Stop Watching: Dehumanization Is Not Entertainment
The last 24 hours have been a tumultuous time for America. Charlie Kirk’s murder was devastating for members of the Jewish world who saw him as an ally to the Jewish people and Israel, as well as a champion of the conservative values that a significant number of American Jews believe in. And, for the large contingent of Jews who didn’t like him and even saw him and his beliefs as destructive to social cohesion, the fact that society has deteriorated to the point that murdering people we disagree with is suddenly on the table is deeply unsettling.
Almost as unsettling are the ways society has normalized watching and sharing gruesome violence on social media. I’ve spoken to multiple people who have come across the footage of his shooting by accident on social media, and others who’ve voluntarily watched the horrific scene, and even as I’m writing this, the gentleman sitting next to me in shul is watching the video of the shooting on his phone. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only example of the normalization of this kind of dehumanization. It has become commonplace on social media to make memes about the September 11 terrorist attacks, many of which include actual footage of the attack and the deaths of thousands of human beings on that fateful day.
Human dignity and honoring the dead are central to Judaism. When someone passes away, we are typically prohibited from degrading the body by performing autopsies or embalming them to preserve the Kavod HaMet, honor of the dead. When a criminal is put to death by hanging, leaving his dangling body on the tree for more than a day is considered an affront to God. Furthermore, allowing for this kind of indignity defiles the earth (Deuteronomy 21:23). Traditional commentators assign a plethora of reasons for this prohibition and the nature of this defilement, but it is worth considering the ways gawking at the humiliation and defilement of others “defiles” our souls and society, and makes despicable behavior commonplace.
Furthermore, normalization of disgusting behaviors only degrades us further and desensitizes us to depravity. In Deuteronomy, we read:
Well you know that we dwelt in the land of Egypt and that we passed through the midst of various other nations; and you have seen the detestable things and the fetishes of wood and stone, silver and gold, that they keep. (Deuteronomy 29:15-16)
Reflecting on the Torah’s choice to frame idols using language often used to describe disgusting things like dung and excrement, Rashi suggests that the verse is literally comparing these deplorable acts to excrement. Additionally, Rabbi Ari Enkin points out that the description of detestable things morphs from dung to “wood and stone, silver and gold” by the end of the verse. The significance of this, he claims, is that “When we see people doing terrible things, it is usually only revolting the first few times. After a while, we become somewhat immune to the immorality and all the “alternative” lifestyles all around us. No longer “excrement” but rather “neutral,” like wood and stone.” Watching and sharing this footage only helps normalize this kind of detestable behavior.
It has become socially acceptable to dehumanize people online, both the living and the dead, and turn the worst (or last) moments of people’s lives into entertainment, but we can’t get swept up in what’s “normal.” Do not share this footage with anyone — especially children — to see and be scarred by it. Do not watch this footage. It is degrading, dehumanizing, and depraved. Simply mourn his death and/or decry the lunatic who decided murder was an acceptable form of protest. Especially on the 24th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, it is incumbent upon us to preserve the dignity of any human being. Failure to do so only results in more dehumanization, which almost inevitably leads to more tragedy.
