutical experimentation has been going on without peoples consent for years, if you go to hospital for major surgery(like A heart bypass is major surgery, not like an appendectomy is major surgery), it is HIGHLY likely that some form of experimental drug or procedure was used that could possibly have ended badly for you was used. In fact, they might even have your signature or voice recording which you were too anesthised to remeber giving, or they might have put fine print in the paperwork when you signed in, or it might be part of your insurance (not that HMO's need any more ragging on) there could be countless reasons and justifications and legalities and frankly, The American public doesn''t care. Its not that the Media doesn't care, its that they know it won't sell, it would be a fear piece, people would stop going to doctors and hospitals and that does nobody any good. Nobody would win any awards for this one, the Drug companies have too much money invested already. You can cry all you want, and it IS sad, but nothing is going to happen about it anytime soon.

The reality is that in America, this just isn't front page material, dig a little deeper and you'll find that there are so many legal intricacies its amazing the courts are even willing to touch it. Pharmaceutical experimentation has been going on without peoples consent for years, if you go to hospital for major surgery(like A heart bypass is major surgery, not like an appendectomy is major surgery), it is HIGHLY likely that some form of experimental drug or procedure was used that could possibly have ended badly for you was used. In fact, they might even have your signature or voice recording which you were too anesthised to remeber giving, or they might have put fine print in the paperwork when you signed in, or it might be part of your insurance (not that HMO's need any more ragging on) there could be countless reasons and justifications and legalities and frankly, The American public doesn''t care. Its not that the Media doesn't care, its that they know it won't sell, it would be a fear piece, people would stop going to doctors and hospitals and that does nobody any good. Nobody would win any awards for this one, the Drug companies have too much money invested already. You can cry all you want, and it IS sad, but nothing is going to happen about it anytime soon.
Quite aside from the fact that there are numerous ethical questions about such goings on (as you describe), the case in New York involves more than mere experimentation. A state agency has taken to removing children from the care of parents who refuse to agree to their children being used as lab rats. The fact that a state child welfare agency is unnecessarily removing children is frankly awful, that they would do so to bolster profits of corporations is despicable.

I certainly hope your assertion that the average American doesnt give a toss if children are being taken off their parents to be used as lab rats, is untrue. :(

Sorry not to have caught that the first time 'round. Well, sorry it's going on at all. It's deplorable.

I live in NYC but haven't heard about these experiments. I can tell you that most of the media here is neo-con (Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation owns the NY Post and Fox News, and NBC and the Daily News are also horribly neo-con), so I'm not surprised it hasn't been publicized. There are many good people in New York, though they seem to be losing all passion and surrendering little by little. As for the majority, they're really horrible, soulless, nihilists who care about nothing but earning enough money to indulge themselves with handjobs and fois gras. These people (primarily people from the Upper East Side and Upper West Side) fantasize about killing babies, raping small children, and committing any other disgusting act you can think of. I'm not making this up, I've spoken to such people, and this is the general tone of every conversation. Honor and dignity are non-existent, and the punks and artists aren't doing enough to reverse the trend. If these same people, who own everything in NY, are ordering babies to be experimented on or torn apart, I am not at all surprised.

Maybe I should e-mail this link to NBC, ABC, and CBS. I'm actually shocked PBS hasn't gotten a hold of this, because they don't care, they will report anything they see fit to report.

I'm outraged. My anger is beyond words right now. I just seriously do not have words for how I feel...

Maybe I should e-mail this link to NBC, ABC, and CBS. I'm actually shocked PBS hasn't gotten a hold of this, because they don't care, they will report anything they see fit to report.
...
Yes you should (email it) and I really hope that you do!

A couple of million column inches and several weeks of airtime dedicated to Janet Jacksons nipple slip and not a single word about non-consensual, sometimes fatal, pharmacutical experiments on children that are apparently endorsed by social services.

Yup. The 'moral majority' sure have America on the right track.