People Who Spectate Pain
Whenever a missing person case, a violent crime, or a tragic accident breaks, people flock to the news. Comment sections overflow with rage and fear, and the progression of the event is shared in real-time across social media. What is striking is that many people actually feel a sense of thrill during this process. They track the case, look for witness reports, and analyze the perpetrator’s psychology as if watching a true-crime documentary on Netflix. Sociology calls this phenomenon “Risk as Entertainment.” From a position of physical safety, we consume the misfortunes of others, deriving anger, fear, relief, and even catharsis. However, for those directly involved, this experience is never light. For some, it is a trigger that leads to a visceral fear of death, psychological flashbacks, and panic attacks.
Those with Pathology vs. Those Without
The same event can be a matter of survival for one person and a mere pastime for another. Those without pathology or trauma view events with a “psychological distance,” knowing it isn’t happening to them. This allows them the luxury to be as angry as they want, to be entertained, or even to treat it like a “whodunnit” game. Conversely, for a survivor of trauma, such events feel like an immediate threat. As the brain switches into survival mode, stress hormones are released, the heart races, breathing becomes shallow, and sometimes dissociation or panic sets in. Social psychology explains this difference through the spectator’s sense of control. Spectators feel safe pushing their emotions to the limit because they are certain they can “turn it off” at any time. But the person involved cannot turn it off. The event connects directly to their own lived experience, forcing them to reproduce a pain they have already endured.
Moral Signaling and Social Capital
Another interesting point is that expressing anger or sharing these events often functions as a form of moral signaling. By projecting messages like “I care about child protection” or “I am a person of justice,” individuals reinforce their moral identity and confirm their social standing. While this process can be a necessary mechanism for maintaining a community, the problem lies in the fact that the pain of others is consumed like a resource. While the survivor is still struggling, recovering, and sometimes flailing just to stay alive, their pain becomes raw material for someone else’s “practice of anger” or “validation of justice.”
The Sense of Alienation for the Survivor
This landscape leaves a deep sense of alienation in someone like me, who lives with CPTSD. To me, these are events that have not yet ended, yet others consume them like thrillers, calling them “interesting” or “shocking.” It feels as though the life I have lived has been reduced to a mere spectacle. However, recognizing this sensation is, in itself, a part of my recovery. Today, I anchor my senses through writing, attempting to reclaim my narrative so that my pain is not consumed by others.
Shifting Our Attitude Toward Pain
Ultimately, the question we must ask is this: When we consume the pain of others, are we respecting that pain? Have we ever imagined the time that continues for those left behind long after the event has concluded? We must move beyond viewing pain from a safe distance and adopt an attitude that looks toward the recovery process that follows. That is the minimum level of consideration required for a survivor to return to the world.
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