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Couple lets baby starve while nursing virtual child

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A South Korean couple let their baby starve to death after becoming obsessed with raising a virtual daughter online, police said.

Father Kim Yoo-chul, 41, and mother Choi Mi-sun, 25, have been charged with child abuse and neglect following the discovery of their severely dehydrated and malnourished three-month-old daughter, London's Daily Mail reported.

The couple left their baby at home while they spent 12-hour stints at internet cafes in the city of Suwon.

Source

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A dreadful story, I am sure we will all agree, and a salutary warning to all those who think that the Internet is a panacea for all human problems.

@jeeprs,

Stories like this really tend to make one despair of humanity.

The cure for such gloomy thoughts is to consider the cases of great generosity, kindness, and thoughtfulness that are also common, though usually less "newsworthy".

@jeeprs,

jeeprs;136424 wrote:

A dreadful story, I am sure we will all agree, and a salutary warning to all those who think that the Internet is a panacea for all human problems.

Interesting. But I don't think dividing it up into "those who think the Internet is a panacea" and "those who don't" will set up much of a debate.

If they'd had internet on their home pc the baby probably wouldn't be dead.

I do think the obsessiveness that certain games try and cultivate is an interesting subject though.

@jeeprs,

Well, I sure hope the virtual baby didn't die too due to the couple being in court over the real baby dying. (joke, joke, joke)

This sort of thing is awful.

Jebediah wrote:

If they'd had internet on their home pc the baby probably wouldn't be dead.

Internet access is actually something South Korea blows most countries out of the water in. You wouldn't believe how much faster, and accessible, their internet is compared to the United States. They most likely went to the cafe because that is how Koreans like to game; it is a social experience. Starcraft is commonly played in this manner.

Koreans are extremely obsessive gamers and have been known to even starve themselves because they just couldn't get off the computer (I believe the last incident was World of Warcraft).

@jeeprs,

jeeprs;136424 wrote:

A dreadful story, I am sure we will all agree, and a salutary warning to all those who think that the Internet is a panacea for all human problems.

Does anyone think that the Internet is a panacea for all human problems?

@Dave Allen,

Dave Allen;136486 wrote:

Does anyone think that the Internet is a panacea for all human problems?

How could it be? The internet can assist in solving some problems, but ultimately we are the ones that make the changes. Perhaps we are the panacea for many of our problems, if you know what I mean.

@Zetherin,

Zetherin;136487 wrote:

How could it be? The internet can assist in solving some problems, but ultimately we are the ones that make the changes. Perhaps we are the panacea for many of our problems, if you know what I mean.

No, we love our problems too much. If we solved our problems, then we'd get bored and make new ones.

But isn't the Chinese government sort of anti-internet, seeing it as a dangerous addicting drug?

@Arjuna,

Arjuna;136489 wrote:

But isn't the Chinese government sort of anti-internet, seeing it as a dangerous addicting drug?

Maybe, but this is South Korea we're talking about. They are the #1 gaming country in the world, hands down. It is a lifestyle there.

---------- Post added 03-05-2010 at 11:31 AM ----------

Oh, and for those who don't really understand how big gaming is there, read this:

Quote:

Keun Bae's wife, Heejung, was worried. At midnight, her husband got a call that roused him from sleep. Keun Bae had stepped into the hallway and closed the bedroom door behind him, but she still heard him speaking angrily into his cell phone phone call.

Forget reality TV. In Korea, online gaming is it - On the Level- msnbc.com

@Zetherin,

Zetherin;136487 wrote:

How could it be? The internet can assist in solving some problems, but ultimately we are the ones that make the changes. Perhaps we are the panacea for many of our problems, if you know what I mean.

The original quote was hastily written and badly put on my part. I have been working on the WWW since it was devised and worked at Apple during the mid-90's when the 'digital revolution' really took off. Now in Australia, we have a massive government initiative to wire up the whole nation with superfast broadband. It is inevitable and mostly beneficial that information can be shared at such high rates, but the dark side of the internet has also introduced new kinds of social malaise that couldn't even exist before, of which this is an odious example.

But hey it's not all bad. I think the Philosophy Forum is a great innovation and obviously not possible without the Web. There are many great ideas and initiatives also.

@jeeprs,

jeeprs;137297 wrote:

...

But hey it's not all bad. I think the Philosophy Forum is a great innovation and obviously not possible without the Web. There are many great ideas and initiatives also.

Granted, no web site would exist without the internet, but people could still meet and talk and write about philosophy without it. It has been going on for thousands of years.

@jeeprs,

jeeprs;136424 wrote:

A South Korean couple let their baby starve to death after becoming obsessed with raising a virtual daughter online, police said.

Father Kim Yoo-chul, 41, and mother Choi Mi-sun, 25, have been charged with child abuse and neglect following the discovery of their severely dehydrated and malnourished three-month-old daughter, London's Daily Mail reported.

The couple left their baby at home while they spent 12-hour stints at internet cafes in the city of Suwon.

Source

Tragic how people can be so obsessed with things.

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