When i see disasters, or shootings, war, deaths, or other horrible events (even 9/11) on TV or radio- why?

why don't I care. i watch it and agree it is horrible, but nothing affects me. In fact the only reason i tune to the news is to see if there is "Breaking News". When I watch "Breaking News" i always hope for it to get worse, even 9/11(and i am an american). Is it a Morbid Curiousity thing? I'm normal in all other aspects (relatively speaking). I realized this while taking a human service class and we visited a site which abused children and kids taken away by child custody services are housed, i heard (from the psychologist) some of the child stories. After the visit we had to comment on our thoughts: other students said they were upset, but i said i went to McDonalds, then home and went about my business as if nothing had happened.

You are not a freak. If we didn't detach ourselves from the horrors of life, we probably would not be able to live at all. What matters is that you are honest with yourself, and that it isn't going to affect you when you least expect it. You're not an emotional cripple. The fact that your issue gives you concern helps to demonstrate your own humanity. Being detached from horrible events is the only way anyone in any public service can survive - the police who see murders every night, the firemen who pull corpses from blazes, the doctors who treat rape victims... it doesn't mean we don't care; it just means we can't afford to let it get to us.

Lol. I guess you just don't let it affect you. Some people are like that. And it doesn't mean you're completely heartless. Just means that you're probably not accustomed to feeling bad about these situations.

Possibly, you don't know how to react to them.

Because it is so commonplace on television anymore that people have become desensitized by tragedy. We see it on a daily basis so it does not affect us, and we come to expect it.

"We got the bubble-headed-bleach-blonde who comes on at five. She can tell you bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye. Its interesting when people die-Give us dirty laundry

Can we film the operation? Is the head dead yet?
You know, the boys in the newsroom got a running bet
Get the widow on the set! We need dirty laundry"

inside you PROBALLY dont BELIEVE IT.. like you just dont believe it
lol thats all.
butt you know its real but you dont feel its real so it doesnt concern you..
liek sya a pet dies
yuo just cant believe it died..
so you dont cry..
your just shocked or just dont believe it.. but i sinks in after to a whille.

but this wont sink in.. coz its different then losing some one.
but yea

get me? lol

I'm never affected by things like that either, but I spend hours here, offering advice to people, so I'm not cold-hearted.

Some of us get more upset over some things, some over other things.

This might be the thing for you to do. Do you really not care or do you figure you cant do anyhing about it now , so why should you stress. Ask yourself, you might be surprised. Question: What if this happened to my sister, niece,or cousin, how would it make me feel?

I believe it has to do with temperment (like someone else said) and with what we relate to. The closer to "home" (age/nationality/ etc.) tragedy is the more it's going to affect us. Until I had children, I wasn't much interested/affected by sad or scary news where it unvolved. Afterwards.....fugedaboudit!!!

It's simply because you are not involved in any of these events. And you don't have anyone close to you involved in those events either. You can't be affected by something you have not directly experienced. Which is a good thing, I guess. You don't help any of those involved by crying or feeling sad.

You have been desensitized. Which can be a VERY good thing if you are in a war zone and need to function when horrible stuff is playing out around you. Or good if you work in the public sector responding to terrible events. Those people have to be able to disengage their emotions and press on.

Unfortunately, the rest of our society has been subjected to so much INSTANT news and graphic shows that we have learned to crank down the emotions.

IMHO that is...