Desensitization to news and events

[madstock]

Thinking back to the "GF Line" thread, and the forum in general has got me considering the whole idea of counterconditioning.

A few years back the news of an event to which there would be attached a certain degree of tragedy (a death for example) would affect me quite strongly; nowadays the first thought that jumps into my head is invariably a piss-take.

Of course tragedies aren't funny (hence the name), and where people are affected by loss and grief I do feel sorry for them, on a superficial level at least, but to have such a total "flip" in reaction means that sometimes I shock myself.

Am I alone in this? Is 24-hour news and a media-overload causing some sort of inhibition response? Or am I just a sick, cynical old bastard?

[She Knows It]

I don't know whether it's a new thing, or it's just that people become hardened and more cynical as they get older. It's not merely news overload either. We're bombarded with violence and death across every media.

When my oldest son was about 6 or 7, I made him watch a documentary about the holocaust. My ex went ballistic and said it wasn't suitable for kids, that it would affect him badly. I told him that I wanted it to affect him badly, and to feel the horror, fear, anger and injustice. If he'd waited a few years and learned about it in school, he'd just have been "So what? 6 million dead jews years ago." It's only having those emotions that will stop us turning a blind eye to the next one.

I worry about kids never feeling those things. Being exposed to not just news, but games and films that depersonalise death and suffering is numbing their feelings. It's almost as if it's becoming the norm for them to carry a knife and stick it through the first person who gives them a funny look.

[Hermes]

Originally Posted by She Knows It When my oldest son was about 6 or 7, I made him watch a documentary about the holocaust.

Thanks for that, just realised I'd left the gas on.

[Anny Road]

I was just going to have a shower. Don't think I'll bother now.

[PaddyBerger15]

I think the world and the events therein make you that way Stock.

The world we now live in is a twat of a place populated by twats. Anybody who thinks its just media sensationalism and rule by fear and things are no worse now than they were X number of years ago is just deluding themselves or lives in leafy suburbs where fuck all happens. The community that I live in is now a shithole, years ago Priory Road was fine, you toodled around, folks spoke to you, now you daren't go out after dark on foot on your own. But its not just isolated to where I live...its across the board. The types of crimes being committed in areas where they happened sporadically are now not even newsworthy and in places that you never dreamed they would happen are greeted with a yawn and a "oh right, another drug related killing was it? ah well, yeah, somebody was raped in that street a couple of weeks ago aswell".

The usual response is, what are the Police/Government going to do about it? My view is that I grew up in the same area and live on the same streets, I take responsibility for my life and my behaviour, when are other cunts going to do the same? Its going to get a whole lot worse to the point where a week without a murder/raping/shooting etc is going to be the exception to the rule.

I used to be as left wing as they came, and I had faith in human beings to have the propensity to change or at least listen to reason. I believed that the 'system' badly let people down and peoples current behaviour was down to past experiences and it was the break down of 'society' that was to blame for most ills. Doing the job that I do and living in the place that I live has, over a period of time, lead me to conclude that cunts are cunts and always will be cunts. They aren't interested in changing, they are waiting for the day when doing what they do isn't a criminal offence and they can do it with impunity...and even then they will find something else to do which pushed the already badly eroded boundaries back further.

People are cunts, because they are happy being cunts, they are from a long line of cunts who don't know any better. You need a licence to drive a car and keep a dog, yet shitbags who don't even have a sufficient sense of personal responsibility to carry themselves with any dignity at any time are allowed to influence the development of other people.

People are given opportunities to better themselves and having not taken them and chosen the wrong path, they are then given an opportunity to change/reform/rehabilitate themselves....they aren't interested and therefore have no part or place in the society where people who can behave themselves live.

Nobody gives a fuck about anybody else anymore for the most part, and in the type of place where I live, which is mostly populated by no-mark arrow fodder, you have to get desensitized to events as you would be on edge all the time. People aren't reasonable anymore and thats down to them, the lack of socialisation that they've had and that by their very nature they are cunts who should be exterminated like vermin.

I often wonder whether I'm the same species as some of the people I meet/talk to/work with on a daily basis. They say that Aliens walk among us, the older I get, the less I'm doubting that. You can't keep blaming something that happened 20 years ago for your behaviour today.

[Monkeywool]

*shakes head*

Oh Hermes

[Anny Road]

Good post PB15. Sums it up.

[Bourbon]

Icke is the way forward.

[Spy Bee]

Things are no better or worse than they ever were. Maybe it's just on your doorstep now rather than someone else's.

[PaddyBerger15]

Originally Posted by AdamS Things are no better or worse than they ever were. Maybe it's just on your doorstep now rather than someone else's.

They are Adam, they are a whole lot worse....everywhere.

[Spy Bee]

Originally Posted by PaddyBerger15 They are Adam, they are a whole lot worse....everywhere.

No they're really not. Worse than when? When was this halcyon period?

You're just becoming an old man Paddy.

[drewy]

My old job desensitized me to most things, I witnessed some fucking awful sights which has turned me into a cynical bastard.

The 24hr media coverage of conflicts must surely of had an effect on kids growing up; Look at this Mummy a conflict in glorious technicolour, 24 hrs a day, it's got dead cool planes and helicopters and loads of brilliant explosions.

[Nick Leeson]

certain things are worse, certain things aren't. I wouldn't say the level of violence is higher but frequency of it is, obviously.

Rape and sexual abuse; I don't know if they're increasing or not. 20 years ago and beyond, it obviously happened a lot but families were so concerned about the stigma that it was forced to be kept quiet and often forcibly endured so as to keep it quiet.

I wonder if it was seen as not such a big thing to actually have it happen to you but be accused of it was far worse, if it came out the abuser and their family would become the victim so the abused was left to get on with it.

Things have obviously changed because it's reported so much more but does that neccessarily mean it's happening more often?

Because it's reported more and the victims or rightly seen as the victims and abusers are seens as sick cunts who deserve all they get, does that mean that people are less likely to do it now as they are more in fear of getting caught unlike many years ago when they could get away with it much more easily?

[PaddyBerger15]

Originally Posted by AdamS No they're really not. Worse than when? When was this halcyon period? You're just becoming an old man Paddy.

There has never been a halcyon period Adam, there has always been people who have been unable to behave themselves and since the dawn of time there have been laws and people who break them. Now its just getting more frequent. Its not just about behaviour, its about attitude. Society and the people in it are getting more and more anti-social.
You can only speak as you find, but I'm commenting on a bog-standard, high density population area in the heart of a 'normal' City and this area and community that I live in has got progressively and noticeably worse over a period of time. Its not just type of behaviour, its frequency and volume and the lack of respect that goes with it and the erosion of standards. Life is cheap to alot more people than it used to be. Its not sensationalism....its just observing what goes on around you.

[Spy Bee]

Over that period cities have become more and more densely populated.

[WaltonRed]

Its called getting old isnt it?