CS Memorial Suggestion

[Fizzlebee]

I know it may be too early, but I hope you will keep this idea in your thoughts.

Due to the recent the awful earthquake, tsunami, power plant problems, fires, and whirlpool that have formed and struck Japan and the US today, I wish to make a suggestion. My suggestion is that CS may hold a memorial for at least a few days for not only the users lost and injured, but all victims. I understand this is hard for many, but the memorial will help honor all those lost, and help the people close to them. Any comments or suggestions are welcome. It would probably be a homepage topic, or a "Sticky" topic. It might be too hard to find all the affected users though. It would probably have the disaster stats, number of lost ones, and several poems, drawings and songs for the victims.

Thank You, and Best Wishes

[Rosalind]

I support this 100%, we should honor those victims, especially our fellow CSians.

[Fizzlebee]

Thank You. I hope this is the right way to honor them.

[Telescope]

What kind of memorial do you mean? Like just a page on the home page with a list of effected members or something?

[Stebbi]

I think that's an awesome idea and the right thing to do.
But I have a question: How exactly will the memorial be carried out?

[Fizzlebee]

I'm not completely sure what the memorial would be. It would probably be a homepage topic, or a "Sticky" topic. It might be too hard to find all the affected users though. It would probably have the disaster stats, number of lost ones, and several poems, drawings and songs for the victims.

[Lady]

But here's the problem... If we chose one major disaster, people are going to be upset the next time something comes up somewhere else and we don't put something up about it.

Sure, everyone cares, but you have to think about the big picture--that and it's really Tess and Nick's choice whether or not to do that.

In any case, there are topics for it:
Donation Topic - viewtopic.php?f=5&t=483129
Informational Topic - viewtopic.php?f=5&t=482662

[Shian]

But here's the problem... If we chose one major disaster, people are going to be upset the next time something comes up somewhere else and we don't put something up about it.

Exactly. How do you decide what should get a memorial or not? So far, the death toll for Japan is around a thousand.

Considering Japan's population they are very very lucky. The Thailand tsunami of '04(?) had a far higher death toll and nearly wiped out half the country. According to the videos so far, Japan has lost a lot of farmland. Not so many homes and lives as a disaster of this magnitude would bring.

[Lady]

Considering Japan's population they are very very lucky..

My thoughts exactly.

[Tess]

But here's the problem... If we chose one major disaster, people are going to be upset the next time something comes up somewhere else and we don't put something up about it.

In any case, there are topics for it:
Donation Topic - viewtopic.php?f=5&t=483129
Informational Topic - viewtopic.php?f=5&t=482662

This is a very good point. We already have a large forum where you can discuss the disaster, talk about what you can do to help, post your tributes, or seek information. This will be available whenever there's a disaster. What you're suggesting sounds like the same thing, except somehow made 'official'.

The main problem with this idea is that if we gave special treatment to one major disaster then it sets a precedent for future disasters which we may not be so able/keen to devote the same resources to in future. It's difficult to say who gets to decide which disaster 'makes the cut' and I can see it rapidly turning into 'disaster of the week'. I love Japan, it is my favorite country, and I am moving there in the near future. But I'm able to recognize that this isn't the only disaster of the moment. Every disaster is relative and it's quite difficult to say any deserves a greater focus without devoting an entire website to 'world issues'.

Also the idea that we would track down every Japanese CS member seems a bit too much like an invasion of privacy. We don't have many members registered from Japan, and the few we do have will probably appreciate some privacy in this difficult time. The likelihood that one of our members was lost in this disaster is very small, but there is a greater chance that they would know someone who was affected, and I'm sure they'd appreciate some space.