Q: “Calling such wishes “morbid” suggests a rare aberration, but the attraction to such sights is not rare, and is a perennial source of inner torment” (Sontag 96).
C: This is a really conflicting statement for me personally, not something I particularly agree with Sontag on. I do not find pleasure or “wishes” in looking at the images of suffering. They evoke sadness and empathy out of me, wishing there was something I could do to relieve them. In some way, is this an emotion that would be considered attraction? To be sucked in to the suffering of another with the thoughts of saving them? Its difficult to think and process, but I believe it. I do not believe it makes us, in any terms, bad people. I believe it makes us more humane to have this reaction to imagery. How can we not want to help someone in immense torture, unless we psychologically are not affected by it. But who is to say which individual is to be affected by an image? It is up to the individual to sort out how they feel, and what to do. the word “torment” is a great way to describe these conflicting thoughts. To be able to help the suffering we see is a complex, frustrating issue to be handled.
Q: How do we, as individuals, deal with the pain of not being able to help those suffering? Is it considered its own kind of suffering; to not be able to help those in need?
Q: “If we could do something about the images we show, we might not care as much about these issues” (Sontag 117).
C: This times to my previous one, and presents another complex thought. If we were overwhelmed with these images of suffering, or could walk down the street to fix them; would we? It is something to digest. I would like to think that myself as an individual would go help if I could. Take an issue like homelessness though, something that bears its ugly head in our daily lives, yet is not fixed. Is this simply because we do not care to fix it anymore, or has the suffering spread so much it is unfixable? It really is interesting when you think about it. To help homelessness can be simple, donate money or time to help those suffering. Yet we spend out everyday lives (I assume for most) not helping, instead, maintaining our own daily needs.
Q: Would this be true if there were more suffering in America? What other issues that we “do not care about” but are shown are there? Does it only have to be war?
