I Never Wanted To Write This:
When a person kills someone notable — someone wealthy or powerful — the story explodes. Headlines scream, news cycles churn, and we become fixated. Meanwhile, 49,000 annual suicides — double the number of homicides — fade quietly into statistics. The same holds for the 20,000+ homicides each year involving everyday people whose names never make it past local news.
This disparity reveals something deeply unsettling: a subconscious hunger for violence in modern society. We crave it, not necessarily to commit it, but to witness, process, and consume it. Why? And what does this desire say about our current human condition?
The Media’s Obsession with Notable Victims
When someone of wealth or status is murdered, the media narrative writes itself:
- The event becomes a spectacle of downfall and disruption.
- It appeals to our fixation on power, tragedy, and schadenfreude.
- The story draws clicks, views, and profits — a self-sustaining cycle of sensationalism.
But what about the 20,000+ other homicides each year?
- The domestic violence victims whose pleas for help went unanswered.
- The young men in marginalized communities caught in cycles of poverty and neglect.
- The working-class individuals whose deaths are treated as inevitable rather than exceptional.
These stories don’t fit the media’s profitable narrative. They’re too familiar, too uncomfortable. The implicit message? Some lives are worthy of headlines; others are just background noise.
Suicide: The Epidemic We Don’t Talk About
For every homicide, there are two suicides in the U.S. — nearly 50,000 people a year. Despite these staggering numbers:
- Suicide is underreported due to fear of contagion and societal discomfort.
- Mental health struggles are stigmatized, leading to isolation and silence.
- The systemic causes — chronic pain, neglect, disillusionment — are rarely addressed.
Mental Health Disparities
Suicide doesn’t affect all communities equally:
- LGBTQ+ youth are at higher risk due to bullying, family rejection, and societal discrimination.
- Communities of color face systemic barriers to accessing mental health care.
- Indigenous populations suffer from some of the highest suicide rates, reflecting historical trauma and neglect.
Ignoring these disparities reinforces the cycle of neglect. Silence isn’t just a lack of words — it’s a death sentence for those who need help the most.
Why Do We Crave Violence?
This subconscious desire for violence is rooted in:
1. Evolutionary Instincts
- Our ancestors relied on vigilance and aggression for survival.
- The “fight or flight” response remains hardwired, even in modern society.
2. Modern Alienation and Neo-Tribalism
- Systemic oppression, inequality, and disillusionment breed frustration and powerlessness.
- In response, people seek out tribal identities — communities defined by shared beliefs, values, or grievances.
- This often leads to neo-tribalism, where groups define themselves not just by inclusion but by exclusion and opposition.
The LGBTQ+ community faces significant pushback in this context:
- As marginalized groups gain visibility and rights, some factions respond with reactionary violence or hostility, seeing these advances as threats to their tribal identity.
- This pushback manifests in hate crimes, legislation, and online harassment, all of which are fueled by a need to reassert control and preserve traditional power structures.
- Violence against the LGBTQ+ community becomes a symbolic act for these groups, reinforcing their boundaries and collective identity.
3. The Role of Social Media
- Algorithmic Incentives: Social media platforms reward engagement over ethics, amplifying the most shocking, violent, or divisive content.
- Echo Chambers: Neo-tribalism thrives in digital silos, where outrage and aggression are celebrated.
- Performative Violence: Online aggression — doxxing, threats, harassment — often serves to reinforce group identity and power.
4. Entertainment and Catharsis
- True crime, horror films, and violent video games provide a safe outlet to confront dark impulses.
- They offer a sense of resolution often missing from real life.
5. Desensitization Paradox
- We’re desensitized to fictional violence, yet hyper-sensitive to real suffering.
- This paradox leads to apathy toward systemic issues like suicide, chronic pain, and inequality, reinforcing the cycle of neglect.
6. Existential Angst
- In a world that feels increasingly meaningless, violence is a stark reminder of mortality and fragility.
The Commodification of Tragedy
The true crime industry, sensational news, and violent entertainment reflect a society that’s become comfortable with the commodification of suffering. When violence becomes a product:
- Victims are exploited for content.
- Killers are glorified or mythologized.
- Systemic issues are ignored in favor of sensational narratives.
This dynamic reinforces a false hierarchy of value:
- Notable victims become symbols of societal disruption.
- Everyday victims become statistics.
- Suicides remain unspoken tragedies.
Moral Panics and Manufactured Enemies
Throughout history, moral panics have fueled reactionary violence:
- The LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and cultural movements like punk or hip-hop have all been framed as threats to the social order.
- These panics create a simplistic enemy to rally against, channeling societal frustrations into scapegoating and aggression.
In times of uncertainty, violence against these “enemies” becomes a way to restore a sense of control.
Breaking the Cycle
To reclaim our humanity, we need to rethink how we engage with violence:
- Demand Better Media:
- Support journalism that prioritizes integrity, empathy, and systemic analysis.
- Hold sensationalist media accountable for distorting reality.
- Normalize Conversations About Suffering:
- Talk openly about mental health, suicide, and systemic neglect.
- Break the silence that isolates those in pain.
- Center the Forgotten:
- Amplify the voices of marginalized victims and those struggling with despair.
- Recognize that every life, not just the notable ones, deserves attention and dignity.
- Conscious Consumption:
- Reflect on why we consume violent content and how it shapes our perceptions.
- Choose empathy over spectacle.
Conclusion
We are living in a world where tragedy is consumed as entertainment, and real suffering is ignored. This subconscious hunger for violence reflects a society grappling with alienation, frustration, and existential dread. But we have a choice:
- To confront the chaos within us with empathy and understanding.
- To value every life, not just the ones that make headlines.
- To demand a media landscape that reflects reality, not just profitable narratives.
Only by doing so can we break the cycle of violence, sensationalism, and silence — and begin to heal.
Why Are You Still Reading??
In a world saturated with sensationalism, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters: the quiet suffering, the overlooked tragedies, and the humanity beneath the headlines. We are drawn to chaos, captivated by violence, but we are also capable of empathy, reflection, and change.
Our collective craving for violence doesn’t have to define us. We can choose to see beyond the spectacle — to give voice to the unheard, dignity to the unseen, and understanding to the misunderstood. We can demand narratives that don’t just entertain, but illuminate and heal.
The stories we engage with shape the society we live in. Let’s choose stories that remind us of our shared vulnerability, worth, and responsibility. Because in the end, every life matters, and every story deserves to be told — not just the ones that sell.
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