Why some images shock us

[vern_humphrey]

There are many things that occur in other cultures that are not considered appropriate (often not even considered legal) in our own culture here in the US. If you are out showing these photos to young children in those other cultures as well, I will leave it to their parents to argue with you over whether such is appropriate in that cultural context.

It is not illegal to show these pictures in our culture.

The fact that you don’t approve doesn’t mean they don’t accomplish their purpose.

 

[KarenNC]

It is not illegal to show these pictures in our culture.

The fact that you don’t approve doesn’t mean they don’t accomplish their purpose.

I did not say that they were illegal. I said that there are many things in other cultures that are considered inappropriate or even illegal in our culture.

Whether it is appropriate to show horrific pictures of mutilated blood covered corpses of babies to young children in another culture is not a justification to do so in this culture. If the people who were doing the displaying were from a culture in which this is appropriate, then you might have an argument that it is simply a case of applying the standards of their home culture to ours and not understanding that there is a difference. If it were a case of Americans using these imagaes in another culture and abiding by the standards of that culture, you might have an arugment. However, that is not the case. These are Americans, brought up in an American culture, who are choosing to perpetrate these actions on other Americans.

The fact that you want to display them in any and every situation to any and everyone does not make it right or appropriate. To the extent that the purpose, by word or deed, is to knowingly and deliberately and intentionally display them in front of young children without their parents’ consent, the purpose is wrong.

 

[Newbie2]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Newbie2
So we’re supposed to teach our kids early that dismembered fetuses and corpses are not supposed to be shocking?

No, we are supposed to teach our kids early that dismembering babies is wrong.

But desensitizing to all such graphic images is an acceptable side effect?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Newbie2
Wouldn’t that lead to a “ho-hum…there’s another picture of a dismembered fetus, big deal” attitude in our youth? Kinda like the desentization with violent video games?

And then the problem of kids being traumatized by them would go away then, wouldn’t it? It looks as if many who are opposed to the pictures want kids to be traumatized by them so that they have an excuse to oppose them.

So the solution is to “de-shock” the pictures i.e. desensitize the little kids to all violent and graphic images?

I disagree that having such an excuse to oppose them is the motivation…at least for some. Methinks it’s an opposition of the you-know-what bent on the end justifies the means, rather than having at some acknowledgement that such images could be problematic for some children.

Agreed that some may be using this as an excuse to oppose Abortion protests.

 

[mangy_dog]

Thought this was an interesting answer to the abortionists who object to images of “fetal tissue” being used to dissuade people from getting abortions.

WARNING, SOMEWHAT GRAPHIC PHOTO

I haven’t (and I won’t) opened your picture. Graphic gore and death do not phase me. But it would be disrespectful of me to view someone else’s death pictures, however instrumental they may be for the cause of this or that thing.

My job is to pray and to have hope and faith that the Lord listens to my prayers and bring about good things and change via our prayers and petitions to Him.

The mystery of iniquity (sin) is of such a nature as to cause eternal consequences of unimaginable horror. Society has made sure that we become de-sensitized to horror, death, gore (human or otherwise) so as to render the effects of one horrible picture more explicit than the other and in this way focus our senses not on the horrors of sin but on the visually viceral and shockingly explicit.
We are becoming a society of pictures and images and less one of words and ideas.

Where am I going with this??? I don’t know. What I do know is that my job is to pray. If more catholics and christians alike realized that prayer is their primary job…there’d be less contention about using pictures to preach the Word of God.

 

[Delphinus85]

You left out the part about how we grownups are supposed to educate the children. We are supposed to instil values in them, so they can grow up to be strong, morally upright adults.

As I said, it’s a comment on our education system that so many cannot use words like “duty,” “obligation” and “responsibility” in a sentence.

