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| World War One, 1914-1918. |
Before we dismiss the Campbells as outliers, consider the various spectacles of violence that people (even you, perhaps?) find entertaining. What, if anything, does this kind of behavior suggest about human nature? What, if anything, does it say about what makes people happy? Or the role governments might play in the regulation of violence?
Human nature is in fact a very “queer” thing. We watch shows on television that feature violence and various other types of vulgar acts of crime. Humans read about violence in the newspaper each morning before they go about their daily routines. While this may not necessarily make people happy so to speak, it sparks an interest in us. We want to know how and why these acts are committed, and how the perpetrators will be caught and be made to pay for their actions. The government can’t necessarily regulate these materials, but they could play a bigger part in making sure laws are upheld so that committing violence is something to be feared by even the hardest of criminals, and not something that is scoffed at by the less moral part of our society.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Hailey in that we find amusement in some of the most odd things. Take for example sports, how often does the bone crunching sound of a football tackle echo out of our televisions? And why is boxing considered a sport to some, and a sham to others? I think that it is strange that we find these things entertaining, but I also think that it would be silly to attempt to deny taking part in enjoying these events.
ReplyDeleteI find it even more strange, however, that the government decides what types of violence/profanity are okay. Where is the line drawn in modern society? It seems to me that our tolerance of the previously unacceptable is increasing day by day.
William Golding delved into this question, or at least one similar to it, with his fiction novel, Lord of the Flies. The book is about a group of British boys who's plane crashes on a deserted island. The boys immediately begin trying to set up a type of government and way of life. The book ends in death, disaster, and even cannibalism. Through these pictures, Golding was trying to reveal to people the savage within. In this aspect, I agree with Golding. Human nature is a little bit savage. We have instincts deep within that have a craving for violence. I believe this is why people watch vicious fights or mystery televisions shows involving gruesome murders. Don't get me wrong. I would much rather we watch it on tv then involve it in our everyday lives, like has happened in the past and even presently in war.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Micah that all people have savage instincts. However, I think that the fascination with violence and death shown by Campbell’s parents and the popularity of gruesome crime shows comes from curiosity, not savageness. People have an innate interest in death because it remains a great, mysterious unknown until it inevitably happens. People want to develop an understanding of death to help us cope with our mortality. Watching crime shows and looking at war pictures gives us a powerful sensation of what it might feel like to die. This sensation appeals to our curiosity. I think that people who can form a peaceful view on death will be happier than those who live in fear of death.
ReplyDeleteBut do viewers identify with the victims of violence (the dead and dying) or the perpetrators of it (the killers)? Is it death that fascinates or killing?
ReplyDeleteThe human mind is something that can be manipulated. Being deprived of basic human needs, such as water and food, will always bring about a change in humans. Campbell’s father most likely was interested in the grotesque photos because he had been stripped of his identity. The war had changed peoples’ ways of life because society no longer revolved around basic living, but killing and protection of personal lives. It doesn’t say anything about what makes people happy because their minds are so messed up from the war. The government encourages the pictures because they know their people are at the easiest manipulated point in their lives. The puppets are doomed because they are being reconstructed around the war.
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