YouTube and Death

The first twenty videos of a youtube search for ‘death’ produces some interesting results.


Tom Brokaw Reports Death of Tim Russert
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vwNcuikop8A Posted by Veracifier 13/06/2008

Tim Russert was one of the main NBC news reporters who collapsed and died at work earlier this year. The clip is the full (3:23) report of his death on NBC. There is nothing especially religious about this clip; although Russert’s strong allegiance to his faith is briefly mentioned. There is nothing especially unusual about this clip, although it is interesting as it is, of course, one colleague (and therefore, one presumes, friend) reporting on the death of another. I find it interesting that this clip should be posted on youtube, and that it should feature so high up the results page. At the time of writing it has received 519,312 hits.


Muslim Sesame Street I: do the ‘Death to America’ thing
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=yw2EisVqKZ4 Posted by pfict 18/08/2006

This video is without a doubt the most ‘religiously relevant’ of all the videos produced by the search. It is a relatively long (9:43) compilation of television clips taken from various Islamic countries, some of which are aimed at children (cartoons and children’s TV programmes) promoting militant Islamic fundamentalism, suicide bombing and militant jihad. The video has been compiled with the intention of condemning such acts, and has, unsurprisingly, produced quite a lively debate: on the one hand, many posters have expressed shock at the concept of children being ‘brainwashed’ into blowing themselves up, on the other, it has been suggested that it is unsurprising that such action is taken when innocent civilians are blown up daily and when international laws have been broken. Kmarxist, for example, comments:

‘They use their children JUSTIFIABLY in their propaganda against us. We blow pieces off these same kids without discretion, remorse, OR solid justification, so why WOULDN'T they teach their children to hate us? Tell me, if you were 8 or so, and you hear that your friend's legs and arms were blown off last night, how much convincing would you need before you learn to HATE those responsible? They have a cause, they have JUSTIFICATION, and WE have opposition. Sounds like WAR to me. I wonder what OUR television shows would look like if THEY had been oppressing US for a few decades.’

I find it interesting that a video that has been online for over two years has received only 238,650 hits – almost half of the Tom Brokaw report. Yet there can be no doubting which video has had more of an effect. Whereas the Brokaw report has stirred emotion in many posters, there is no evidence of debate.


George Carlin on Death – RIP http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=3PiZSFIVFiU
Posted by boyhowdypro 23/06/2008

This is a clip from a set by the American stand-up comic George Carlin, who died on 22nd June 2008 at the age of 71. The clip was posted as a tribute to Carlin and begins by showing a picture of his face with the words,

George Carlin
Funniest Man Who Ever Lived
May 12, 1937-June 22, 2008

In the clip, Carlin – an atheist – makes fun of the Christian concept of the afterlife and of the things that people stereotypically say after someone has died. Boyhowdypro suggests that the video ‘might give us a bit of insight on how to treat his death.’ The video has prompted a fairly interesting debate on the afterlife and belief in God, with most posters criticizing a few who have claimed that Carlin’s comments are heretical and that he shall burn in Hell forever because of them.
This is a light-hearted view on death that I found funny and clever. It has so far received a colossal 823,626 hits.


David Copperfield Death Saw - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=j9U3pZFPNcc Posted by Blueicepick8 27/01/2006

In this clip, David Copperfield, the famous American magician and illusionist, is locked in a coffin and placed under a huge electrically powered saw that is slowly descending on him. Copperfield somehow starts to escape from the coffin, however it looks like it's too little, too late as the saw descends upon the small of his back, cutting him in half (bizarrely producing no blood). The two halves of Copperfield are wheeled away separately - however both are definitely still alive. With a dramatic flick of his hand at the clock, Copperfield seemingly turns back time. The two halves of his body are replaced either side of the saw, which ascends after the coffin is re-assembled. Copperfield then emerges - in one piece and unharmed - out of the coffin. The scene is added to by dim lighting and dramatic music throughout.

I have absolutely no idea how this works! (If I did, I'd probably be a very rich magician as opposed to a third-year Theology student...) Other than being an example of someone apparently 'cheating death,' this clip does not say much to me about death from a Theological perspective, although it is fascinating to watch.

Unsurprisingly, this clip has received a colossal amount of hits - 2,342,099 to date. Most of the comments below have expressed disbelief and amazement.


GTA 4 Best Death Moments (REALLY FUNNY!) - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=rxFy4IAVw6w Posted by RancidFan182 04/05/2008

This short (01.59) video is a series of clips from the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. The Grand Theft Auto series is oft-criticized for its glorification of violence, dangerous driving, prostitution and gang culture, and this video is a classic example why. The video shows a series of scenes in which characters from the game die in dramatic road accidents.

