Many teenagers don't read or listen to much world news. Who can blame them, really? It's depressing. For example, the stories all over the news about the Syrian refugee crisis has reached ultimate emotional overload--as evidenced when the images of a dead, Syrian toddler washed up on a Turkish beach went viral 2 weeks ago.
Many news media outlets have been criticized for televising those images, especially MSNBC and CNN, because the common line of thought is that the American people just don't have the stomach for that sort of thing. They might be right.
But, do you think images that are disturbing, shocking and even terrifying SHOULD be made public? I would like you to click on the link below. It will take you to a blog that I follow. The picture I am referencing is contained within the post. The post itself is interesting, and we probably will talk about it, but for now, you don't have to read it if you don' want to. The picture is disturbing--there is no question about that. You don't need to absorb the finer points of it if you don't want to. The question I would like for you to consider and write about is this:
Should images that evoke such visceral (this means "of the gut" as in--gut-wrenching) reactions be made public? What are the benefits? The drawbacks?
The Picture "Heard" Round the World
Oh man...........this picture is pretty freaking nasty. But even though I don't want to see it, I definently think these images are needed. Most people want things sugarcoated so they don't have to be exposed to the reality of the world. They used to do that for the war saying it was glorious. Soon enough people knew the truth. Now people will be horrified by the reality of the world. A world where there are horrible things that happen to innocent people. Now that people know the reality, they'll start to pay attention to the events going on around the world.
ReplyDeletePictures like this are needed. It shows the reality that these people face everyday, and it very vividly shows the loss the Syrian refugees have suffered. If pictures like this were taken down, or simply not allowed to be posted in the first place, it would just further blind the world to the horrible truth that lurks in their back yard. People that want these pictures taken down are thinking too shallow about the situation, and events taking place. Out of sight out of mind is all well and good until it's your door they come knocking on for shelter
ReplyDeleteThe world we live in is a harsh and terrible place founded on the building blocks or corruption,greed,and bloodshed . And in america we sensor anything that has any connections to these topics. in america and other highly developed countries the normality for them is " everyone is a winner and its all sunshine and rainbows" but the reality for most places in the world especially in the middle east . Its civil war and death everyday. The only way we can really help these people and other countries going through the horrors of war is to show the american public and other countries their struggle and their pain . We need to do this so we can relate to them in some way and be moved in our hearts by photographs like this . and to me a picture like this starts a fire and me and wants me to do what ever i can to help these refugees out.
ReplyDeleteThe picture itself is a hard one to take in. I believe it's needed.Our culture for some unhinged reason,we seem to be protected and preserved by the sentence "ignorance is bliss", and that's a shame. By ignoring true facts we don't see the true horror of life. We choose to take in the beauty and the glamorize versions we want to know. The benefits of posting pictures of this extent really puts it out there and shows other major problems in the world rather then hiding us in the dark with happiness.
ReplyDeleteI feel as though pictures like this are needed. Although they a hard to look at many people are ignorant to the events happening all around them. American are shielded from this and I feel as though it puts them at a disadvantage because they falsely believe the world they live in is perfect when it is the complete opposite. Many people use the term welcome to the "real world." Well this is part of the "real world" they so often refer to. But yet don't want to be subject to that.
ReplyDeleteGut-wrenching photos like this are needed. We cannot hide the sad reality of the world. These kind of pictures bring awareness and provide a glimpse of what some people are going through while I sit here typing this. It might not be happening here in America, but that's not a good enough reason to not be aware and at the very least have sympathy. We need to help these refugees and pictures like the one above, is the kind of picture that will drive Americans to do so. Anyone can read an article but to physically see what is going on is much more powerful. When it comes to reality, there is no hiding it. Hiding these photographs will not help, exposing them to the public eye so they can see for themselves will hopefully help this sad and cruel situation.
ReplyDeleteSeeing this photo i would think it would be out of a movie. Even though this picture is disturbing and gut-wrenching, it shows the harsh reality of this world.
ReplyDeleteIf people never exposed these photos nobody would know how serious topics like these really are. I don't care how mean a person is. Nobody would ever want toddlers like this to die. It benefits us by showing us thatiis really happening and we should be doing everything in our power to end this disturbing war. I can understand why this photo would provoke controversy because it is a awful thing to look at, but when you look at it you should think about the message of the picture.
