The circulation of a video depicting one homeless person attacking another with a baseball bat at an encampment has understandably caused fear and anger among many local residents, especially in light of the nearby Pallet shelters for the homeless. It’s clear that this video has elicited strong emotions in many, including myself, though maybe not for the same reasons.
I’ve seen on the news that taking videos of altercations and posting them on social media is a disturbing and growing trend. The police are asking people to stop doing that and call them immediately. Many times the police are not called until after the altercation is over if they are even called at all. I have questions…
Why wait until the altercation is over? What if someone lost their life because the cops weren’t called in time? Do they (the people who are doing the recording and posting on social media) derive some kind of pleasure from a) recording the incident and/or b) getting likes and shares on social media? If the individual records strictly for evidence, why not call the cops, then hit record? Why share it on social media rather than just with the police?
Have we, as a society, grown callous? Have we prioritized our dopamine dumps over human empathy and compassion?
My Phoenix Rising 