Some deaths matter more than others?

No need for that, Frank.

Frank I don't understand what you're saying.

The death of an office cleaner matters but not a member of the so called Royal Family.
They are just scroungers.

Frank

Haven't we also seen this differentiation in the reporting of murder cases when the same perpetrator has killed "innocent" women and working girls, i.e. "prostitutes who were just asking for trouble anyway"? Ditto in the reporting of missing children depending on whether they are blond, blue-eyed and middle class or the daughters of "chavs".

Slightly off topic but related.

On the day of Margaret Thatcher's funeral, my DD was conducting a funeral ceremony for a very old lady who had outlived most of her family and friends. It was expected that only 8 people would attend the funeral (a great neice, care home staff, etc) but in the event over 20 people showed up - former neighbours and family of old friends who had gone before. Some of them said that they had made a special effort to come because of the contrast between MT's funeral and the one planned for this unfailingly kind, helpful and loving woman.

Some pressure on these companies to pay a living wage and decent working conditions would move things along. Buildings and machinery inspection is obviously not being done as rigorously as has been claimed. I agree, Stansgran we should not take away their source of income. Fairtrade should extend to all aspects of manufacture.

I don't think it's possible without compassion overload. I dont buy cheap clothes and I check labels for where things are made. But stop other people buying them? And then the people in Parkistanj would be jobless. I don't think we should send aid to these countries in any other way than properly supervised building projects for schools or orphanages or hospitals.

Yes, he has a point, the more significant these deaths are to us personally, the more prominence we give them. We get the newspapers we deserve. We have to think more about how we live our lives and show compassion for people and nations we don't know. The building collapse that has killed all those people making cheap, disposable clothes for the west is as significant as terrorism and missing people who no-one bothers to look for.

We are human and relate to disaster in a personal way perhaps? My SIL visits Boston frequently so I was concerned f or him but not really for anyone else because I feel most activities seem to attract the mad and the bad these days. I feel nothing but tired despair for the inhabitants of the Middle East. What does irritate me about the hierarchy of death is the amount of space given to journalists who die whether its Marie Colvin or Rees Mogg. They seem to merit far more newsprint than others.