Refusing to Watch Foley Video Avoids Exactly What?

Refusing to Watch Foley Video Avoids Exactly What?

If you could find the video of James Foley’s beheading, would you watch it?

Maybe some of you already have. We haven’t, and don’t really want to, but we can’t shake the feeling that we should. We watched Nick Berg’s beheading. It so bothered us that, to this day, we swore we wouldn’t subject ourselves to any more. The Daniel Pearl video came and went. Now comes Foley.

We threw the question open to the global chatterbox. Most of the answers were in the negative, referring to the propaganda element or the notion of dignity for Foley, which we completely understand. Most came from seasoned journalists, who might have more reason than most for viewing it.

Seems the topic is pretty lively not just here at ATS but the world at large. Here is a rather interesting perspective. I've read the pros and cons, It would be interesting to find out what ATS thinks on the whole.

I personally am not a fan of these videos being posted online but I wouldn't go as far as preventing them from being posted somewhere for those who feel the need to see and attempt to understand those who carry out these types of heinous acts.

Maybe we can have an open and honest discussion, if not a interesting debate?

Thoughts?

a reply to: SLAYER69

I think an adult should see it. Makes you one bit closer to feeling it...and maybe it will make you think about all the atrocities we humans do.

Without actually seeing it...you can more easily brush it aside or ignore it...just like we do to all atrocities done all over the world.

There is an old saying...away from sight, away from heart.

interesting question...for me personally i have no interest in watching it........for two reasons firstly i try not to get sucked in to propaganda and secondly i like to watch stuff that is more of the fantasy realm...reality tv does nothing for me..especially when it deals in death

a reply to: SLAYER69

I am on the fence about this one. While the gore bothers me to an extreme, death is every part of being human as life. Death as vicious as beheading though... Maybe people should see it so they could understand the gravity of the situation but some just can't watch such a thing. An edited version on the other hand, should be seen by adults.

Seen more than my fair share over the years and live with the nightmares of the brutal .. savage .. things that seen humans infict upon each other to last me the next ten lifetimes ..

Have no interest in watching more of the same on video .. already know what monsters humans are ...

originally posted by: Antipathy17
An edited version on the other hand, should be seen by adults.

There will be quite a bit of controversy with viewing an edited version imho.

There will be those that claim that such editing simply proves the nefarious nature of the video and will call it's validity into question as we've seen here at ATS.

a reply to: MarioOnTheFly

I butcher animals to put food on my table and that's not a pretty sight. If it wasn't putting food on my table, I wouldn't want to see animals getting butchered.

Why the hell do you think we should see a fellow human get butchered because he prays to a different god? That's flipping sick man!

a reply to: Expat888

It seems you and I share a firm understanding on the topic.

But what of those who are ignorant?

How will they come to understand the depths human nature can reach without actually seeing the horrors?

a reply to: SLAYER69

I can't watch it, or anything like it. It's abhorrent.
I can't look into another human's face moments before they are murdered; to me it is voyeurism, I want to do something and stop the psychopathic filth who is murdering them.

For me, reading about it is bad enough. For those though, with the stomach to bear these images, then yes it is corroboration of an actual event when relying on the writing of others might not be proof enough.
I can understand both viewpoints, I just don't ever want to watch murder happening.

a reply to: SLAYER69

I can see how it will but if an unedited version exists and is available such a thing would only be ignorant to claim.

a reply to: SLAYER69

Never watched the video, nor the other similar vids from over the years.

Wtf is wrong with these people. It's no wonder we're in the s##t we are!!!

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Expat888

It seems you and I share a firm understanding on the topic.

But what of those who are ignorant?

How will they come to understand the depths human nature can reach without actually seeing the horrors?

Have pondered that often .. unless they see / experience it firsthand many still will not comprehend as theyve been largely desensitized to it all due to media ( horror / slasher movies .. war movies .. action movies .. ) propaganda from governments even cultural influences play a role in it ..

Until it directly affects them in the real world its nothing more than entertainment to most people ..

Going to be a very long time before that changes .. if humanity doesnt wipe itself out first ..

originally posted by: SLAYER69
a reply to: Expat888

It seems you and I share a firm understanding on the topic.

But what of those who are ignorant?

How will they come to understand the depths human nature can reach without actually seeing the horrors?

well they can't. That's exactly the reason I say an adult should watch it. I see there are many people in the world totally devoid of the reality we live in. For instance, some people feel conspiracies do not happen, because...they think other people wouldn't do it simply because they themselves feel it's not something a human would do.

Anyway...it's a grim reminder...of the evil that men do. Following such news simply through text is kind of...desensitisizing (is that a word ?) the individual. People mostly just flip the page...

i can see it both ways.

i see watching them as a way to honor those that were killed and letting them know that i was there with them if that makes sense.

but also watching seems to serve the purpose of what the the coward useless sh@@birds want. which i would never give them willingly.

originally posted by: Expat888
Have pondered that often .. unless they see / experience it firsthand many still will not comprehend as theyve been largely desensitized to it all due to media ( horror / slasher movies .. war movies .. action movies .. )

Rome and it's greater holdings had the Colosseum and other venues at which to enjoy the spectacle. We in the modern world have HD flat widescreens and surround sound.

We haven't really advanced all that much, if at all.

Not really.

It will be Forever burned into your brain, a Memory that No one should ever go looking for. The act of beheading can be a clean death, Guillitene. Just not the way these guys perform it, using a 3 inch butter knife. I swore to never watch another beheading video, as long as i live, It something id rather not have in my memory

From seeing people who have clearly been raped before being crucified to barn doors, charred remains, kids with their brains blown out (and their hands tied behind their backs) (Bosnia) and more stuff like wading through dead bodies to retrieve live people mixed in with them I have seen first hand in full HD what man is capable of doing to his fellow man..

As was the case in Bosnia there is a very fine line between civilisation and barbarism and its a mistake to think it cant happen where you live....

Those vids show a reality that is more prevalent in 90% of the world the west is cushioned from.. Maybe these vids will wake up the west to real life

a reply to: SLAYER69

The times I've seen such videos has been when someone I know, usually a workmate whips out the phone and goes "watch this".

One guy who shoved one such video in my face cranked up the volume and the sound will haunt me till the day I die, all the while giggling like a little girl at my reaction.

I've chosen not to watch the latest one, and I'm afraid it'll get spread around people's devices for "shock lols" like the others..

So the dignity thing certainly plays a part for me.

Snuff movies, showing the deliberate humiliation and murder of people, are banned and rightfully so, so why should this be any different? Same with all the "leaked" helicopter gunship videos showing people being blasted to bits by 30mm cannon shells, meant for anti-armour operations! It's not a cool thing to watch, it's death porn, and I find it rather unsettling seeing young kids sharing such stuff online of via smartphones.

We know, well at least anyone thinking person, can get a sense of the horror of war and killing just from the description of what happened and it's aftermath. We don't need to see it in graphic HD 3D detail. I mean, am I going to be more outraged by watching an act of murder, than I would be simply seeing it reported? Personally, I can say that I am outraged enough just from the daily reports we get, of more needless death, doled out by either the bad guys of the moment, or our own governments and their "responses" and humanitarian bombing for democracy!

a reply to: AlphaHawk

I think it's legal to punch people like that in the face...I'm sure there's a law about it somewhere (or there should be!).