Violence in context

As college freshmen, my dorm mates and I explored the Internet voraciously, each one of us attempting to one-up the others with a new finding.

The newfound freedom provided by the anarchy of the Internet led some of us to the Web's darker corners. Some found entertainment and others found horror.

Soldiers ride in the back of a pickup truck before encountering an explosion. The video probably was shot in Iraq, but the person who posted it provided a short, unsatisfactory explanation of the event.
Photo:Youtube.com

I'll never forget the video clip with a closeup shot of a foreign soldier's face before being stabbed in the neck. He wore a terrible grimace before the knife pentrated his pallid skin. I still find his expression unbearable to think about.

Who committed this sickening atrocity? I don't know, I probably never will.

The experience taught me a valuable lesson: violence that lacks context is trite and meaningless. We lack the story behind the violence, so it teaches us nothing and leaves our consciences unresolved.

These videos used to be rare; now they're harder to avoid. The New York Times reported recently that videos on YouTube and Google Video that depict deaths of American soldiers and others in Iraq have grown in number (though the reporter fails to tell us what method he used to gather this evidence). Both sites have begun to remove a number of the videos, the article states.

These videos have power and value for the general public, but only if accompanied by interpretation. For a journalist, they provide an abundance of untold stories.

There will always be a segment of the public who view the videos because they like watching stuff blow up." This is the dark side of freedom. But the videos will remind others of the horror of war if a journalist provides an explanation.