The Age of Insensitivity
This cartoon is a poignant example of how we are becoming increasingly desensitized to violence. Almost every day we are hounded by one national or international violent incident after another: “Rocket and mortar attacks on Israel continue,” “Empire State shooting victim hit 5 times in the head,”Alleged Massacre by Government outside Damascus,”Mass Shooting at Colorado Theater.” The list goes on and on. It is almost impossible to read a newspaper, flip through a magazine, or listen to a news radio station without exposing yourself to constant violence and tragedy. The psychological definition of desensitization is” the diminished emotional responsiveness to a negative or aversive stimulus after repeated exposure to it.” In this case, the negative or aversive stimulus is the violence we are
repeatedly to exposed to via mass media. We become desensitized not only because of quantity- the amount of violence we see- but also because of quality- the way we see it. The media generally focuses more on capturing audience’s attention than on the content of the
story. The media’s quest to grab headlines often camouflages the calamity being reported, leaving the audience with an indifferent attitude towards the story. Slowly but surely, the audience will develop a hardened attitude of objectivity and detachment towards violence. “Oh, it’s just another shooting by some crazy guy in some state,” will soon become a common response to tragedy and violence. This cartoon expresses that attitude; a tragedy is portrayed as a form of entertainment and the audience is left desensitized.
http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/7/c/4/Batman-Shooting.jpg
3 responses so far
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It is so true that the media portrays horrible acts of violence nonchalantly, which is desensitising people to them. But is it really the news that is causing this desensitization? Or is the news simply portraying violence the way that people have come to see it? How many movies and TV shows are based on violence and murder? How many books captivate their audiences with mass killings and violent deceptions? How is a nation that understands violence in this way expected to view it for the horror that it really is? What came first, the chicken or the egg?
I was shocked when I saw the cartoon that you posted. Although I’ve seen my share of cartoons that deal with sensitive topics in current events, I feel that this was too specific and too personal to be presented in a lighthearted manner. The Aurora shooting didn’t directly affect the masses, only those present and their families. As such, I find it completely inappropriate for a newspaper to turn the story of the shooting into a parody.
I completely agree with the cartoon and your article. I remember after the Batman shooting at first I was scared to walk into a movie theater and see the Batman movie, but after awhile I just got used to it, and it became just another event that happened this year. I think that this age, the “Age of Sensitivity,” as you called it, is found in humans’ limited understanding of events. I think when we find out about these terrible events, such as this shooting, the Empire state shooting, and countless other shootings, it is simply too much to process for the human mind. I know that when I hear about these things, I can’t even begin to imagine the grief that is experienced by the victim’s friends and family. When I hear about so many horrible events that I can’t even being to process, they all become kind of jumbled together and mundane, and I guess that is how I personally become desensitized to them.