09 May 2007

A Penny For My Thoughts

Firehorse visited a gory blog post yesterday and posted the following comment in my last post:

"Victor, I saw something so horrible yesterday in one of the blogs, was sick to my stomach, would like to hear your thoughts on it but not sure if you have a strong stomach or not. If you think you do, go here:

[blog address deleted]

I can't get this visual out of my head. But go only if you think you can handle it."
Below are my personal thoughts on this issue.

I visited the blog post because:

1. I will take up most challenges (see title of this blog);

2. I don't like to admit that I have no guts, especially publicly;

3. Perhaps being born in the Year of the Monkey, I have a natural curiosity.

Regarding the last point, actually I think it is natural for most people to be curious too, not just a monkey like me. So the warnings which the blog owner and you provided are not really effective in deterring people with weak stomachs from viewing the post to see for themselves. On the contrary, I think many people will be attracted to view the site instead, children included. In my opinion, it is rather naive to think that they will seek their parents' consent first before viewing.

Some people want to find out what is their own tolerance level for gore and violence while some want to test it. Others may view the post because they may not even know what their own limits are. After viewing the photos, they may find that their limits have been exceeded.

Of course, I feel disgusted after viewing photos. (I think any normal person would.) However, I got over it as soon as I moved away from the post. In that sense, I don't think that my limit has been exceeded. However, that is not the same as saying that I enjoy viewing such gory pictures. (If I do, I know where to look - the Internet has plenty of such websites which I will not name for obvious reasons.)

I honestly think they are sick - the perpetrators more than photos, that is. I say perpetrators (in plural) because I think the one taking the photos is just as guilty. My personal view is that we should not help them propagate such gore by blogging about it or forwarding their links. (However, if my blog's theme is about gore and violence, then it would be a very different matter.)

I don't know what was your reason for viewing the post. It is probably one (or more) of the reasons I have listed above. Whatever your reason, I think you are feeling sick and traumatised now because your limit has been exceeded.

So to prevent more people from becoming similar victims, I have removed your comment and reproduced it above (but without the link). I hope you don't mind me doing that. I do not mean any offense; neither am I offended by your comment. But I must say that it is a very unusual way of tagging me with a meme.

Now any of my readers can take up this meme:

What is your opinion on portrayal of violence on the Internet?

19 comments:

KopiSoh said...

I felt really uneasy and lost that's why I thought really hard before asking you. Knowing you would point me in the right direction and you did, thanks.

Victor said...

Firehorse - You are most welcome. It was my pleasure to give you my thoughts.

I can fully understand why you felt so uneasy. The photos are really disturbing. More so are the minds of that woman and the photographer. I think the photographer did not catch that violent act by chance. He/she appeared to be in it as well.

I think you should visit more family-oriented sites like mine instead, kekeke. But I should warn you that there has been some accusations that a few of my posts have too much sleaze in them. I think it may be hard for you to spot them. But if you do, please give me your opinions.

Anonymous said...

Vic, can let me in on the URL, privately, please?

Thanks.

Anonymous said...

i would like to have the url too? @_@ may i? in my email pls~

Victor said...

What did I tell you, Firehorse? See, two of my friends want me to mail the blog address to them. Curiosity kills the cat, literally.

Alex & Etel - Let me fill you in on what the disturbing photos are all about so that you can make a better decision:

There are a series of 7 photos, the last 4 of which are the most gruesome. It is about an unidentified woman in stilettos killing a helpless kitten in a most disgusting, painful and extreme way. You see some body part spilling onto the floor, the head crushed and quite a lot of blood, close up. Only twisted minds are capable of doing something like that.

Let me know if you really want to see the photos. (Frankly if you enjoy such gruesome photos, you can always Google for them - there are a lot available.)

Anonymous said...

Vic, I won't ask you. I am neither curious or interested.

Anonymous said...

Oh, I saw them before, quite long ago.

Yeah, the last picture is actually quite disgusting, the eyes and such.

But thats not the worst lah, seriously. I've seen kittens being stuffed into bottles to their deaths, etc.

As you know, I love animals. Recently there was at case at Clementi (As u know, i live in Clenmenti too) about someone throwing a mother cat & 5 little kittens down the building, and the mother cat's stomach was slashed open, revealing its organs.