Some things I would rather not see but other things though they are disturbing are important for people to see. A lot of pictures that get released to magazines and to social media sites people might say are unnecessary for us to see but I think that they absolutely are. It is really important for us to be aware of the things that are happening around the world to help us appreciate the things that are happening in our country. No, our country is not perfect but much worse things are happening in other places. On one hand the disturbing pictures that we see all too often are very hard to take in and incredibly difficult to understand why that thing may be happening but on the other hand we are benefiting from it. By releasing graphic pictures and stories to the public we are shinning light on how horrible some people and places are and many people are taking stands for the people that are being done wrong. If it weren't for the pictures and articles the new writes we would be so blind to the important things happening all around the world.
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DeleteThis world makes me absolutely sick but it shows the truth. It shows the harsh reality of what people really do and how much people don't care. These images are needed too remind us that not everyone is lucky and blessed in this world. A lot of pictures are posted and plastered every where of this type of stuff but I never see anyone doing anything . I always see people talking about what we should do and how we should do it but it's never done . We need too help these Syrian refugees they need a voice. If the public was too take the photos down it would just blind the world. The news has a really big act on how we get our information , that's how we stay connected. Who would of know that the world it self could be so dark and twisted.
ReplyDeleteGut-wrenching pictures like these show what truly is happening in the world. This particular photo is hard to take in because it involves an innocent child. I think it shows how deranged a lot of people in the world can be- and not just in the United States. Even though it makes me and a lot of others cringe to see photos like this, it also somewhat interests me. I don't want to be totally visionless to everything that is happening, especially in the U.S. I like to keep up because I look at things on the other side of the gate.
ReplyDeletethe news is a form of communication that we read, hear, and watch in either a newspaper or a news channel, also consider gossip a form of news communicated through people or friends. We go through the news several times a week, and no matter how gruesome and morbid some news might be it is essential to understand the world around us and not only comprehend the little bubble we call our homes. It might be true that some children could be watching the news and be petrified or people will be uncomfortable in general, but this is the whole process of maturing and understanding that this world we live in isn't all rainbows and unicorns. How are we going to make a change and bring awareness without these articles where children Syrian refugees are getting murdered? It got to the point that most people will not care about this news until they post a dead child washed up on the beach. We need to learn how our world works to fix it.
ReplyDeletePictures like these are not fun to look at. Hearing about these types of stories happening around the world is not what I really look forward to. But, it has to be done. Kids today look at the world through rose-colored glasses and feel as though going through a break up is the worst possible thing that can happen to them. The world is a cruel place and these pictures in the news are there to educate us on this cruel world. Without being informed we are ignorant to the world around us and everything happening in it. The fact that these pictures give us that gut-wrenching feeling is sometimes a good thing. It gives us an urge to want to do something about the issue. This is extremely important because it is up to our generation to rise above and start to fix things. If kids today are oblivious to these types of stories, we don’t have the chance to change things. There are some drawbacks to putting everything out there as well. Most of our news reports are negative and hard to listen to, and sometimes we just need some faith in humanity. Looking at those pictures won’t give us that at all so why even put them out there. However, I still feel as though we need the full stories and the visuals to actually feel strongly on a subject and want to make a difference in our world.
ReplyDeleteIf we don’t see it, to us, it isn’t happening. If the American people who can’t seem to stomach the hard to take in shots that are taken every day, then the American people will never do anything to stop such situations from happening. My thought is that if millions upon millions of people see these pictures, there are going to be some of those people who get so upset that they decide to take action. The negative effects of publicizing the disturbing pictures are scaring and depressing people who won’t attempt to turn the tragedies into something they can fix or change. Along with people who can’t handle the shots taken, there are children who will see these pictures if they are broadcast and there are people who want to keep their young from knowing the bad in the world. Letting kids see things like this heart breaking picture is that after a couple more photographs of the kind being shown to a young person, it will lose the power and element of shock it deserves and they will then become immune to stories and pictures of that kind. Gut-wrenching pictures can be a lot to take in but if the effects are ultimately positive, the weak-stomached Americans will just have to get over it.
