It is awful to admit, but, people care more if the person was pretty.

And it shouldn't be. Everyone has something beautiful about them. Just sometimes it can't be seen.

People like to look at appealing faces, it is something that even babies do (they were tested and babies stare/look longer at "attractive" faces than "unattractive").

In the sort of story mentioned all you have to go by is a picture often accompanied by a short statement about her life (often positive, I mean you are hardly going to say she was a mean scrag that kicked puppies! Provided she wasn't a convicted criminal or other "person of ill repute" the media will be kind to her memory).

As we get to know people we like them (or not) on the basis of their personalities. Of course, if you are in a romantic relationship, it helps if you are able to think of the other person naked without dry-wretching. Physical attractiveness has some universal applications, however, a person that someone may think of as physically ordinary another may see as a living god/goddess. And someone may go from ordinary to divine when you talk with them, or when they smile; as was noted earlier we are unusual in our choice of mates because we primarily seek qualities other than the physical.

But it is not just about other people. Every person has self-image issues. Most think on balance they have a net positive look (or atleast that the good points cancel out the bad).

I feel bad when any person looses their life unnecessarily. In that I include people who are still alive, but have in essence lost who they could have been through actions, choices or lack thereof. But I aslo see a lot of good in the world.

I am just an optimistic cynic at heart: The world has gone to shit, but it will get better.

On the point of valueing the Body Vs Mind: I want to be valued for both!

Any person that is after me just for my mind, I would be bloody insulted by, just as insulted if a person ignored who I was because they thought I was physically attractive. However, considering my immensely flawed personality and looks, I gotta say being liked for either (let alone both) would be near-miraculous.

Definitely a sad but necessary thought to be having, JQ. All kinds of attention is given to people who are deemed "beautiful" by society for all of their foibles and mistakes, and no one but close friends and family end up giving a crap about a homely drug addict turning their life around or going out in a blaze of glory:(

BEB

Asthetics aside, society values human life much less as time goes on. Look at the circus that surrounds the "beautiful" people. They have been objectified by society and have little more to offer than the possibility of nude photo ops or sex tapes.
I think MSG will agree that most crimes against attractive people are a mix of lust, envy, and control. It is a sickness humans have never been without. It just sucks that it seems the beautiful people get news highlights over most everyone.

'Cause, you know, Browncoats are by far the prettiest people in any 'Verse. And you know a pretty smile just makes us men-types get all unnerved. Just like a tight ass can make you gals turn into...um, well, into something other than polite and ladylike. (Don't deny it: I've seen it in action!) I can't deny there is a biological component at work.

But. I've ALWAYS tried to be even handed about how I spread my charm, but there's an auto-backfire built in there. The attention-starved, quite naturally, cling to the attention giver and it can become quite stifling. Attention is misinterpreted as attraction. I have become cautious over time to be equally as wary about restraining my even-handedness.

Did that make any sense at all?

Hmmm Jonny that's a really interesting point. I remember being so upset when the report came out that teachers favored attractive students. I thought that was insane. Then I watched closely how I and others interacted and realized that we do favor the cute. So maybe the good thing about humanity is, unlike animals who always favor the most attractive we learn to find worth in those with great achievement and maybe as time passes and we become more an more aware of and place more emphasis on valuing all, we can develop a blind eye to beauty...but I doubt it. I am more just hoping we can value all. Some for their exterior and some for their interior:)