Within the past year alone, gun violence has become the leading cause of premature death in kids and adults. In the U.S., guns kill more than 38,000 and wounded 85,000 a year. In December, a 4-year-old boy was shot dead due to a man’s aggressive road rage in Lancaster, California. So much exposure to violence in the news is certain to have negative impacts on everyone, none more so than desensitization.
An increase in desensitized individuals, people who became less empathetic to events that they would normally be caring about due to being repeatedly exposed to them, is a huge issue that the people of society have faced recently. From bomb attacks and war in Israel to shootings in places that are supposed to feel safe, any person can become desensitized to tragedy without even realizing it. But what does desensitization really mean? After seeing so many negative things out on the news, a human can begin to get used to the feeling since they see violence so often.
Violence is a constant problem in our time and generation. Nothing will ever change if we do not come together to finally put this issue to a stop. Learning about these issues and paying attention to them can help stop it from ever happening again.
Many kids are exposed to violence and violent acts around their schools, communities and homes. In a nationally representative sample, 43% of adolescents witnessed violence in the last year and 40% were directly victimized. Experiencing such traumatic and scarring events can completely change a person and how to view life, especially at such a young age.
This has grown to become a very serious issue around the world but more so in the U.S. through issues such as school shootings, terrorist attacks, hostage situations and much more. Many of these hostile situations have been extremely overlooked and have not had the needed light shown on them especially when it comes to people losing their loved ones in wars in Israel.
Being so desensitized to these situations could also put someone in harm’s way. Everyone needs to be educated about the facts of these situations and what to do in similar scenarios. Being educated about these things can save someone’s life or even your own. Schools need to talk about both local and global current events in a way that does not simply add another tragedy to the evergrowing list, additionally addressing desensitization as a whole.
Even though desensitization is so pressing of an issue, it is important to note that there will always be tragedies on the news that constantly need acknowledgment. No matter how old or recent the tragedy is, human life is important and we need to help one another. Learning strategies can save someone’s life and can end up saving yours as well. The government should implement teachings and safety routines for these situations.
“The world will remain as brutal as our level of desensitization to its brutality,” said American spiritual writer Teal Swan. The more and more we keep being desensitized to our world’s actions, the more brutal of a place it will become. If nothing is done about this issue, especially with young people who are still developing, society itself will begin to crumble as fewer and fewer individuals care about their fellow man.