I would have to disagree with RancidFan182's description of the video as 'REALLY FUNNY!'. I, personally, do not find the video offensive - it is, after all, taken from a video game as opposed to real life - however I can see why some people might, especially parents who might not want their children to be exposed to such a thing. Theologically I find this video quite interesting. Do we have too light-hearted a view of death? Should such things be so readily available to children? Should people be expected to be able to distinguish between reality and fiction - especially when one considers that there have been cases of murderers trying to blame their actions on GTA?

Hits to date: 678,067. The majority of the comments below express appreciation but nothing more.


Well of Death - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=hZK4_uSgN6k Posted by chikuse 01/01/2007

This three-minute long video shows two cars and two motorcycles being driven around the practically vertical walls of a large pit at a carnival in India. Unlike the David Copperfield video, I am sure that this video has no sense of illusion or trickery - it's for real. During the scene, the drivers let go of the steering wheels and the drivers in the cars open the doors and lean out. This is certainly something that I would never attempt - although it must be said that it is an incredible stunt. Theologically, the main point that I think can be raised about this video is that one could argue that it shows a certain amount of disrespect to the life that God has given us. Christian doctrine says that life is a God-given gift that humans should not take away - and it must surely be the case that the danger of death in performing such a stunt is great. However, this stunt was performed in a non-Christian country by (presumably) non-Christians - so is the criticism relevant?

Again, the majority of the comments express appreciation and amazement at the stunt - there is relatively little comment on the danger.

685,730 hits to date.



Just For Laughs - Death - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=9Bf-7PxQ894 Posted by listedabive 05/02/2007

This is a short (1.31) extract from the television programme Just For Laughs which was spawned from the Canadian comedy festival of the same name held in each July in Montreal since 1983. The clip shows shoppers in a supermarket being tricked into thinking (via an image on the CCTV television) that the Grim Reaper is standing behind them. When they turn around, horrified, they see an old farmer standing behind them, holding a scythe.

This is another witty take on death. The only question I can think that it raises is, is such a practical joke morally acceptable? Many of the comments below refer to just how scared the 'victims' appear to be, yet there is little consideration of the implications or consequences of such a joke, except for from the poster, who describes it as 'possibly the sickest TV prank ever'. Personally, I think that it is acceptable, so long as the 'right' person is targeted (although this can be very hard to fathom in such a situation). One very soon realizes that a practical joke has been played.

To date, this video has received a colossal 2,634,070 hits.



Eddie Izzard - Death Star Canteen - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5iEK-IEzw Posted by Thorn2200 30/06/2007


This video is an animation of an excerpt from one of Eddie Izzard's stand-up performances. Izzard has composed an imaginary scene on Star Wars' Death Star in which Darth Vader experiences a few problems ordering his food at the vessel's canteen. The scene is played out by lego men, with Izzard's voice over the top. It's funny, but apart from Vader's threats to destroy everything, it doesn't actually have a lot to do with death.

Hits to date: 5,453,358


GOOD: Business of Death - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=J9PKO5WyPpg Posted by GOODMagazine 29/10/2007

This video, produced by http://www.goodmagazine.com/, reveals some interesting facts about death: the 'cost' of death (the average price of a funeral, the various industries who benefit in one way or another from death, etc), the environmental effects of burial (the amount of CO2 released by cremation, the various substances that are buried along with humans), and so on. The video doesn't make any obvious moral statements, although it did make me think about the moral implications of how one wishes to be buried.

The video takes the form of a series of still cartoon images, with on-screen words displaying the information, played to music. I found it interesting that many of the images had the head of an Ancient Egyptian Sphynx.

187,780 hits so far


Tunnel of Death (Lefortovo Tunnel, Russia) - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6fLW3OiH8OQ Posted by ChrisGronski, 01/11/2006


'The 3,150 m long Lefortovo Tunnel in Russia is the longest 'in-city' tunnel in all of Europe. There is a river running over it and water leaks at some points. When the temperature reaches minus 38 degrees like it did last winter, the road freezes and the result is the attached video taken during a single day with the tunnel camera.'

The video shows a number of very alarming crashes. I don't know what ChrisGronski's intention was by posting this video; I presume that he either thought that people would be interested to see the video and might even find it funny, or that he wanted to hilight a problem he feels needs to be addressed. Should the Russian government allow this tunnel to stay open during the cold months, considering how dangerous it is? I don't know - is travel outside of the tunnel possible?

