Comment by oblib | Hacker News Reader

Comment by oblib | Hacker News Reader

I can't say there are many things I do not want to know, but there are things I do not want to see like videos/photos of deadly car crashes, war battles, murders, etc.

So I also never watch "slasher" movies/TV, or read books that depict graphic violence/gore.

I'm not squeamish, I have raised, slaughtered, and dressed livestock since I was a teen. That's never been a source of "fun" for me though. It has a real life purpose and the end result has always been a much improved source of food for my family and I.

I seldom watch anything on TV that has any violence at all and to be honest I'm a bit leery of those who go out of their way, like to a movie theater, to see it. I'm 62 and this something I've done since a was a teen.

I just don't want those images in my memory. I've never looked into it but my gut feeling is they desensitize us. Looking at the current state of the obsession with owning arms designed specifically to murder humans compared to when I was growing up, I think there is ample proof of that.

> I've never looked into it but my gut feeling is they desensitize us. Looking at the current state of the obsession with owning arms designed specifically to murder humans

There have been studies on this and my recollection is that despite the "gut feelings" people have about this, it doesn't hold up to the level of being able to prove causation. At best, there is a level of correlation (not strong). Most I've read show that people are able to differentiate between reality and "entertainment".

I'd recommend looking into the studies that have been done (and be warned, there are also some really bad studies in this area, paid for, low sample size, etc.) Also, I fully recognize that this is an area we need more study because it's been stymied for years by various laws that prevent investment in researching anything that is in this area.

Note - I also want to clarify that I am not a gun nut or 2A absolutist or anything of that nature and not trying to dive down that rabbit hole - so not trying to defend their misplaced importance and/or misuse in any way. And I'm also not saying we should wait to try things for studies to be done. But I think it's important to know the real underlying issues so we work toward fixing the problem correctly.

I just looked into crime rates and they're actually close to historical lows.

But that's not really a measure for rather we're "desensitized", and maybe that's the wrong word for what I feel about this.

Basically, I can't imagine how consuming violent movies, games, images, music, does not affect oneself. I don't necessarily think that makes one prone to violence, but I do feel it may move them towards depression.

I avoid even comparatively mild stuff, e.g. Godfather or Dark Knight (peeking at IMDB's top movies), and have done so for decades. It's a conscious decision, one I made in my twenties and not in any way related to aesthetics, anxiety, being childish, or mental issues.

I'm not really advocating it. I don't claim it gives superpowers or big benefits (and if anyone claims them, I'd ask for hard scientific evidence), but I can just say that any life decisions differentiate a person, even if by tiny bit. Looking at the whole population, life decisions make people diverse and drive them to bump against each other, which is mostly fun, no?

Have you considered spoiling the book/movie/television show after you realize it's making you anxious? If you skip parts in the middle or read the ending, your brain won't be waiting for the other shoe to drop; it'll be working on figuring out why the shoe will inevitably drop in the third act.

Parent didn't imply any anxiety issues, but you just did, and it doesn't look like a coincidence to be honest. If I calmly assume that I've seen enough of the piece of art based on a meaningful sample, it's kinda hard to maintain my interest.

A different take: videos of horrible things show rare insights into behaviors that are only visible before the horrible thing. For example, how a robbery goes bad and ends up as a multiple murder. Or how someone will hide and wait to kill someone. Of course I'd rather not see that stuff in general, but more than that, I'd rather have a basic understanding of how those things play out.

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