Upon reading a section Susan Sontag's book I gain some more knowledge about uncomfortable images and how people can perceive them. From the book she describe how people may have na urge to have an 'attraction of mutilated bodies' however people perceive this as 'mental conflict' or suspicion.
People have this mental conflict as they consciously know that what they are doing may be wrong, however, just like how Socrates relates a story of Leontius the son of Aglaion, ..."He wanted to go and loot at them, but as the same time he was disgusted and tried to turn away".
Suspicion is also seen as one of the emotions seen when reacting to atrocity events that are far away from an audience or not part of what they are experiencing. However, Sontag has stated that suspicion is not a valid response for such events as the audiences cynical and the images they see have little effect on other people. People are also doubtful of the purpose and meaning of the images. They may not know the full context therefore they make their own assumptions and interpretations of the images that they see without knowing the full meaning of it.
Furthermore, Sontag has slash stated that on the there hand people may feel sympathy. However, she also said how this as well is not a valid response to images. Because, although as Bataille has stated, "he can imagine extreme suffering as something more than just suffering, as a kind of transfiguration", we the audiences are not present in person to experience the suffering and are only mere spectators to the event therefore not being able to feel the exact pain or feelings that people that are actually suffering feel. In addition, the audiences can't physically do anything to the event and because of this people may care less of 'faraway suffering' as Sontag has said that "it seems normal for people to fend off thinking about the ordeals of others..." This why people may not think much about what happens in the news and they know that it's not happening near them or to them and "whenever people feel safe...they will be indifferent".
To add to this, Sontag has also mentions the issue about the over saturation of images of atrocity in the media where it has become too much that people start to think it's normal, she calls this 'Ecology of Images'. She stated how images should be cut back instead in order to 'protect the reality that they depict' and to also keep the shock that it gives people. However, it's sadly ironic that from the time she wrote this book images has instead increased, may be due to developed technology and people finding new ways to get 'the biggest story headline'. Also, I found this really interesting as I thought it's kind of similar to what is happening now. For example, with the POTUS Donald Trump, his unacceptable actions and often intolerable public words such as tweets are becoming an everyday event in the United States, that every time he comes up with something thats quite stupid and something that a President shouldn't say, it somehow just becomes normal and no one seems to do anything anymore because they are used to it by now.
Overall, from the book, I learnt that people either respond to atrocity and uncomfortable images in two different ways which is with suspicion and sympathy. And, that due to hyper-saturation of images, most things meanings lessen and people care less due to this as they are becoming accustomed to it that it doesn't shock them anymore.
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