Torture on Television

     All of this talk about torture has reminded me of my favorite television show which ended a couple of years ago: Prisonbreak. I love action movies and shows, and that is probably why I enjoyed it so much, for watching someone break out of three different prisons was incredibly fascinating and a thrill. But, this show also involved a huge amount of violence, and when the show first came out, I was in seventh grade. That year, I ended up watching Prisonbreak and Lost and loving both shows tremendously. My parents on the other hand strongly disapproved of me watching Prisonbreak. They did not understand as to why me, a seventh-grade girl, would want to watch a violent prison drama. Truth be told, it is odd that I enjoyed watching a show where people were constantly being shot, stabbed, or getting beaten. However, the show was not just violence. It was also a love story between the main character and the doctor at the prison. It was a story of brotherly love between a wrongly accused inmate and his brother who actually committed a crime so he would be sent to prison where he could break his brother out. It was a story of innocent people who were targeted by a secret organization and a corrupt government. This, was what I loved.
     This has got me thinking though, why is it that people enjoy watching people be tortured on television shows? I know for myself I would sometimes look away if the torture got too graphic, but I did not turn off the television and walk away. Why was this? I think it may be because people realize that television and movies are truly fiction. They forget the fact that the actors are portraying real-life scenarios and get lost in the fantasy world. It is obvious that if they were to watch someone actually be tortured, they probably would not be able to handle it. This also reminds me of the saying, "It was so bad I just couldn't look away." Often people say this when talking about a "train-wreck," or one scenario that is playing out in front of them in which one person is suffering, usually from extreme embarassment. That then reminded me of when my sociology professor last semester told my class that people truly are obsessed with death. This is true, for if someone dies in public, there is often a large crowd of people who surround them. People slow down on the highway to get a better glimpse at the fatal car crash on the side of the road. If someone in public is having an emergency, most people stop and stare at them instead of trying to get help. This is called the bystander effect, in which everyone in a crowd will assume that someone else will get help so they do not need to. Obviously, this can lead to deadly results if everyone is assuming someone else will get help and therefore no one does. Why do you think that this happens? Why are humans more prone to stand back and watch than actually help in an emergency? Relating this back to what I discussed earlier, why do humans voluntarily watch extremely violent shows and movies in which people are being tortured?

An Interesting Dilemma...

In response to Cameron Hamlet's question, "If the person you were taking torture from was better at being tortured would you still take it for them?"...

     I hope that I never, in my entire life, have to go through torture. Obviously most people would agree with this statement, but I feel like it would seem even truer for those like myself who have a low pain tolerance. For years I always thought my pain tolerance was the same as most, but I have come to realize recently that I do have a lower pain tolerance than most of my friends. However, I hate that this is the case and when I am in pain, I try to appear as if I am not feeling it to the severity that I am. Essentially, I have conditioned myself not to tolerate it, but to act like I am. Though I am not afraid of needles or anything of the like, my pain tolerance is why I have never given blood or gotten a tattoo. If I needed to I would, but I choose to not subject myself to the temporary pain.
     So, it is evident as to why this question Cameron posed is such a difficult one for me to answer. I do not know if I would take torture from someone I knew could handle it better. It probably would depend on who the person was. If it were my mother or my best friend for instance, I would certainly take the torture instead of having them suffer. But, if it were someone who I felt less of a connection to, unfortunately I would let them take the pain if I knew they could handle it better than myself. I know this sounds horrible, but the reality of the matter is, humans do anything they can to avoid pain. If it is unnecessary for us to feel it, we make sure that we do not. Nevertheless, it is miraculous that we can be so devoted to another member of our species that we would endure agony to keep them safe. Some people perpetuate their own mental or physical pain, though it is sometimes unintentional. Such people sometimes claim that they actually like the pain. Do you think it is possible for anyone to ever truly "enjoy" pain, or do they just trick themselves into believing it is so?

Torture...

