“The only difference between suicide and martyrdom is press coverage.”
– Chuck Palahniuk
Knowledge Guild
The Knowledgeable Post
“The only difference between suicide and martyrdom is press coverage.”
– Chuck Palahniuk
Knowledge Guild 
I think, martyrs are usually killed violently and also choose to suffer for some idea. So, the “press coverage” is not “the only” difference. But, yeah, the institute of martyrdom is strange. Why do people make a cult of violence? The crucifixion is horrible by itself. But, if you read about Catholic saints http://www.catholic.org/saints/, many stories are even more horrible. I wonder, what makes martyrdom so attractive. Why do people enjoy those gruesome stories of most heinous violence?
Strip the veneer from Earthian civilization and what do you find? Earthians, as a species, are racist, misogynist, sadists and masochists. That’s the bottom line throughout man’s history as a civilized being. The non-civilized do not appear to have as high a degree of such dysfunctionality but then they don’t have a written history, so who knows for sure? What gets people going? Violence! Relive the romantic excitement as soldiers prepared to go fight the 1st WW in France. What are the most popular movies, stories, games, organized sports? The ones that contain the greatest violence. Yes, there have been short periods when greater minds held sway and the violence was muted, but it all comes rushing back with a vengeance at the very first opportunity. I remember well the shouts of glee when George Bush the 1st began the first Iraq war. I remember the excitement over the invasion, by a super power, of the island of Grenada, a country 12 miles wide and 24 miles long, and how Americans cheered about “the one we won”… And look at the popularity of that Mel Gibson movie, “The Passion” which is pure pornographic violence done to one individual. Earthians love violence, with some exceptions in the mix. They love oppressing and extorting; putting down, mocking, demonizing, bullying, enslaving, raping, torturing and killing.
If you’ve ever been tortured you know that your torturer is not interested in any “information” he or she may extract from you: it’s the enjoyment of inflicting the greatest amount of pain that matters.
It’s the nature of the beast, not an aberrant behaviour. Once that fact is accepted, then perhaps, instead of passing the buck and blaming others, or circumstances, something can be done about it. Meanwhile it’s going to be business as usual, and getting worse as competition and survival conditions worsen, and that on a planet-wide scale.
Interesting question! We should touch on that sometime with a publication.