Regarding the Pain of Others

I thought the book was interesting for not putting the actual photographs but rather describing what they depict. After reading each example I wanted badly to see them and judge my own reaction. War images and images of suffering are abundant and the news and media, which is a point that she makes frequently, but actually assessing a reaction and thinking about it rather than changing the channel or looking away (as I usually do) would be an interesting experiment. Sontag makes many good points about diminishing interest or sensitivity to photos that could be considered "harrowing" and I think that blaming the photographer is in no way fair. Shesays that people ask photographers if they sit around waiting for shells to fly; they forget that as troubling as it is to look at a single photo, to be there when it was taken and witness what many of these people have witnessed, must be a much more terrible experience. The helpless feeling that many viewers experience is something I find very familiar. Last year I participated in the construction of an Iraq war memorial near the library. I spent hours looking at and hanging photos of horrifying images from the war. As much as they bothered me I kept thinking that there was really nothing I could do besides what I was already doing, and that feeling is so discouraging that eventually I put it out of my mind completely. I think it is important to document the tragedies that befall humanity in order to keep in mind how fortunate you are, and sensitivity, in this case, is not necessarily a bad thing.