Everyone Deserves to Die with Dignity

Abstract

After the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, the mass media circulated images worldwide that showed a marked lack of respect for the victims involved by treating them as if they were no longer human. Haitians were treated with significant difference by the media compared to treatment and images that have been shown from American disasters. The mass media chose to portray graphic and violent images of the dead people in Haiti. Bodies lay on top of each other, mangled as though they were just another piece of debris. Often the media uses violent images to boost their ratings for financial gain. The network that publicizes the most sensational broadcast has the highest following and, therefore, the highest profits. The advancements in technology and the availability of instant coverage have led the public to develop an insatiable need to see more graphic or violent images from a disaster, even if these images are of the identifiable dead in Haiti. These images are having damaging effects on our society, specifically our youth and future generations. This insatiable need, according to research, has begun to make some members of our society desensitized to death and unsure of how to grieve properly when faced with a natural death. Our society must hold the media accountable for the graphic images they choose to display by drawing clear lines and distinctions of what is acceptable. The media empires must honor the dead, give respect to their families, and show them the dignity they deserve.