Sontag discusses just how photography is used to illustrate the good, the bad, and the evil within her work Regarding the Pain of Others. Sontag focuses on how individuals seem to be perceiving these photographs of varying aspects of life. Photographs can capture such a surreal moment in life but when presented to an audience, individuals begin to formulate their own opinions of the situation at hand.
Individuals seem to be losing compassion and going “numb” at rapid rates. According to studies, as the number of the victims in a crisis increases, compassionate emotion and behavior decreases (Seppala, Emma, et al). This is an interesting concept to look at because normally we would think as the number of victims increase, the number of individuals wanting to support and help these victims increase. However, the trend of individuals wanting to help those in need shows the exact opposite response.
Sontag discusses how photographs may act as a factor in the inability to sympathize with those experiencing mass suffering. Photographs that capture such mass suffering often add a sort of filter over the situation, often “beautifying” it. “We need to account for not just the power of image but their powerlessness, their importance, their abjection” (Thomas 10). As Thomas states, photographs are often seen as powerless when they should reflect importance. Further, in the video Images of Trauma Dr. Maurice Stevens and Dr. Ryann Patrus discusses how many individuals view photographs of mass suffering. They uncover the idea that many people use photos to distance themselves from the situation and realize how grateful they are that they do not have to experience what is being pictured.
“One death is a tragedy; one million is a statistic” (Cameron and Payne).This quote by Joseph Stalin, while it seems harsh, is an example of the collapse of compassion constantly occurring. The photos we view of mass suffering could be seen as a form of othering. The way in which individuals care very little for mass groups suffering is a reflection of an invisible hierarchy in place. As explained in the video Images of Trauma, many individuals use photographs of mass suffering as a way of distancing themselves from situations they are not experiencing firsthand. Thus, this distancing and ignorance of mass suffering creates an otherness out of those individuals seeking help.
Bibliography
Cameron, C. Daryl, and B. Keith Payne. “Escaping Affect: How Motivated Emotion Regulation Creates Insensitivity to Mass Suffering.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 100, no. 1, 2011, pp. 1–15., https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021643.
Seppala, Emma, et al. The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science. Oxford University Press, 2017.
Thomas, Mitchell W J. What Do Pictures Want?: The Lives and Loves of Images. Univ. of Chicago Press, 2010.
This context presentation was so wonderfully worded. I love how you explained how photographs make people feel different ways, The use of the quote from Joseph Stalin also tied the whole post together. This post made me understand the work for the week so much better.
Hello, I really liked this post and thought your ideas were very interesting. I really agree with what you had to say about the photographers that are capturing these violent images. It is not rare that these images are changed to be more appealing to an audience. I also like how you mentioned that people often enjoy images of war because it gives them a sense of safety and thankfulness that images are the only way they are familiar with war. Overall, nice work I think you did a good job of highlighting Sontag’s main ideas.