ReplyDeleteWhen tragedy strikes the media is always right on time, pens in hand ready to inform the world of its most current crisis. The images that often accompany these events can be quite graphic and heart breaking but I believe it is Important for the public to hear and see the whole truth. It is the medias job to be misleading and more often than not we are only given the pieces of information that they want us to see, so by relying on pictures we can get a better glimpse of the truth.
ReplyDeleteDuring the civil rights movement America was embroiled with anarchy. African Americans fighting for their rights were hosed , beaten by law enforcement and verbally assaulted. Hearing about these mass attacks sent the rest of the nation into grave panic but seeing images on television and in newspapers made the movement real. Seeing people being slain in the street and attacked by canines allowed the public to get a first hand encounter of the war that was raging in 1960s America. And not much has changed in 2015 , there are still violent attacks on minority's everyday and nothing is done to save them. And that is why these innocent Syrian children washed up on the Turkish shore. Being exposed to these images as gruesome as they may be gives the public the whole story, and allows us to see what is really going on in the world. These images are what make activists and progressives jump to action and make changes in the world. There is no need to sugar coat the news, because it is there to inform and if we only get half the story we can never truly be informed and make the necessary changes.
I find it incredibly hard for me to become emotionally attached to a character in a book. Certain books wield my emotions so much so that I adore the character, however it takes a talented writer... and a long well developed book. But for the most part, characters are just words on a page to me. Same goes for news articles. These are just the bare bones of what tragedy actually occurred. Most articles aren't even that long so there is no way for me to feel anything for the people (I know it sounds kinda heartless). However, what does strike a chord are the photos provided with an article. They say pictures are worth a thousand words, and I completely agree with that quote. With a powerful enough picture, at that point, the article isn't even necessary, all we need to know is in that picture. A picture shows us the victims, which helps us to really become attached. We need to see these pictures to understand what is going on. We cannot live in the dark about the world because at that point, we're living a lie. So yes, these types of images should be shown. I know some people have hard time stomaching such photos, but thats literally life, all I can say is, get used to it and understand it. The only issue in releasing visceral photos such as the one provided is the exploitation of that person. The family of that little boy are [hopefully] grieving and having their child's body posted all over the world could be gut wrenching for them. I think that with the permission of the loved ones, it should be released, that way the dead are respected.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as I saw this picture, I gasped and there was instantly a knot in the bottom of my stomach. I sat on my bed with my laptop staring at a picture of an innocent child, deceased, on a beach, face down. The first thing I thought of was how much this child must’ve suffered, and how brave he must’ve been before this horrible incident. Even though this picture puts knots in my stomach and tears in my eyes, from that, I realize just how necessary it is. People today will block out images and stories just to believe that they do not exist. A picture as graphic and gut-wrenching as this shows the harshness of what others around the world endure. Without this, our backs would still be turned on an issue deserving of undivided attention.
ReplyDeleteYes. The things must be shown without a doubt. The world itself isn't horrible but, some parts of it may be. Many people live their lives ignorant to the fact that there is a real world out there. They have everything handed to them and show no appreciation to what they have. I pitty those who have everything handed to them because they have no preparation for what the world actually is. Displaying this type of content shows those people that what they have is great compared to what people don't have. Each one of this kids belonged to a family and was brought into this world by a mother, a now helpless mother without her child. Anyways, a draw back of this would probably be the fact that its the truth. Knowing us as humans, we cannot handle the truth sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI believe images that invoke heart wrenching feelings should be made viral. Although it's hard to digest, images like this need to be seen and recognized. The benefits are that people around the world can witness horrific acts such as this. The draw backs are that no one wants to see a dead child washed up on the beach. Some just can't stomach the truth about what's happens in this cruel world.
ReplyDeletepictures like this are.........I don't want to say "NEEDED" but it is with the way the world works today with all the unnecessary poverty and chaos. This picture is only a page of book of what's wrong with society today. I just wished that it wasn't needed but it is to stop horrible things like this from happening again.
