Published: January 14, 2007 02:26 pm      

Desensitized nation

by Kasey Doyle

We are a desensitized nation.

The execution of Saddam Hussein proves this.

Iraqi state television showed brief footage of the execution, which took place two weeks ago. Images of guards in ski masks placing a noose around Saddam’s neck were flashed on national news stations across the United States. The footage was cut off moments before the deposed dictator was hanged.

Those images were not enough for us. The next day the entire execution could be viewed on the Internet. A witness at the execution had recorded the hanging on a cell phone; the video was soon posted on hundreds of Web sites.

I fought the urge to view the video, but temptation finally got the best of me. I logged on and watched the entire unedited recording.

I felt no emotion.

I, like most Americans, was relieved to know Saddam had been executed, but I honestly thought the image of someone dying would disturb me. Instead, I was surprised to find that I felt nothing at all.

Our eagerness to view the death of someone is somewhat disturbing. The video spread across the Internet faster than a wild fire, and we wanted to see more.

It wasn’t enough for us to see the video footage from the Iraqi news stations; we longed to watch his body dangling from the noose.

And I was just as anxious to view it as the rest of the world.

This made me realize how desensitized I am.

I watch violent movies and television shows. As a reporter, I’ve covered fatal car wrecks and murders. It’s easy to become numb to death when you are faced with it on a daily basis.

Even though I believe Saddam got what he deserved, he is still a human being, and watching someone die should stir emotions in us.

But images of death are not uncommon. We see these pictures plastered in newspapers everyday. They flash across our TV screens as we are watching CNN.

On Sept. 11, 2001, we watched people leap from burning skyscrapers. We saw images of decaying bodies after Katrina and the tsunami. And yet, we never seem to turn our eyes away from these images of death.

Two weeks ago we were posting links to it.

Kasey Doyle is the design editor for the Times-Tribune. She can be reached at kdoyle@thetimestribune.com