Yes, it’s our job to educate our children. OUR JOB not some guy on the street with a sign!! It’s our duty to teach our kids about the horrific social injustice, it’s our obligation to teach it to them in a way they will understand, it’s our responsibility to talkto them about it, and also to shield them from images we feel will do them harm. It’s OUR duty, responsibility, and obligation, NOT YOURS.

 

[Scottgun]

Yes, it’s our job to educate our children. OUR JOB not some guy on the street with a sign!! It’s our duty to teach our kids about the horrific social injustice, it’s our obligation to teach it to them in a way they will understand, it’s our responsibility to talkto them about it, and also to shield them from images we feel will do them harm. It’s OUR duty, responsibility, and obligation, NOT YOURS.

Yep. But once again, this does not one thing to argue against the guy on the street. In short:

Protesting in public with graphic images is perfectly morally legit and no one has come remotely close to a valid argument otherwise. Some people, bless their hearts, have not tried because they are smart enough to know not to double down on a losing bet.

But they do take us down a debate about wisdom and effectiveness which of course falls under subjective prudence. (Frankly it seems more an attempt to make using graphic images wrong through the back door, but I’ll let that pass) Advantage: protesters because–ta da! It’s subjective, and the Think-of-the-children types really start sounding like Joceyln Elders in their imperviousness to sound arguments.

 

[Scottgun]

I haven’t (and I won’t) opened your picture. Graphic gore and death do not phase me. But it would be disrespectful of me to view someone else’s death pictures, however instrumental they may be for the cause of this or that thing.

Then a description should be acceptable. It is a picture of a lung after the effects of excessive smoking. The point is, very few people balk at using these to disuade people from smoking and this points out the fundamental disconnect–there is no protest when these pictures which are every bit as gory are shown to children.

Where am I going with this??? I don’t know. What I do know is that my job is to pray. If more catholics and christians alike realized that prayer is their primary job…there’d be less contention about using pictures to preach the Word of God.

I think you will find most of the graphic-image protestors do lots of praying. It’s not either/or but both/and.

 

[Delphinus85]

It is not illegal to show these pictures in our culture.

The fact that you don’t approve doesn’t mean they don’t accomplish their purpose.

No, but it is illegal to show them in public where there are minors, as a “truth truck” driver recently found out. They are obscene images, and do not have a place in the public eye. There is, however, nothing wrong with websites, and flyers given to adults.

Secondly, this website is way off base. I am as pro-life as they come, but rest assured if I see these images being used on signs in a public place where young kids can see without parental consent. I WILL call the police in the same way I would if people were displaying pornographic images on signs on a street corner. THey are deemed offensive, crude, and obscene. It’s not a freedom of speech issue when you are causing harm to another or depriving another of their rights. If you want to protest (as I have on occasion) then use WORDS, use LOVE, use PRAYER, don’t damage young children to get your image out there. As someone who is pro-life i am concerned for the welfare of ALL children.

 

[vern_humphrey]

I did not say that they were illegal. I said that there are many things in other cultures that are considered inappropriate or even illegal in our culture.

Whether it is appropriate to show horrific pictures of mutilated blood covered corpses of babies to young children in another culture is not a justification to do so in this culture.

And the fact that you say it’s inappropriate doesn’t make it so.

 

[mangy_dog]

Then a description should be acceptable. It is a picture of a lung after the effects of excessive smoking. The point is, very few people balk at using these to disuade people from smoking and this points out the fundamental disconnect–there is no protest when these pictures which are every bit as gory are shown to children.

I think you will find most of the graphic-image protestors do lots of praying. It’s not either/or but both/and.

 

[mapleoak]

There are many things that occur in other cultures that are not considered appropriate (often not even considered legal) in our own culture here in the US. If you are out showing these photos to young children in those other cultures as well, I will leave it to their parents to argue with you over whether such is appropriate in that cultural context.

The problem with being culturally acceptable is it is not a moral compass. Abortion itself in our country is culturally acceptable.

