Is it unethical to watch videos of people being killed?

[David]

This isn't the greatest article ever written, but it did set me off on a train of thought:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/14/watching-execution-videos-islamic-state-hurt-grieving-relatives-brutalises-us

Personally, I have very little desire to see one of these execution videos, and I do wonder about the mentality of people who seek them out. So, I'm amazed that so many people—50% of the British population, apparently—have seen these clips already.

I believe that it's illegal to watch these Islamic State videos here, and we're generally urged to avoid them. But I'm not sure why, exactly. Because it plays into the terrorists' hands? Surely the news articles already do that. Because you're a participant in the gruesome deaths of these people? Perhaps, but it's not exactly clear how. Because it's sickening? Well, yes, but is that really the point?

Other videos that have been doing the rounds in recent weeks are footage of African-American men being killed by police officers. I haven't seen those either, but in that case I almost feel guilty for not doing so. That footage (like say, the Wikileaks 'collateral murder' video or images of the Rwandan genocide) is an important record of human cruelty and oppression, and it would clearly be wrong to ban it, even though the victims obviously get no say in who gets to see their fate and we have no way of controlling how viewers will react.

So, how do we resolve this dilemma? Is it unethical to see actual footage of murder, and if so, when? Or does it not really make a lot of difference what we do either way?

What do you think?

[think positive]

I remember watching a couple of gutless Islamic terrorists with hoods, killing a guy about 10 years ago. He was on his knees, with his hands behind his back, and they chopped his head off. He screamed almost until the last peice of skin was cut.

(But it's ok, he was a white American! And not even a journalist!)

It haunted me for ages, I have no wish to see another.

And yes I felt guilty, it's obscene and disrespectful to him and his family.

[stui magpie]

Is it wrong to watch i?

I'm not actually sure. It's sure as hell wrong to watch for enjoyment, but the only other reason yo watch it I can think of other than for official investigatory purposes would be morbid curiosity.

Does watching someone being killed somehow disrespect that person? Not in my opinion it doesn't.

[1061]

I stated watching one and was about to stop when I thought he deserves more than me getting all squeamish, I felt I owed it to him to finish watching his murder.

[David]

[1061]

[Jezza]

I think it's morbid curiosity more than anything else that prompts people to watch such videos. When stories of beheadings and drive by shootings are reported on the news in Iraq and Syria it almost feels so surreal to readers that actually seeing a video makes the situation feel very real and terrifying and provides a grim reality of what's really happening over there.

I'm all for people having the right to watch such videos despite their barbaric and obscene nature but I do worry that exposure to such material will make us a desensitised society though and such incidences will no longer be seen as a shock to many of us so I hope it doesn't come to that either.

I'm in two minds about this. I understand the premise that watching videos like this is disrespectful to the victims and their family and friends but I'd also argue that watching a video does justice to the victim in a strange way because it provides viewers an insight to what is really happening in these countries rather than mollycoddling the situation and being in denial about it.

It's a tough topic to discuss without trying to be insensitive about a sensitive and controversial topic.

Interesting that many videos are uploaded by the likes of ISIS for propaganda and recruiting purposes so that in itself provides a strong argument that taking down such videos might be the best way forward in trying to eliminate the potential radicalism that has emerged in the past decade or so.

[Skids]

[1061]

I know what you mean but as Jezza mentions I felt it would be an injustice to the victim not to finish watching what I'd started.