Source: Campbell, D. (2012)
The myth of compassion fatigue. [online] Available at: https://www.david-campbell.org/2012/02/29/the-myth-of-compassion-fatigue/ last accessed 19/9/17
Compassion fatigue is linked to photography because images
are used to promote charitable appeals and media coverage shows human
suffering.
Compassion fatigue in media and politics is different from
compassion fatigue in health and social care (excess of compassion or secondary
post-traumatic stress disorder.) Compassion fatigue was defined in the OED in
2012 as:
“an American term meaning “apathy or indifference towards the
suffering of others or to charitable causes acting on their behalf, typically
attributed to numbingly frequent appeals for assistance’ esp. donations:
(hence) a diminishing public response to frequent charitable appeals.”
Cause (numbingly frequent appeals of charities acting on
behalf of others)
Effect (apathy / indifference)
Evidence of effect (diminishing public response)
Cohen – populist psychology thesis of compassion fatigue – information
overload, desensitisation and normalisation. People respond on individual
basis.
How is it perceived that the viewer acts when looking at
atrocity pictures? Do we act? Or are we overshadowed by politics? Do we believe
in the compassion theory because it fits with what theorists would like to
think is happening?
Debate over not responding to crises has been happening for
centuries (as early as 1500’s) with claims that photography is an analgaesic
(John Taylor), contemporary cliché (Susie Litchfield).
Relationship between imagery and social impact could be described
as pornographic (violation of dignity, taking things out of context,
exploitation, objectification, putting horror and misery on display,
encouragement of voyeurism, construction of desire, unacceptable sexuality,
oral and political perversion etc) Argument falls down because although it is
assumed that we are subjected to much pornographic imagery (and the voyeuristic
side of it makes us want to look) we fail to recognise when we should respond
to something portrayed by the media. If we had compassion fatigue, we would
have an aversion to seeing the images. Evidence does not match this.
Susan Sontag claimed compassion fatigue existed in On
Photography, but by Regarding the Pain of Others, she revoked her argument.
Susan Moeller popularized the theory of Compassion Fatigue
with a book in 1999. “Moeller’s claims to reveal how in her hand ‘compassion fatigue’ is an
empty signifier that becomes attached to a range of often contradictory
explanations and factors.”
Evidence shows that individuals respond differently
to media coverage and it will be issue dependent. “Identifiable victim effect”
– if the victim is identifiable people react differently than if the issue is
statistics. An image of one person in distress is more effective than two or
more or accounts. A sad facial expression gave the viewer “emotional contagion”
and sympathy with the victim.
Emotional engagement, on the other hand, allows
the individual to look at the context surrounding the victim in more detail.
This can negate the need to send donations to the disaster / issue.
18/9/17
BBC posted a video clip entitled “The boy who
shocked the world – It has been a year since the suffering of Saleem became the
face of Yemen’s suffering. But where is he now?”
A sensational claim of the world being shocked at
the 350,000 children in Yemen focussed on Salem, a 6yr old who had severe
malnutrition. He was taken to a WHO feeding centre where his malnutrition was
treated. The BBC claim the number of starving children has now risen to
2million. The BBC reporter also shares that Salim is now suffering from brain
damage and stunted growth.
Researching Salim, he does appear in several
papers, just giving, UNICEF etc. There have been updates on his progress and
people have given money. UNICEF were half way towards their target last year
and the crowd funding doctor nearly reached a fifth of their target before
closing the just giving page.
I was surprised that the account was so honest.
This seemed to fit with the emotional engagement which Campbell mentions.
The Guardian’s article (Hodal, 2016) mentions
compassion fatigue being one of the reasons that people are not giving
generously to all the natural and political disasters such as the Yemen food
crisis, quoting Moeller to authenticate the arguments. She also suggests that
the United Nations is being driven by results and political leaders such as
Trump have a part to play in deciding what is funded. However, I have to agree
with Campbell’s theory that compassion fatigue is used as an excuse and perhaps
to keep the American dream alive?
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