     Which is form of torture is worse, being physically harmed or being mentally harmed? This question was posed today in class and I will admit that it is an intriguing one. It is also incredibly difficult to answer. This is because, quite frankly, no one would prefer being locked in a coffin when they are claustrophobic to being punched in the face. In reality, neither one is quite pleasant. So, perhaps it would be helpful to analyze them individually. First, we will start with mental forms of torture, which can include anything from making someone believe their child is being tortured, to having a person who is deathly afraid of rats be strapped down and covered in them. The type of agony that comes out of this torture is unique. It is the type that makes one hyperventilate, have a heavy ache in their chest, and sob in frustration and anguish. While it is not physical pain, it is pain nonetheless. Often, people say that mental, or emotional pain is "not as bad" as physical pain. It actually is, for as humans, our minds and bodies are connected. Therefore, the pain we feel physically can be just as unbearable as emotional anguish.
     Physical pain is pretty easy to imagine, for we all have experienced it to some degree. In extreme amounts, such as when someone is being tortured, this pain can be so severe that it can make someone wish for death. In fear of being tortured, most people will even confess any information that the torturer wants to hear. Some though, such as experienced terrorists, have the capacity to withstand this pain. They do the whole technique of "mind over matter" and somehow endure it. In some respects, it seems that physical pain could be worse than mental pain because physical violence often results in death. After mental torture, generally speaking, the person will come out of it alive.
     Basically, I believe that being physically harmed and being mentally harmed can be equally as bad. Our minds inhabit our bodies, so therefore any type of torture is horrible. So, I do not understand how people are able to strongly withstand either. If they can, they are clearly stronger people than myself. Would you ever let yourself be tortured to keep a relative or close friend safe? 

Parents, The Good and The Bad

In response to Jenny Beers's question, "Will you raise your children similar to how your parents did for you?Or is your goal to raise your children in a completely different way?"...

     I have to say, I love how my parents raised me. So many of my friends complain about their parents constantly, and while I occasionally do when they do something particularly annoying, for the most part I fully appreciate their years of hard work. As cliche as it might sound to say it, one of my role models truly is my mother, and every day I find out that I am more like her than I initially thought. While we obviously do have some differences in personality, how I socialize, my view on life, and my opinions on many things are exactly the same as hers. She is an incredible woman and I am proud that I have somehow subconsciously adopted some of her amazing traits. It may seem like I am gushing about her, but I have good reason to. My friends complain about their "helicopter parents" and say that they will never raise their children like their parents did. But, my parents truly did prepare me for the world. They taught me how to work hard, be independent, and have a complete sense of maturity about matters. Growing up, I have had so many teachers tell my parents how mature I was for my age, and even when I spend time with my friends I sometimes feel like I have grown up a great deal quicker than them. For instance, I know how to manage my finances, work hard, multitask, manage time extremely well, get to places on time, and handle situations professionally. My friends are not so lucky to have learned these skills, and I wonder if it is because of the age of their parents. My parents are in their late fifties while most of my friends' parents are in their late thirties or early forties. I know from personal experience that some of these younger parents do not know how to manage their money and handle a great deal of parenting situations in a fickle, childish way. On the other hand, the rare friends I do have who have parents the same age as me, are very similar to myself in many aspects. They automatically seem to have a different, more mature world view.
     So, if it is not clear thus far, I definitely will raise my children like my parents and I have thought this way for years. Obviously my family is not perfect, and I do believe I will make my husband or father of my children not be as rash and close-minded as my own father. Nevertheless, dealing with my father has made me have the capacity to deal with many short-tempered individuals. I truly do love my parents, and for that precise reason, I do not fear having children like many of my children do, but see it as a happy experience that is far in my future. Do you think that your parents' age had anything to do with how you were parented and how they handled certain situations? How have your parents shaped how you see the world?

The Young and The Old

In response to Shannon Ciuk's question, "What is your first impression when you see a young female with an elderly man or the opposite, a young male with an elderly woman? Thanks to the media and stereotypes I bet most people think the younger person in the relationship is in it for the money. Do you agree or disagree?"...

     As unfortunate as it is to admit it, when I see an elderly person in what seems to be a relationship with a young person, I think what many of us probably do, "What is he/she doing with him/her?" As Shannon mentioned, in our society our perceptions have been shaped so that we assume that the young should not be in relationships with the old. In some evolutionary sense, it makes sense as to why the pairing would seem so odd to us. First of all, when looked at from a eugenic viewpoint (and I am not saying that it is correct to think this way), the young ("fit") should mate with the young (also "fit") to produce the strongest children genetically. Additionally, if the young mate with the old, the old are likely to die sooner, which would leave the young to take care of the child by themselves. Not to mention, older women often cannot even produce children with a younger man. So, perhaps some of these perceptions are automatically built into our minds, causing us to feel such uneasiness when we see a young woman with an old man, for instance.
     However, I also believe that we see the relationship as odd because "looks" are such an overpowering force in a relationships, as much as we would like to deny it. After all, we do not think the relationship is odd because of the personalities of the individuals, but rather because of how they each look. In other words, we do not understand why a young, and in our view, and automatically more attractive person would want to be with an older person, who we automatically assume to look worse because of their age. Considering this, we do not see young paired with young as odd, for they are considered both relatively attractive. We do not see old paired with old as strange because they are on the same level of attractiveness in our minds. So, young and old is processed in our minds as an odd pairing.
     Personally, I do not agree with Shannon's statement that most people would assume the younger person in a young and old pairing to be in it for the money. I feel like primarily people feel subconsciously uneasy about the pairing for the reasons I have mentioned, and some, in an attempt to justify it in their minds, attribute the pairing to money for they cannot think of any other explanation for it. I know when I see a young man with an older woman I do not automatically assume that he wants her money, but instead I first register how different of a couple they are. However, with media promoting Hugh Hefner and the Playboy Bunny, it makes sense as to why people would assume this money connection. Imagine there were two suitors available to you and you had to pick one of them to marry. Would you choose the very attractive, poor individual or the very rich, but highly unattractive person?Do not take personality into account. 

