Sir, – As we watch the inevitable slide toward full-scale conflict in the Middle East, we must remind ourselves that those words “inevitable” and “slide” are cynical terms that appear to obviate responsibly: something is happening that no one can control. But I think that the instigators and perpetuators of war both in Hamas but especially in the Israeli government and its army are relying on a very modern device to continue to prosecute their inhuman agenda: our desensitisation to the horrific reality of the conflict due to overwhelming amount of social media images and videos of the conflict.
Susan Sontag, in her work Regarding the Pain of Others (2003), explored the effects of images, particularly images of suffering and violence. Sontag’s reflections are marked by a tension between recognising the power of images to reveal and move people, and an awareness of their limitations and potential to desensitise.
We must never look away but neither should the constant rolling footage of horror numb us to the reality.
Each citizen, every government and social media company has an obligation to counteract the cynical manipulation of our eyeballs to see the true human beings behind the digital panoply of suffering.
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The next time you see an image of injured, dying or dead child, you must pause, reflect and act with refocused humanity and compassion; if not the cynics will have won! – Yours, etc,
Prof COLIN P DOHERTY, MD
Head of School of Medicine,
Trinity College Dublin,
Dublin 2.