Though it is fair to say that we are a generally a compassionate community, how is it possible that we have reached a stage where society has seemingly developed less empathy for raped, abused and murdered children, yet works itself into a frenzy when an animal or pet is injured, abused or lost?
To put this into context, the question is not so much why people care about hurt or abused animals, but rather why the perception is that they don’t care as much about hurt or abused human beings.
Social media has changed the face of newspaper publication in that there is now instant, direct and uncensored access to our reading public’s thought processes, previously an unexplored area.
In the past things such as sales statistics and ‘Letters to the Editor’ had to serve as guidelines to inform publications which stories were making an impact on the lives of their readers, clients and the community at large.
But while social media is very handy from a commercial point of view, the new insights it provides also has an alarming and sometimes dark side to it.
Firstly – and this is a global phenomenon – people in general tend to put little thought into their words (status updates and comments) and language (often quite vulgar, and used out of context).
The online community takes very personally everything that appears on the worldwide web, and most comment blocks under articles and headlines are filled with people ‘throwing their hands up in the air’, but not actually adding any value to the issue under discussion.
What is significant about this is that the outpouring of emotions are far more reactionary relating to issues such animal abuse, blocked drains, potholes in the road or traffic gripes.
An unfair assumption?
Reality
In January our online department ran a story that involved murdered children who had been tortured and suffered the agony of literally having flesh removed from their bodies.
Though hundreds – if not thousands – people read the story, it went either unnoticed or failed to move anyone to voice an opinion. There was not a single comment online.
Stories about children and babies being raped, dying in fires or being abused, as well as injustices within our community elicit hardly a blip on our social media forums.
Yet, when a story about a dog dying at the end of a leash, hanging from a moving vehicle hits the streets, the outcry is instant.
As sad as the story is, one cannot help wonder about the apparent indifference when it comes to human debauchery and brutality.
Have we as a human race become so desensitized to the revolting things we are capable of that we now choose to ignore it?
Psychological denial of realities – unpleasant as they may be – will only delay the resetting of our moral compass we so desperately need.
the difference…. humans can go to others for help, we have support structures. The resources put into helping animals vs the resources put into helping humans can not be compared. Animals are 100% helpless and can’t go to their friends, they can’t go to their families for help, they can’t go to the police for help. Im not condoning the terrible things humans do to each other, however, when we do these things to animals it elicits such a response because those creatures are truly helpless in comparison. We get little fines for animal cruelty. We go to jail for violence against humans. Now…. that is unjust if you ask me.