Bad News
Why do some people feel the need to share horrible news? Tales of gruesome murder for example.
Did I hear about that woman who was vivisected? Why no, do tell! This can only serve to enrich and brighten my day.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to have my head in the sand. News that effects me, is relevant, or has global implication is very worthwhile. If there’s a genocide, famine, or natural disaster it’s worth talking about because collective action can improve the situation. If there’s a crime spree in my neighbourhood or a prominent politician dies it’s worth discussing. Supreme Court cases and new legal precedents are important.
Hearing about some woman in Alabama being raped, a jewel thief in New York, or a kidnapping in Europe doesn’t seem relevant to me.
Let’s assume people have a finite capacity for empathy. That maybe a fatigue sets in after a point. So bombarding them with irrelevant tales of woe could sap their empathy supply such that they become jaded and/or just depress them.
So why do people do it? Unfortunately Dear Reader I do not know as I am not one of those people…but I can of course theorize.
Perhaps they have nothing else to talk about. Perhaps sharing the tragedy is their coping mechanism. But how did they encounter the story in the first place? Let’s set aside masochism as a potential cause for now. Are they addicted to righteous indignation? A potent mistress to be sure. Does it perhaps make them feel better about themselves? Is it a car wreck you slow down to see? I admit to glancing at such things but I don’t actively search them out.
Crime story junkies maybe? I don’t know.
Why do they go looking for it? What do they hope to accomplish by sharing it?
I have no answers for you.
