Also known as gore videos. This might be a difficult and lengthy topic. Perhaps one that will be frowned upon since this is usually a cheery place. I apologise in advance for any discomfort, but hope it can serve as a platform for discussing the nature of internet gore videos and the morality of watching them. It is an important phenomenon that is occurring in our modern world, worthy of discussion, that will not go away just because one may hide it. I began watching them when I was seventeen. It first started with a friend showing me a video of some nationalists decapitating two immigrants, if I remember correctly. After that I saw the infamous video of several Russian soldiers who were captured and decapitated. And then I watched people from all corners of the world die horrible deaths. Curiosity was the driving force. I had never seen such violence. Such barbaric acts of horror. I had never witnessed such attacks on the soul. It was a different reality that was dawning on me. At the beginning the scenes from reality would make me scared for days and I felt as though my brain and heart was "pulsating" as I watched them. But as the years went on and I had seen some of the worst things and even been subjected to some violence myself I slowly became habituated. I regret to say that I could sit and eat while I watched someone die. I do not do that anymore, for spiritual reasons. It is soul destroying. I remember having wide open eyes. Now they are rather dim and tired-looking. Now I tell myself I watch gore for research purposes, to be able to better describe to my readers the process of death. I want to give my readers a realistic perspective on violence and its nature, so that they might better understand it. I tell myself that my "research" will be for the good in the end. Among the things I learned was that death does not necessarily happen quickly. I watched some teenagers torture a man to death for several minutes. They used tools such as a screwdriver. It is not like in the Hollywood movies where you stab someone in the side and they fall over with a Wilhelm scream. A rather terrifying thing is that your kids can see this stuff whenever they want. It is so accessible. And curiosity is one hell of a thing. But should it be censored? I do not think so. It is a wake-up call to what the world can be like. I would even recommend those of eighteen years or above to watch a gore video once in their life just to get a grasp of what violence can look like. It can serve as a deterrent, and a snap to reality. Preferably in a classroom setting, so that people can discuss it with each other and a teacher afterwards. Do you watch gore videos? If you do not, why not? Should they be censored? Is there a moral argument for watching or not watching them? What do you think?
No, never. Just doesn't interest me. Knowing that there are 'people' in the world who think they can advance whatever twisted political agenda by beheading other people is enough. I don't have to actually see their savagery. I don't think they should be censored.
I touched upon this subject some weeks ago, after some work colleagues of mine were 'enjoying' footage on their phone of a man being set alight during a dispute in Hong Kong, and a woman being squashed by a lorry. I pity you to be honest. That you've become so desensitised to such horrific imagery is rather sad. On the plus side you'd probably be great working in the emergency services. I've seen such stuff - yes, curiosity has got the better of me in the past - but I would usually end up in tears and affected for days, sometimes weeks afterwards. Such imagery completely blackens the soul... or at least it did mine. I watched 28 Days Later last night, forgetting that the film starts with several clips of such horrors, from various news sources, and even that set me back. Rightly or wrongly I question those who can sit and watch this stuff for 'pleasure.' How these people stop from despairing over humanity is the biggest mystery. As for censoring such things, that's a very deep one, but what I will say is that I'm utterly perplexed by some censorship, such as the proposal for age-verification to porn sites, but Black Tourism remains fair game for all. Heaven forbid Johnny the 14-year old sees a pair of tits, but beheading by chainsaw... yeah, why not?
I found myself shaking my head a lot whilst reading this. I feel sorry for you. On the contrary. Once you become that desensitised it’s time to call it a day. If you lose the ability to empathise your standard of care becomes compromised very quickly.
