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"It happened, it should be available to be seen"
That does not follow at all, that because it happened it should be seen. What do you even mean by 'should'? On what moral authority 'should' it be seen?
I wonder if footage of that soldier that got hacked to death with an axe existed, whether you would have agreed for that to be seen. Maybe you would.
I think people here are coming at it from the wrong angle. I can sort of see marcomarcos' point because he thinks maybe we're sheltered from the worst of what goes in this world. I'm not sure that's true. I remember being very disturbed at footage of the Corporals Killings in N. Ireland [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporals_killings] on the TV back in 1988, but you couldn't even make out what was really happening - just that it was pretty heavy stuff. You don't have to see explicitly what's happening to be shocked by it, the suggestion can be more than enough.
In any case, like I said, there is no benefit from showing some guy getting shot in the face at point-blank range: it generates an even more pointed hate amongst those who already distrust Muslims; titillates idiots of a perverse disposition; makes martyrs of the gunmen from the point of view of those who support them. And surely that's the yardstick that counts - that by showing something it could help us bear it away.
Or maybe I just didn't watch as many violent films in my teenage years as a lot of you guys on here.
It happened, it should be available to be seen. It's fucking horrid and repulsive and I choose to avoid that stuff like the plague because the idea is bad enough for me. Doesn't mean that something recorded should be censored though, it's different than something made on purpose for the reason of shocking, offending or titillating because it is the capturing of awful current events that would happen with or without people recording. The only things I can think of that should be removed from view are things that would not exist unless they are made as things to shock, offend or titillate and that cause direct harm to those involved. Things such as recorded rape, child porn and snuff films, and even then there will be stuff around the edges where arguments can be made. Be disgusted by the act, not by viewing it through someone else's eyes.