disturbia

i came across a deeply upsetting image. there was a warning ahead of time but - let's be honest - that just made me curious. the thing is, this image is very knee-jerk disgusting. even though you can rationalize it away, it's still deeply disturbing. and it's stuck in my head. and no, i'm not linking it, 'cause i care about you too much.

countless others expressed dismay and anger about the posting, some vowing never to return to the site, but one reader observed that the website routinely and unapologetically raises issues that should upset us: abuse, addiction, self-destruction... why were many of us so adamant that *this* image be removed, but so indifferent about the other, much more immediate and urgent, concerns?

here's the thing: there is nothing noble about offending people for the sake of offending them. socrates wasn't a gadfly 'cause he got kicks out of it, though that may have been a pleasant side-effect. there is power in evoking sudden emotion because it can shock people out of complacency: i can be moved to intervene on behalf of battered women, or to talk more about the dangers of driving under the influence, or to seek out more ways to show love to those around me who hurt. but there is no "end" to this image. it's just disturbing. it's like sharing a nightmare with someone only to get it off your chest... except the listener inherits it. and that borders on abuse.