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I'd suggest that it's violence in non real media that makes more difference than the news. The news pails into insignificance to the amount of violence elsewhere.*
I'm always surprised by how little effect real world violence, both visually on the news and actually IRL, have on me. I've always assumed it's because I'm too a custom to having a dramatic sound track and plot line accompanying the events.
*that said I'm sure I've read that horror stories on the news have more impact on children's nervousness than scary stories or films.
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yay, go london ! ( said in an unconvincing voice gradually fading away )
top of the table
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This is speculation.
Not that I agree or disagree. I just don't see any evidence.
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The founder of live leak was on Newsnight this week defending people's right to watch people die on film, under the guise of social journalism. Such a lack of empathy is what's really wrong with the world.
I can only imagine how happy he would be to allow the world to watch one of his *children be murdered on a video filmed with an iPhone 6.
*no idea if he actually has children.
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Which ones would you recommend?
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You wanna fight about it?
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There are two sides to 'violence'. On the one hand, things like boxing or other violent sports, e.g. cockfighting, sate a desire for violence, even vicariously, e.g. to be 'on the winning side' in a boxing match. If that desire isn't somehow given a vent in this way, it will get out in some other way.
If, on the other hand, the violence concerned isn't 'wanted', which usually means that people can't deal with it, the reaction will be either one of refusal to acknowledge it exists, or of becoming used to it. Action to stop it is only possible if somehow (some) people have the spare mental capacity to either take action (e.g., become mercenaries in Syria) or recommend taking action (e.g., they could pressure political leaders to go to war against Daesh).
As others have said, too much exposure to unwanted violence (or other unwanted phenomena, such as homeless people on the street) will usually result in denial or desensitisation. We can only do so much. If you take the WWI example, that was at the time the one issue going on and people were therefore very capable of forming a judgement upon being confronted with documentary evidence. However, had there been huge natural disasters or an invasion by Martians at the same time, that would have been very different.
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To be fair though, it gets a lot of shit and yet is one of the most comprehensive, best run systems in the world.
I've only ever experienced comparable (well, better) at the same sort of scale in Tokyo, and that is expensive too (though commuting is normally covered by your company).
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There was a case recently where a pair of off duty squaddies made an unprovoked attack on a man in the early hours of the morning because they were drunk, captured on CCTV stamping and kicking him on the floor when he was already unconscious, and left him with serious head injuries.
Rather than being jailed however, and despite the obvious malevolence behind the attack, a letter vouching for their good character and utility to the army secured their release and re-incorporation back into their old jobs as if nothing had happened.
Watching the CCTV was distressing and frankly disturbing, and framed the incident in a much more real way; i.e it wasn't just a cheeky or provoked spot of brawling, it was malicious and wanton. I think even if the guy had died, the footage would be incredibly important in proving the real circumstances of the case, and would justify being released and shown in the media as it made the decision to free the soldiers and leave them unpunished look incredibly callous.
Compare this with the Charlie Hebdo attack where we see a more gratuitous sharing of what is cold-blooded execution surrounding an incontrovertible and obvious context i.e terrorist motivated mass murder and before even the families have been informed, seems incredibly wrong and sensationalistic.
However, it can be argued there's a lot more damaging and insidious forms of violence in the media that normalise extreme behaviour, be it Grand Theft Auto where you can knock hookers around for fun, or shitty action films reinforcing damaging stereotypes that are just another form of the instincts that lead to people sharing videos of beheadings or folk jumping out the twin towers for shock value only.
tl:dr media can appeal to our best and worst instincts, some representations of violence are sobering, others gratuitous. Most people will stare at a car wreck if its there to see...
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Well said @ùbér_grùbér and @Oliver Schick
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34093597
boycott sky
fuck murdoch and his whole shit show -
Whilst I fully recognise the importance of transparency in enabling citizens to follow trade negotiations, I take the view that this public interest does neither outweigh ... the commercial interests of the companies in question in this case.
What a surprise.
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According to Tony Blair, Jeremy Corbyn could destroy the labour party in 45 minutes.
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I remember reading about this a few years ago and couldn't believe that anyone would be so disgusting, let alone a judge. Guess this is what we've to look forward to here when the prison system is privatised along with everything else... We'll end up with the corporate Burke and Hares short circuiting everything from justice to health to policing just so some fucking vampire can suck a dollar out your soul.
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It's a good job that there isn't actually anything important to deal with.
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/aug/28/government-taskforce-tackle-ghastly-blight-road-signs
hugo7
dicki
NotThamesWater
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Chalfie
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Oliver Schick
beseku
c00ps
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rhb
Well_is_it-
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In the news
Posted by
@Platini
This is not true when you apply it more widely. The normalisation of violence makes the centre of gravity for what people consider to be violent move to more extreme forms of violence.
In Syria getting punched in the face is not considered a despicable act of violence, as it should be. That's because people are getting their fucking heads cut off.
This is irrefutable.