The headlines this weekend breathlessly teased the upcoming release of two videos: 1) Paul Pelosi getting attacked with a hammer and 2) Five cops beating a man to death in Memphis. News programs and websites led with both stories, predicting there would be protests “around the country” after the beating video was released.
I refuse to watch either one. I have seen enough videos of cops beating the crap out of people. I have seen too many videos of other people viciously attacking others. I don’t want to see more.
What has happened to demonstrating class, respect and dignity?
I expect graphic videos like these getting out on the internet. With the ubiquity of cell phone cameras, social media and the ease of uploading videos, every video will likely make it onto the web.
But I want better from the news. I want discernment. I want them to choose class and restraint over clicks. They could report on the story without providing gruesome snuff videos.
Back when I was young, snuff videos were illegal (I think). There was a movie called “Faces of Death” that kids would watch at sleepovers which showed horrible violent scenes of death involving people, violence, eating monkeys and accidents. Kids whispered about this to each other, but I never saw it. I never wanted to.
I still don’t.
Has society been dulled by overexposure to violence and death from movies and TV? I suppose so. Has the attention-economy driven Internet created a “more at all costs” media market? No doubt.
But do we have to participate? Nope.
I encourage you too, not to watch. We’ll all be better for it.