How Desensitized Are You?

A friend and I were talking about many subjects including desensitization, and it occurred to me that while I take many strong stances against the wide spread violent media and negative outlook, I too have taken up a lack of feeling.

At some points this is the case, but at other times when I have not been looking or reading a lot about graphic things and then I do, I feel distressed. This mainly occurs when reading about children’s problems. And at other times I actually enjoy indulging in very graphic things; entertaining. But only when in a fairly diluted state of mind.

Is this intentional for some reason in order to condition us for things to come? Or does it sell well? Perhaps a bit of both. Heavy desensitization can lead to a hard heart and serious emotional issues.

Reactions. If one was around the following type of video for long enough, they would become used to it.



However, I could not find the video of a kid completely uninterested while eating a sausage and watching the pain Olympics. Personally I only found it moderately disturbing, although for some reason I stopped 3/4 short.

Please forgive me

[edit on 2/2/2008 by Nyorai]

i know what you mean, but i think it is good, i have effectively, over the past year, "desensitized" myself to the point were i watched two girls one cup and pain olympics without flinching, it depends on your view i guess

that song is becoming popular. I was tricked into watching that video by some friends in a similar situation, I couldnt watch the hole thing, I almost threw up.

The question to ask is "Why are we being desensitized ?"

watchZEITGEISTnow

I am desensitized to the point where nothing will bother me. I can watch the afore mentioned shock videos completely unnerved and while eating a sausage.

Originally posted by tankthinker
i know what you mean, but i think it is good, i have effectively, over the past year, "desensitized" myself to the point were i watched two girls one cup and pain olympics without flinching, it depends on your view i guess

Oh that's just sick. You watched Two Girls One Cup without flinching ?

Not descenzitized.
Apathetic and realistic.
And I just don't see a problem with fictional depictions of violence as long as it stays fictional.

Try working on a bowel obstruction recirc and then going to lunch. You will never smell anything so foul except for a burn pt 3rd degree over 60 percent. That # will linger in the hall for over 3 hours. Wusses, lol.

I was just thinking, if a real event such as a shootout or a murder or rape or what-have-you actually took place in front of you, would you react differently?

I admit that I get much uncomfortable during event small situations with people. Even argumentative dispositions can get me heated. In the case of a survival event though, I think I would just mentally block the emotion and deal with it until after the event. That or I would panic, one or the other lol.

[edit on 4/2/2008 by Nyorai]

reply to post by Nyorai


I may be wrong, but I think that most people who think that they have become desensitized from the Internet / movies / tv ...etc, will be no more prepared for a real situation than anyone else. If anything, I wouldn't be surprised to see that many of these people who think they can handle anything due to what they watch all day would be crippled by fear when the reality of the situation sets in. Acknowledge it or not, there is still that sense of detachment from what you see on your computer or tv. When honest to god fear for your life sets in, I could imagine the fear becoming overwhelming.

reply to post by Karlhungis


Certain circumstances would definitely slap the silly out of them and they would realize they aren't on reality tv.

Though it would make sense that people would act by what they have learned on television and other sources, be it subconsciously or recollection. It is what they know. And, as we know, there is a lot of farce cheese out there.

Thankfully some of us can tell the difference (I hope).

lol, I just watched the 1st episode of season 4 of guess what show?
Some of that I just might take to heart subconsciously.

[edit on 4/2/2008 by Nyorai]

Shock videos that involve human suffering and defecation still make me want to throw up. The violence not so much, it makes me very unsettled but I still feel sick at the thought of what some people are willing to do to others.

The body 'fluid' videos are the most disgusting things I have ever witnessed, I was tricked into watching that 2girls1cup and I swung for the guy who put it up. It's disgusting that people would lower themselves to this and even more so that some people enjoy it and find it funny.

Dead people don't bother me so much, if at all. But I know people that freak at the merest hint of a corpse. Why only last Sunday, I was walking over a step bridge on the way to town and must have passed within a few feet of a corpse without even noticing, half an hour later, the place was cordoned off.

www.dailyecho.co.uk...

I walked over that bridge and contemplated going down that very alley only about half an hour before he was found. And it doesn't bother me in the slightest, but one of my friends was horrified.

reply to post by Zanzibar


Oh, you were really there and saw it?

This makes me think that a lot of our indifference to things can come back to us as stress. We may not even know where this stress or other feelings come from. In fact, after a traumatic event we may not even feel its emotional effects until much later.

When my arm broke for the first time years ago I freaked. But later that same year when I broke the other arm I was level minded and knew what to do. In this case I feel it was a good and positive experience.

[edit on 4/2/2008 by Nyorai]

reply to post by Nyorai


What are you, a rookie? That's just two friends enjoying a lovely treat. It's about sharing you silly goose. Here are some of my favorite reactions...



Bill Burr and Adam Ferrara's are particularly funny and you can link to them from there.

Of course, there's a big difference between two lovely Brazillian ladies sharing some chocolate mousse and violence.
Truly violent videos are very disturbing and could cause me to lose sleep. I feel like to desensitize myself to violence would drain away at my humanity. I could ramble on and on about this, but I have to add that this does not apply to most hollywood violence. Current TV, movies, and video games are harmless and anyone that tries to put some kind of blame on them is an attention seeking douche.

And who doesn't love two friends just sharing a treat?