ReplyDeleteThis is disgusting. But unfortunately, I cant say that I had that much of an affect on me because I know that this happens a lot, and I am not really a sensitive person. This definitely needs to be looked into further. But of course, in the world we are in today it will probably just be overlooked, poverty is very serious. I feel like people in the world today, especially in the united states, forget just how fortunate we are. More efforts need to be made to contribute to poverty, and make sure this does not happen again. These are children. They should not be loosing their lives at this young age.
ReplyDeleteIt's heartbreaking to see such a young life lost, the world needs to know about things like these so we can address them properly, on the world stage. The benefits are creating a universally aware global society that is willing to make life exist-able for everyone. Seeing such a tragic even take place is heart crushing, however, it's necessary to build a better world and for people who would like to take action to know. The only draw backs I can think of is that some people are sensitive to things like this, and it genuinely hurts them and sinks their soul. It's a two way street to traverse. It's a bridge we need to build on. It's a problem we need to take affirmative action on.
ReplyDeleteIt's heartbreaking to see such a young life lost, the world needs to know about things like these so we can address them properly, on the world stage. The benefits are creating a universally aware global society that is willing to make life exist-able for everyone. Seeing such a tragic even take place is heart crushing, however, it's necessary to build a better world and for people who would like to take action to know. The only draw backs I can think of is that some people are sensitive to things like this, and it genuinely hurts them and sinks their soul. It's a two way street to traverse. It's a bridge we need to build on. It's a problem we need to take affirmative action on.
ReplyDeleteA slight pang of empathy, a thought of the child's life being lost, and how the family may never know. These photo's are important, yes, they are horrible, scarring even. But they tell the truth, show the ignorant that this still happens in the world, that horror happens. Babying people and not informing them of the truth is not a correct action, keeping them in the dark will only crush them when the blindfold of peace and happiness is ripped from their eyes. This picture and all others like it deserve to be shown, with at least a simple "Viewer Discretion" or age rating to allow those that refuse to see such things refuse to see it.
ReplyDeletePictures like the one that we just seen should always be shown. If anyone one hears the story or even read about it they gonna feel like aww how sad. However for someone to actually see this picture or pictures like these really lets that person grasp the concept of this is real, this is happening, and this is not just one of those things were you say "aww how sad." but you rather connect with the people that are going through this and actually feel for them. Pictures likes this one is not something that you try to bury it's something you bring to light so the whole world can know of this tragedy.
ReplyDeleteWith pictures like these you're always going to get mixed reactions. Not everyone will be able to stomach images like that which is normal, it's human nature. I personally feel as though exposing images like that shouldn't be broadcasted to the world. Maybe give people an option to view because it wouldn't be fair for someone who doesn't like seeing things like that to turn on their TV's and that's what's on. It's a very depressing picture. I can't imagine what those kids went through and I don't want to. I've seen a lot of fucked up things before and this is definitely something I'll try not to remember but I know I wont forget.
ReplyDeleteThese pictures should definitely be made public. People need to know the serious issues that are happening around the world. However, the media could definitely get the information out there in a more effective way. Instead of just talking about it these writers should use some of the power they have by telling their thousands of readers what they should do to help. Rather than just having them read the article and then flip the page. The draw backs of posting pictures like these are the simple fact that this picture of someone’s child is being published around the world as if it is nothing. It’s a terrible thing that events like this are really happening out there.
ReplyDeletePictures such as this although depressing should be released to the public. It may be shocking but it could open people's eyes to more events like this. When people don't see something it doesn't affect them as much as just hearing about it. When I heard about the Mexican drug cartel beheadings it bothered me, but seeing a video opened my eyes and impacted so much more than just hearing about it. I was shocked and upset. some people need to see these images to really see the magnitude of these issues.
ReplyDeleteI believe photos like these are needed for the public simply because it shows that life isn't fair. Like we have people these days who complain about simple things such as not having things that they want, not being able to do things that they want, and just flat out complaining about little things in life. Pictures like these are needed to show that people need to be greatful that they are living and greatful for the things that they have. Pictures like these make people really think about life. Like that gut feeling is symbolizing humbleness. The picture is very depressing and for other children to see it, is probably worse because they don't quite fully understand. Like this is life, situations like this one happens almost everyday around the world.
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