By Alvaro Ramirez
A few years ago, one of my favorite cousins told me how his only son had been killed in a drive-by shooting in California. Though the incident had happened months earlier, the pain and anguish he still felt were palpable. To this day, I have yet to forget that look in his eyes, the emptiness left in his life that was tormenting him.
Now, whenever I hear or read of children dying in wars, high school shootings, or even crossing a desert in search of a better life, my cousin’s painful gaze is there to remind me that I cannot allow myself to become desensitized to the violence that affects children everywhere in the world today. In fact, I force myself to do the opposite, I make an effort to sensitize myself to all acts of violence and see these actions for what they truly are.
If you feel detached from your feelings of empathy, these are some of the ways in which you can resensitize yourself to the senseless violence mediated by films, television, videos, and music.
Approach media critically
Always approach critically every film and television show that depicts gratuitous violence. Remember that rarely do these media represent the painful consequences and the psychological dysfunction that its victims suffer the rest of their lives.
Change the way you think about war
Wars are not the heroic acts you see in movies: soldiers fighting soldiers where the good guys (usually Americans) win. The elderly, women, and children are brutalized in many ways in the wars currently happening in the world. Be conscious of this fact when you read or hear the sanitized reports on television or the internet.
Limit what your children watch
As parents, we need to be aware of the negative impact violent video games have on children; they are learning how to kill, and see death as a sporting activity that has its rewards.
Watch out for violence in music
Be aware that there are many catchy songs—rap, rock and, especially, narcocorridos—that easily lull us into an anesthetized state of mind where we don’t pay attention to the lyrics that describe the graphic violence perpetrated against other people, such as women. As we dance and sing along we are celebrating these horrible acts and forget how they tear families and society apart.
Forced migration is violence too
Lastly, remember that, in many cases, immigration is a forced action that entails violence. We’ve become used to seeing images of immigrants around the world. The media, however, hardly talks about the ways in which violence is part of this experience, not just in the sending countries, but along the trails migrants follow where organized gangs kidnap many migrants and force women and children into prostitution. Thus, forced migration is not only a political matter, but it is also an act full of violence that dehumanizes people.
We cannot afford to be desensitized to violence any longer. The interconnected world in which we live demands that we be sympathetic to the plight of the millions of our fellow human beings who suffer the consequences of forced migration, wars, and mass shootings. We particularly need to be aware of the plight of innocent children caught up in the endless violence. Above all, we need to be sensitized to the fact that media representations numb people to violence.
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