Are We Truly this Desensitized?
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I came across a story on CNN a little while ago. It is apparently old news, but I had never heard this. As I began to read the first paragraph, I began to cry:
In the windowless front rooms of a former day care center in a tiny Texas community, children as young as 5 were fed powerful painkillers they knew as “silly pills” and forced to perform sex shows for a crowd of adults.
How horrific, and disgusting this is. I began talking to a good friend on IM about the story. I pasted that paragraph, and this is the ensuing conversation:
JalenJade: of course..
JalenJade: can’t say I’m surprised
Kat: no, me neither. but it’s still horrible
Kat: how sad is it that we’re NOT surprised by it?
JalenJade: very sad..
JalenJade: shows what our faith in humanity is
That short convo made me even more upset. It’s true that what I read is awful, but I wasn’t “shocked” by it like I would have been just a few years ago. It sickens me to realize that I wasn’t surprised at all by this news. What does it say for our society that we have come to accept that things like this happen on a daily basis, despite how wrong or bad we may feel these events are?
Are we truly desensitized to the point that things like this are accepted as “the norm”?? I’m not saying that we should think they’re no big deal, or “ok”. I’m simply saying that we’re so used to it… it no longer shocks us. Maybe I’m getting old and sentimental, but that makes me far sadder than any news I read.
5 Comments
Joseph Jones
June 23rd, 2008
at 7:39am
I think it is more ‘awareness’ than being desensitized. We see this more often because even small-town local news can quickly and easily go global. No longer are stories like these a rarity. We have simply come to accept that some people will stoop to levels most people would formerly have not believed possible. We are no longer shocked by the cruelty we can inflict upon others.
Robert
June 24th, 2008
at 8:36am
I agree with Joseph Jones….we’re not shocked because we’ve read it before…or…something similar. With almost instant news anything and everything under the sun can be transmitted to millions…..more ‘awareness’…
Peter
June 24th, 2008
at 8:50am
I don’t think this is desensitization or we wouldn’t be disgusted by this. We are not really surprised because we’re becoming more aware of just how depraved we are as a society. People are not good by nature - it’s just a fact. We’re selfish, greedy, prideful, and it doesn’t take much to make us behave that way. Look at “Lord of the Flies” for an example of how quickly those innocent kids descend into a pretty shocking way of behavior.
I’ve done foster care so I’m a little more aware of how bad it can be. It doesn’t help that our court system has become twisted as well so that what is wrong is right and what was once right is now wrong. Add in the fact that courts are overloaded with frivolous cases and these sorts of cases don’t get the treatment they deserve. Our prisons are overcrowded because we don’t know what to do with criminals. Overall, our (Western) society is in pretty poor shape, socially-speaking.
Frank Schnyder
June 24th, 2008
at 11:31am
I agree with Peter in that I don’t think it’s desensitization either. It’s more a product of watching/reading too much news. After all, it wouldn’t be news unless it was rare. And it IS rare. It just seems like a lot, but that’s just where they collect the stories.
As we get older, I think all of us pretty much decide that the world is an awful place, but what makes us good people is that we don’t end up in a bell tower spraying random passers-by with an automatic weapon in the name of “purification.” Jihad, my ass!
Don’t be too hard on yourself, Kat, for saying you’re “not surprised.” It’s just an expression. You’re in chat - you have to say something. The best thing you can do is pray for those children that this doesn’t screw them up that much and know in your heart that you would never do something so henous.
Besides, would you really have clicked on a headline that read, say, “Man watches TV on couch.”
Andy Lane
July 8th, 2008
at 1:47pm
It is also probably a bit from a sense of helplessness. Most of us know what we would do given free rein in such a situation. But there is a very good reason the citizens are NOT given free rein but rather rely upon our system of justice to take care of it.
But then we see our highest court allow people who commit such acts to continue to live despite the publics very clear opinion.
It at least makes ME feel helpless.