Just to fill you in the details, the cat cruelty pics u've seen are from China.

Firehorse: I hope you feel better about this issue, as there are seriously like what GD (Uncle Vic) has said, lots of pics like that out there.

*hugs*

Victor said...

Fr - Thank you for your understanding.

Etel - Thanks for your hugs. :P

If the photos make us feel disgusted, I don't understand why people still want to view them.

Could violence be like pornography? Some people are addicted to it while others are disgusted by it.

Anonymous said...

I guess there are all kinds of people in the while who just wants to do something extraordinary.

There are still some sickening man-with-animal sex pics around too, and I've accidentally seen one - which i think is the most disgusting, A woman & a guy, the woman shitting & the guy eating the shit (sorry if the description is bad enough already). I think I've seen it from some forwarded mail quite a number of yrs ago and I can still remember it.

Now that's sickening to me.

I guess we will never be able to understand why these pics still goes around the internet, just like how I will never understand why some people are evil.

KopiSoh said...

Victor, how come you thank Etel for the "hugs" I tot they were for me, no? Thanks Etel. I still can't get gruesome picture out of my head but my threshold has always been low for this kind of things.
Victor you mentioned "sleaze", where, where? Errr what exactly constitutes "sleaze"?

Victor said...

Firehorse - I knew that the hugs were for you. (That's why I sticked out my tongue wat.) Anyway, I believe that Etel has enough hugs to go around (short of saying that she probably can't wait to hug her GD, haha.)

How come you listed in your profile that one of your likes is "horror" but yet your threshhold is still so low? Still training up ah? ;) (Apologies for the sarcasm.)

As for my "sleazy" posts, you were supposed to look for them yourself. Alright, to make it easier for you, I have listed them below. I actually don't consider them sleazy but I believe there are people who consider them as humsup (Cantonese for lecherous) or inappropriate.

Back To The Present - S'pore Expo or Sexpo?
(Notice my car registration plate.)
A Not So Traditional Shop In Chinatown
Nationalities Stereotypes (Notice my car registration plate again and someone's comment.)
Sex Is Only An Incidental Topic For This Blog
A Walk After The Talk

Enjoy.

alphabet soup said...

I thought long and hard before deciding whether to comment or not. I am appalled by this sort of treatment of animals and disgusted by people who are amused and entertained by it. And there are plenty of them out there. People who derive self-gratification from this behaviour are well on their way to moving on to people as the next 'object of their desire'.

If I had written what I really thought when I first read your post and the comments, I can assure you Victor you would never have posted my comment. Your computer would have gone into melt down before you had time to finish reading my comment!!

A not amused Ms Soup

Victor said...

Ms Soup - I agree whole-heartedly with your comments and thank you for exercising self-restraint.

Anonymous said...

Horror as in the ghost kind (e.g., Ringu, Grudge, Dark Water, Exorcist) not the chop people up wan like Friday the 13th, Saw, etc.
Did I give you your penny yet? Next time when I come to you for your thoughts make sure same rate okay?

Anonymous said...

Went to those posts, lidat not sleaze lah, it just shows you are not an uptight prude, hehehe.
Anyway it makes me think, material "packaging" can be quite important, any subject matter could become sleaze depending on one's angle, but if one reports it macam CNN or MSNBC then become non-sleaze, itu macam call good reporting.

Anonymous said...

Oh, seen those photos. Thanks.

Victor said...

FH - Hmm... looks like I will be earning many more pennies from you yet. Must change my nick to Uncle Agony liao. Ok, I promise to charge the same rate provided the price of Kopi Soh's cuppa is also maintained at a penny each. That way, you can just pay me a piping hot cup of kopi everytime you consult me, haha.

You are the first person who expresses implicit approval of my "sexy" posts. Thank you for your support.

So am I writing "not like an uptight prude" or am I like CNN/MSNBC? Aren't they mutually exclusive?

Next time got sensitive topic to discuss can just type me a mail lor -

kooDOTvictorATgmailDOTcom

(CAP letters are special characters.)

Alex - I knew you weren't serious about the request, just like Etel, hehe.

KopiSoh said...

Thanks Victor, I will definitely take up your offer to e-mail you whenever I have sensitive topics to discuss.

Anonymous said...

I was serious. However, I've seen the high-heel *evil* girl before.