Do we need to see the horrors in order to understand them? Are medias showing too much or too little

As I was surfing the Washington Post I ended up on this Article Horific Murder of Transgender in Brazil

As I read the story I was horrified by the nature of the crime and details mentionned but I guess those details are important to the story. the article mentioned that the savagery of the incident was filmed in a video, with the word video hyperlinked. I clicked on it to see if they would really link to the real video ( or maybe it was morbid curiosity) and to my surprise there it was on youtube. I watched it all, felt horrible.

Got me wondering if I really needed to see it to understand the atrocity of it, turns out I was way more touched after watching the video. But I do not think such images are good for the sub conscience or soul, whatever you want to call it.

Was the Washington post right to link their article with the video? Were the medias from around the world right to show bodies falling from the WTC on loop? What about Alan Kurdi, one of the photo that devastated me the most in my life, did we need to see it to understand or in the end is it all opportunistic sensationalism.

I still have not made my mind.

Do we need to see the horrors in order to understand them?
Are medias showing too much or too little?

I have seldom clicked on such, but when I have it was for the purpose of understanding and grappling with the horror of barbarity and to try and make sure I don't make personal philosophy decisions that don't take into account the true nature of man's inhumanity to man.

Good question, OP.

originally posted by: The GUT
I have seldom clicked on such, but when I have it was for the purpose of understanding and grappling with the horror of barbarity and to try and make sure I don't make personal philosophy decisions that don't take into account the true nature of man's inhumanity to man.

Good question, OP.

Would you say that seeing helps you keep your intellectual integrity on check and minimize bias.

originally posted by: Milehigh

originally posted by: The GUT
I have seldom clicked on such, but when I have it was for the purpose of understanding and grappling with the horror of barbarity and to try and make sure I don't make personal philosophy decisions that don't take into account the true nature of man's inhumanity to man.

Good question, OP.

Would you say that seeing helps you keep your intellectual integrity on check and minimize bias.

If you rely on intellectual integrity to realize the primal instincts and the evils us humans are capable of? I think you should re evaluate what you think you know?

No book can teach you the evils that can manifest in the mind of men/women/and those who fall inbetween......

a reply to: Milehigh

I truly think its fracturing our psyches, whether intentional or not depends on how tight my tinfoil hat is that day.

a reply to: Milehigh

There are many aspects to the answer for your question, a mind in which violence and brutality is rarely seen suddenly being exposed to violence and brutality will be affected in some way, while there are others who probably doubt such things go on, deny it and then shut it out of their mind.

This could easily apply to many things in life, such as the MSM smokescreen when it comes to Western crimes around the globe, think how many people have fallen for that one over the years. A life choice for anyone is whether to live ignorantly in bliss or to accept the 'truth', which sometimes isn't easier, despite it being the 'truth'.

You could also say an undeniable truth about the human race, it's screwed up

originally posted by: Milehigh
As I was surfing the Washington Post I ended up on this Article Horific Murder of Transgender in Brazil

As I read the story I was horrified by the nature of the crime and details mentionned but I guess those details are important to the story. the article mentioned that the savagery of the incident was filmed in a video, with the word video hyperlinked. I clicked on it to see if they would really link to the real video ( or maybe it was morbid curiosity) and to my surprise there it was on youtube. I watched it all, felt horrible.

Got me wondering if I really needed to see it to understand the atrocity of it, turns out I was way more touched after watching the video. But I do not think such images are good for the sub conscience or soul, whatever you want to call it.

Was the Washington post right to link their article with the video? Were the medias from around the world right to show bodies falling from the WTC on loop? What about Alan Kurdi, one of the photo that devastated me the most in my life, did we need to see it to understand or in the end is it all opportunistic sensationalism.

I still have not made my mind.

Do we need to see the horrors in order to understand them?
Are medias showing too much or too little?

I like the stories but what you have to ignore is the generalizations...

Some black teens punch a random person, so the whole black community is to blame..

Exc and same with every side of the political spectrum..

originally posted by: Milehigh
Do we need to see the horrors in order to understand them?
Are medias showing too much or too little?

History is repeating itself where the bloodshed in the Roman Colosseum got more gruesome to divert the peasants thoughts away from the imminent collapse of the Roman Empire.

MSM is showing just enough horrors too keep people coming back to see more whilst Rome burns around them or in America's case, more shopping malls are empty as people have less money.

They see other people around the world in a worse situation than them thus making them feel lucky. Otherwise, they would be marching on DC with pitchforks by now.

a reply to: Tristran

So thw worse things get here, more bloodshed we can expect in the medias.

Death is a natural part of life, it is going to happen to all of us one day. Awareness of it is an important part of coming to terms with our own mortality and existence. For the first responders that have a very intimate part to play in the death of others, it does leave scars and ongoing problems.

There are things in my life I wish I never saw or heard about, but it is the reality of this world that does go on. Like stories of the boggyman growing up, we do need to be careful with what we do and where we go.

Our self determination is one thing I respect and would like to see preserved, even though I do not agree with everything that everyone does. We do have laws for that when people fail to consider the determination of other. With my years on the internet it does provide a reflection of humanity with lots of good, some bad and a little ugly.

Having high levels of death, destruction, violence and fear pumped out to the public is not being very civilised. For those that do want it, they will find it easy enough.

originally posted by: Milehigh
So thw worse things get here, more bloodshed we can expect in the medias.

Yes. Just like the Roman Colosseum, how soon before fictional films like 'Hunger Games', 'Rollerball', 'The Running Man', 'Death Race' become a sick reality game show like 'Survivor' ?

Stretch it a bit further where every family is poor and the only way to put food on the family table, is for each family to send a member of the family into a game show. Every day that the member survives for gets a week of food.

Video games might have actually been invented solely to train potential recruits for the real thing where their lives are at stake for the sake of their family.

In fact, if planet Earth is a simulation, then we are in the game show right now, watched and monitored by aliens.

Media is trying to create the horror and trying to make sure that they happen, this is what they are doing when they show a lot of gore or when they show a little.