Desensatization? OR Do we just not care anymore?

I think people are too preoccupied with celebrities news and soap operas and their own personal issues to care about anyone or anything else. The news of what happens to real people make me more emotional because I know that most people who have the power to do a thing about it just don't care enough and those of them that want to are too scared to...

I think we are desensitized. There is no way we can turn on the news, read the newspaper or online news without being bombarded with items more horrid than humans ought to be capable of. How many humans have the mental energy to process all these events? This is one reason I personally try to limit the crime t.v. shows in my life. This is hard because my dh and ds turn the t.v. on quite a lot. However, all the made up crime on top of the horrid news programs helps to desensitize me. At this point, I still get upset upon hearing of violent crimes and problems. I don't want to go unaffected upon hearing horrid news. What kind of humans will we be if we don't care anymore? In your case, don't be hard on yourself. Worry if you no longer have compassion for those around you that are in trouble and you don't care enough to help.

No matter how bizzare or cruel etc, it can only shock you a certain number of times after that you get used to it. and that i think is called desensitisation.

I believe that we have become desensatized. It's not so much that these things don't bother us, they do. We just see the same stuff every day. Somebody is murdered, someone is robbed, car accidents, fighting amongst our service men and women. Children shooting other children. There is just so much violence out there that we do not have the ability to do anything about. The unfortunate thing about it is that there are people out there who are getting the ideas of doing things by what they see on TV. People blame video games and such, but the news can be just as much to blame. If the news goes on and on about one case, they are making the suspect famous and there is someone out there who is watching it that thinks, it worked for him...... or whatever and tries the same type of thing to get his 15 seconds of fame. I think it's pretty bad that I can't sit down at night and watch the news with my daughters since I try my damndest to keep violence from their innocent lives. The problem is that we do give a damn, but unfortunately, there aren't enough of us to make a difference.

Sensationalism sells. They will only air what brings high ratings and it's sickening. It's bad enough that these things happen in real life every day, do they have to air it on TV? It's the people who watch all that junk on TV that get desensitized to it and may even start committing some of the acts they see.

Desensitization OR not giving a damn anymore. Isnt it the same? However the feeling you describe is well known. Dont loose heart, in the instant case it is neither. Nowadays the media, in order to sell, overkills such issues, in the fond belief that the public laps it up. (If they(Media) are right then God help us-- we seem to enjoy the blood & gore) We dont 'feel'.. possibly because we have developed an immunity in order to retain our sanity. In any case what is the percentage of such cases? Most of us go through life without anyone near or dear or remotely near to us having resorted to such extremes.

News channels have to keep their ratings up, so this leads to sensationalism which leads to desensitizing the people. Sometimes it's hard to know if the news channels are blowing a story out of proportion or giving a slanted view. Since this is often the case it's easy to just let news bounce off you.

i think sensation makes the money for tv shows..... a very useless news which has no meaning for people displaying against the title 'BREAKING NEWS' is the common business. just don't think about it!!!

its just sometimes that you mind is preoccupied with some other things. that is why SOMETIMES you unconsciously seems not to care, but you really do.

i dont care for this all

Desensatization, it happens so frequently that it becomes like nothing. If people stood up, the media will not consistently replay these horrific images. There are no longer any positive news stories.

I'm not sure if it is desensitazation or as a people not caring anymore but if we think we have evolved since the barbaric days I think we are mistaken. There is good out there but sadly we are so bombarded with the negative aspect of this world in newspapers, on the radio, on tv that we miss the good around us.

I think we've been desensitized. It's a vicious cycle....criminals do something bad, the news reports it in ever more graphic and explicit detail, we watch it...same thing next day, over and over, until it seems 'normal' for people to do these things. The military does this to soldiers so they can go into battle and not flinch when it comes to doing their duty - that's fine, I want our soldiers to be able to function in bad situations, but non military people in society are almost as desensitized to these things as the soldiers who've trained to be that way.

I wish I was desensitised fom things like that happening. Unfortunately, the thought that things like that happen stress me. So much so I don't watch the news or read newspapers as they upset me.

Bit of both plus we con't know our neighbours anymore

I honestly think that we don't have a reaction to such horrible events anymore because we are so used to hearing them on the news day in and day out. There isn't much that even surprises me anymore to be honest. There aren't many things that I haven't heard about, anything from teens killing their parents to a mother jumping off a bridge with her baby. I even a heard a local case where some kids thought that it'd be fun to try and neuter a cat with a knife...the world has honestly become disgusting!

Apathy may be a sign of over-exposure to such horrific events, but the fact that you say that even "happy things" have no effect on you anymore sounds more like depression that desensitization to me. I'm certainly not an expert in the field, but from personal experience, I can relate to what you're feeling-or not feeling.

I believe it's a little of both. On a general basic, what we watch on T.V. and what we hear on the radio affect us in drastic ways. Entire life styles change to accompany one's musical tastes. Of course, that change doesn't occure drastically fast, but neither does this. People who watch the "garbage" on T.V. have a greater tolerance to things of violence and gore, making them harsh and rude to the public. Likewise, those who don't watch those specific programs on Television, they are easily timid, making them seem to be cowardly. I also believe kids now-a-days just don't have any respect. I don't know if it's because of the music and the television or what, but they just seem rude and disrespectful.

I feel what has happened in todays society is that a large majority do not care what goes on in the world. We are given so much more information today but this has not led to mass outcry, but the complete opposite. It is as if people are too scared of what others may think of them if they express their dissapproval or whether they genuinely do not give a toss. I speak from experience, I am very expressive in my views on what is going on in the world but I feel most people stay silent and will not express how they feel. I live in England and express my opinions on our government at every opportunnity possible, but people seem to be more interested in what the latest celebrity is up to or how much weight they have lost, while reading The Sun newspaper!!! The news gives us the bare minimum of what we need to know and alot of people are quite happy to accept this. If more people actually started to question what is happening we may not have such situations as Iraq and the bad leadership of Bush and Blair!!!! I agree with your comments but I hope that you will get people to think why we are becoming desensatized and how we can change this!! people need to unite and not let the big corporate businness control our lives!!!!!

OMG I know ezactly what you meen! I went to see Hostle with my friends and I spent the hole time peeking thru my fingers! It was so awful. My bf was laffing at me and pulling my hadns away from my face. He is so insensitive and I told him so.