Attraction versus Beauty, Love versus Lust

In response to Griffin Thayer's question, "Is there a difference between attraction and beauty?"...

     In short, yes there definitely is a distinction between attraction and beauty. Attraction essentially has to do with lust. Compiled from their genetic makeup and life experience, there are certain types of people some are attracted to, and others they are not. So, for instance, one of my friends is attracted to grungy, dirty-looking guys. Another friend is attracted to males who appear more androgynous. People have such varying views of what they consider attractive, for genetic makeup differs so much from person to person. Attraction also has a great deal to do with sexual preference. So, men may be attracted to certain parts of a woman or man that others may not find so appealing. People can also be attracted to someone, without actually "liking" them or wanting to spend time with them. Not all attraction is sexual though, for people are attracted to certain qualities in friends as well. So, there may be one person that you cannot stand, but yet there are many others who value them as a friend.

     Beauty is entirely different. People can fall in love with beauty, and people tend to conceive beauty as being long-lasting. What is meant by this, is that a person might try so hard to make themselves young and attractive, but looks do fade over time. It is commonly thought that those who are truly beautiful have such a quality about them that they stay beautiful even as they age. Of course, the conception of beauty in society most definitely changes over time, for what one generation might consider beautiful, another generation might not. Conceptions of beauty vary cross-culturally as well.

     So, beauty and attraction definitely are two completely different things, even though they may seem to slightly overlap. After all, people are attracted to beauty, but what is beautiful is not always attractive. Do you find people more attractive because of their looks or their personalities upon first impression? Most people make an initial impression of someone based on their looks. Do you agree or disagree with this? Why are looks, and not other qualities such as intelligence and compassion, most highly valued in our society? 

"Oh wait a minute, I'm just going to check my Facebook!"

In response to Shannon Ciuk's question," How drastically do you think our lives would change if Facebook was shut down? How 'lost' would we be without it?"...

     I will admit it, I am addicted to Facebook. I check it multiple times during the day, and when I am bored I can spend hours on it talking to friends, looking at pictures, and playing games. I even checked my Facebook while writing this blog post, to see if one of my friends had responded to a message I sent them. Facebook obviously does have some positive aspects though, for otherwise it would not be so popular. I use Facebook mostly to stayed in touch with my friends from high school, and it is wonderful that one is able to connect with so many that they would not have been able to otherwise. However, this addiction to technology, and especially to Facebook, is overall more negative than positive. For instance, I do not remember the last time that I was with a group of people my own age who did not text or check their Facebook while I was spending time with them. It does become rather disappointing, for it seems that they care much more about talking to others who are not there, than talking to those right in front of them. Then of course, there is the security issues with Facebook. Though it is rare, there have been instances of sex offenders "stalking their prey" on the site. Many individuals are ignorant of their privacy settings, and they often make a great deal of information public that they did not intend to.
      I definitely feel our lives would undergo a positive change if Facebook was shut down. Last summer I went on a vacation with my family to a cabin on a lake in New Hampshire. The cabin had a wireless Internet connection, but at the time I did not have a laptop. I could not access the Internet on the cell phone I had at the time, so I spent a week and a half without checking the Internet or Facebook. Honestly, it was refreshing, and though I did have a slight urge to check Facebook a few times during the trip, I soon forgot about it with everything that was going on around me. However, if Facebook was shut down, there might be a chance that some other social networking site would take its place. After all, MySpace was extremely successful until Facebook gained more popularity.
     Without the site, some extremely addicted people might feel "lost" at first, but as the case with myself, eventually people would feel better for not spending so much time on the site. Today my R.A. made a very good point as my roommate's parents picked her up. He said that unfortunately with technology, we might stay in touch with people too much. Many of my friends here call, email, and talk to their parents on Facebook frequently. While they do miss their parents still, when they do reunite, it will not feel as special as it would have if they had not made contact with their parents as frequently. So, while technology does keep us connected, it can drive us apart and make us take our relationships with those around us for granted. Sometimes we need a break from the people in our lives, and with the constant use of Facebook, it is extremely hard to truly get away from anyone. Have you ever spent a great length of time not using Facebook? During this time were you anxious to check the site, or were you content with your present activities?