I'm not a squeemish person.
That is, I used to be one, when I was much younger. But after watching my fair share of shock and awe horror flicks so popular during the 1980's and '90's, I'm 'better' now.
The sight of blood doesn't bother me, neither do gruesome deaths. Fake ones anyhow.
But after I left college something happened - I no longer wanted to see those movies. Call it maturation, or the fact I could no longer be shocked - I just didn't want to see it.
So fast forward a few years to this week.
It began with a youtube video of the late racecar driver Dan Wheldon crashing and dying on a race track in Las Vegas.
Followed by shocking and disturbing video of a chinese toddler being run over by a van. The child later died in hospital.
And it ended with the plethora of video of Moammar Gadhafi being captured and killed.
After watching what seemed like dozens of pictures of the dead dictator, and and least a handful of videos of his capture, I wanted to let you know this.
I'm done.
I don't care what you say about, 'if i don't like it, turn it off,' or 'they give warning's before they show that stuff.'
It doesn't change the rudimentary fact that media - and I count myself as one of them - are glorifying death and showing shocking video ad nauseum.
Never mind the political stance on Gadhafi (which I'll touch on some other time) I don't care to see the man, or any man for that matter, being dragged around a city and killed slowly.
I agree - it's my right to turn off the TV - or to ignore these things completely - which so many people already do.
But when it's being done by the media because it's good viz - and for no other reason - it needs to stop.
And why do we think that it's 'good viz' anyhow? Is it because there are dead, or nearly dead people being flashed up on the screen? Or is it because we like to see 'the bad guy' get what he deserves.
The phrase if it bleeds it leads is well known among anyone who knows anything about news or the media.
But at what cost?
I watched a Canadian Film called 'The Cube,' once - a film that was meant to question the technological imperative. If something can be made, or done - it will be - regardless of consequence.
Maybe we should start thinking about those consequences before we start showing live executions as a form of entertainment.
I'll tell you this much I know...
I'm glad I don't have cable.