 

[mangy_dog]

Then a description should be acceptable. It is a picture of a lung after the effects of excessive smoking. The point is, very few people balk at using these to disuade people from smoking and this points out the fundamental disconnect–there is no protest when these pictures which are every bit as gory are shown to children.

I think you will find most of the graphic-image protestors do lots of praying. It’s not either/or but both/and.

Anti-smoking; anti-abortion; anti-hacking someone to death in Africa; anti-stoning to death a woman in Iraq; anti-throwing acid in a womans face in Pakistan…pictures to the general public are a form of violence in themselves!
Instead of the greater good - it promotes the “lesser of two evils” philosophy.

My job is to pray. If Catholics, en masse, got together to pray the Rosary for example, that is, millions of Catholics praying at once…you could pick any of the above “antis” and prayer would change things. Garaunteed!

Maybe if we publish photos of people being hacked to death in Darfur it will raise the conciousness of our american christians and the hacking will stop…baloney!!!..Maybe if we stick a pebble in our shoe that hurts us and reminds us to pray continually throughout the day - the violence in Darfur would cease!!!

My job, your job and the job of every Catholic is to PRAY, be a witness onto others, be an instrument of His peace, to love and serve the Lord seeking the greater good and not just the lower form of “the lesser of two evils”.

 

[vern_humphrey]

Maybe if we publish photos of people being hacked to death in Darfur it will raise the conciousness of our american christians and the hacking will stop…baloney!!!..

That’s exactly what happened in Kosovo – bloody images and heart-wrenching stories are why the US went in and drove the Serbs out.

 

[estesbob]

The problem with being culturally acceptable is it is not a moral compass. Abortion itself in our country is culturally acceptable.

It is very sad that abortion itself is more culturally acceptable than showing images of it is.

 

[Scottgun]

pictures to the general public are a form of violence in themselves!
Instead of the greater good - it promotes the “lesser of two evils” philosophy.

Uhh…ok…but kindly fill the gaping hole where the supporting argument is supposed to be.

My job is to pray. If Catholics, en masse, got together to pray the Rosary for example, that is, millions of Catholics praying at once…you could pick any of the above “antis” and prayer would change things. Garaunteed!

Again, a false dilemma. One can both pray and raise public awareness in morally acceptable manners of which using graphic images is one and no one has shown otherwise.

Maybe if we publish photos of people being hacked to death in Darfur it will raise the conciousness of our american christians and the hacking will stop…baloney!!!..Maybe if we stick a pebble in our shoe that hurts us and reminds us to pray continually throughout the day - the violence in Darfur would cease!!!

No, no one is suggesting that graphic pictures alone will solve the problem and no one is saying stop praying.

My job, your job and the job of every Catholic is to PRAY, be a witness onto others, be an instrument of His peace, to love and serve the Lord seeking the greater good and not just the lower form of “the lesser of two evils”.

Yes, I agree on praying. But you can’t make using graphic images of abortion a “lesser evil” by merely asserting it so in superpope mode.

 

[mangy_dog]

Please don’t interpret my silence for agreement. …It’s just that I’m praying.

 

[Scottgun]

Please don’t interpret my silence for agreement. …It’s just that I’m praying.

I wouldn’t do that to you…even if you took 3 months. People have all kinds of legitimate reasons for not posting.

Hey, I’m in complete agreement that we need prayer and lots of it. I also think saints like Kolbe did things as well as prayed. If using graphic images of abortion is a lesser evil, then it is wrong, period. And that is a lot of people doing wrong (with complete bishophric silence I might add)–making it a serious accusation that requires serious substantiation.

God bless,

Scott

 

[estesbob]

Let us take a moment away from disagreeingand pray for those on the front line of the abortion wars. Let us ask the Lord to give them the wisdom to know the best way to approach women anticipating an abortion and society at large. May the Lord reveal to them what is most effective in any given situation. May the Lord comfort them and give them perseverance as they face this abject evil on a daily basis

Father let our prayers be heard in your presecne for they are offered through Christ Our Lord