I find many of the comments left below the video very alarming. Yet again it shows the lax attitude towards death that many people appear to take.

2,774,300 hits to date


Funniest Movie Death Scenes - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=38Y3hvd0bFQ Posted by darthmunky, 09/05/2007

This video shows a series of ridiculous and unrealistic death scenes from various films. I have to admit that I did find the video quite funny - some of the scenes are so poorly done that one can't avoid laughing. I don't have any moral or theological issues to take with this video in comparison to some of the others as the scenes are obviously not real.

1,567,815 hits to date


Funniest Movie Death Scenes 1.5 - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=33KmrZ1muXg

This is an extended - and slightly more gruesome - version of the video above.

616,829 hits to date


I found the range of videos above very interesting. It just goes to show how many different meanings can be attributed to the word 'death.' Some of the videos raise some interesting - if repetitive - moral and theological questions. Should one laugh at death? Does the world take the issue of death seriously enough? Why do people laugh at videos of things that would probably scar them if they were present at the scene? What happens to us when we die? Are we right to take our lives into our own hands?

When am I going to die?

Two of the first ten results from a google search on 'death' are websites that feature versions of 'The Death Clock,' an online programme designed to predict the date of one's death: http://www.deathclock.com/ and http://www.findyourfate.com/deathmeter/deathmtr.html.



Personally I find it surprising, if not shocking, that there are (apparently popular) websites dedicated to such a thing. The very idea of using an internet website to predict one's death seems very strange to me. The first website (http://www.deathclock.com/) asks for no more information than birthdate, sex, 'mode' ('normal,' 'pessimistic,' 'sadistic' or 'optimistic'), BMI and smoking status. Quite how one's death can be predicted based on such little information I don't know. The second website (http://www.findyourfate.com/deathmeter/deathmtr.html) is far more detailed, asking a total of twenty-seven questions on six different topics (personal, lifestyle, health, diet, environment and family), yet I still find it very hard to come to terms with the idea of asking a website - an inanimate object - when I am going to die.



No doubt part of the reason for this is the design of the websites. Their predominantly red/black colour scheme, and the images and soundbites they contain ('find your fate' and 'the internet's friendly reminder that life is slipping away...') are clearly attempts to achieve a morbid and fatalistic atmosphere. Had the websites been laid out differently and named, for example, 'The Healthometer,' I would no doubt have felt differently about them.

My first ever post as an online blogger!

Last Monday, 29th September 2008, I went to my first ever funeral, for the parent of a friend of mine. I found the experience to be far more emotional than I had initially expected it to be. On my way home on the train, I decided to try to collect my thoughts by putting them into writing, which I have reproduced in part below. Various details have been changed in order to ensure the anonymity of my friends.

I went to my first funeral today, for Maria Smith, mother of Angela, who died on Tuesday 16 September 2008 of breast cancer, the day that I went to Andrew Johnson's house.

When I heard (via text message) from Angela that her mother died, on Monday 22nd September, I decided, almost immediately, that I would attend the funeral, not because I felt a particular desire (if that is the correct word) to attend, but because I hoped that my presence at her mother's funeral would mean a lot to Angela.

I had not anticipated how moving the funeral would be, or how much I would cry. I am not someone who cries very often. I do not know if I cried out of sadness at the death of someone I knew, or because the funeral was a moving experience and because death is sad.

Angela, obviously, was very upset, but I was very impressed by her reading. She almost broke down at the beginning, but managed to keep herself together and read remarkably well. I cannot help but worry about her. She is an exceptionally hard-working, caring girl. I do hope she continues to do what Maria would no doubt have wanted, studying dentistry in Leeds. I say this because Angela will no doubt, now that her mother is gone, feel a duty to look after her grandparents, who live at her home in Brighton. Angela's father lives abroad and they rarely see one another. I hope that she realizes she has people to turn to if she ever feels lost.

I expect that I shall cry at every funeral I ever go to. I have been to plenty of memorial services before - my Grandfather, Tom Gold, Alakh Prakash, Neil Taylor, Mr. Williams - some of whom, arguably, were closer to me than Maria. With the exception of my grandfather's, I did not cry at any of them, and possibly because it was today I would say that Maria's was the saddest.

Angela had asked that no black be worn, as Maria 'would have wanted life to be celebrated rather than mourned.'

Perhaps unsurprisingly, attending my first ever funeral got me thinking about the cheery topic of death. Partly for this reason, I have decided to write a blog about death.