The war in Ukraine is only the latest in the never-ending stream of tragedies foisted upon us daily through our information channels. In the media and in social media, the images and narratives flood our consciousness all day, every day. In only two sentences, I have taken the humanity out of the situation, in case you didn’t notice. I did this by changing the event from the correct “Russia’s War on Ukraine” to the purposely neutral “war in Ukraine.” I blamed media and social media and removed any humanity from the discussion by using the word “images” and the accusation “narratives.” We must apply such critical thinking to all information we consume, whether voluntarily selected or otherwise presented to us. This can be exhausting, and we haven’t even gotten to the humans yet. Contrary to Russian propaganda, I have no reason yet, to believe that any of the Western coverage of the war (nay, genocide) is staged. Russia’s war on Ukraine may be the focus of the latest barrage of traumatic broadcasting, but it is deserving (nay, demanding) of the coverage due to the sheer inhumanity of the assault on Ukraine and its citizens by Russia. It is exhausting to sustain significant exposure to it, but it is turning our backs on our fellow person to ignore it. What is our empathetic response to what Kaplan (2011) calls, “vicarious trauma (VT),” (p.258.)?

I can’t get a read on our collective American response. Are we numb to this destruction and genocide? Is our reaction different depending on our demographic, and if so, which category of demography – is there a hierarchy? Are CNN viewers empathetic and more prone to an empathetic response? Are Fox and Newsmax viewers more likely to doubt reports from the so-called liberal media and side with Russia, even blaming Ukraine as if they brought this on themselves? I find myself wondering why we aren’t doing more, or why we aren’t at least more unanimously vocal. I understand that militarily and politically, the U.S. must walk the very fine line of restraint, so as not to appear to cross the line which would initiate a third world war, but sanctions and defensive equipment seem like band-aids after the fact. What are we supposed to do, think, feel? Other atrocities have seemed perhaps more distant and more easily ignored by the U.S. In recent memory, Syria stands out as another example of oppressive regime violence against innocent civilians. Again the U.S. was seemingly unaffected, even though the resulting immigration crisis in Europe helped fan the flames of nationalism felt all around the world, even here in the United States from the early 2010s to today. Was it because we saw (see) Syria as a Middle-Eastern country only, that we easily turn(ed) away? If so, how is Ukraine’s plight different, or how should we perceive it differently? Does it matter to the U.S. that these are white people and Europeans suffering and dying?

In her chapter Empathy and Trauma Culture: Imaging Catastrophe, E. Ann Kaplan sets out to show that empathy is not monolithic. If Kaplan is right in her categorization of empathetic responses, then we will fall into one of three camps, “(a) secondary or vicarious trauma (VT), a response in which the viewer is shocked to the extent of being emotionally over-aroused” (overload), “b) a response I call ’empty empathy’ because of the transitory, fleeting nature of the empathic emotions,” (scrolling past) or “(c) what I call witnessing,” (moved to action), (p.256). I am confining my sources to news and social media, although those two are broad enough. I have seen or experienced at least two of these forms of empathy and would imagine that the reader will have as well. I have seen the images of the war (as I think we all have) from the beginning. One would have to consciously work to avoid them. From images of the initial bombardments to the invasions and the destruction of civilian homes and people, this war is as close as any overseas conflict could be. I have been so emotionally affected as to strongly consider volunteering to go to Ukraine and join their international defense force. I am a combat veteran, so I have tactical experience, and I am old enough and angry enough to not care if I lose my own life in the process. But I can’t go if doing so would result in loss of financial stability for my family, so the final decision will come down to whether my job pays me while I go, which is very much TBD. In the meantime, I search for other ways to contribute. I believe that my reaction in Kaplan’s view would be: c – witnessing. I also recently spoke to a friend who had made a financial contribution to war relief efforts. It is puzzling to me to think of what sort of people would experience reaction b, where they see the images and simply scroll past or change the channel. I suppose a person could do that if they felt no connection to the issue, but it is a human issue, so therein lies my confusion. Who could just keep scrolling? Unfortunately, I think the most common experience is a; some of those closest to me are traumatized and overwhelmed by such an expansive (and completely unprovoked) human tragedy, at a time when we are still getting past/through the trauma of a global pandemic, not to mention the sociopolitical strife here at home in the U.S.

I think that the examination of Russia’s War on Ukraine in the context of Vicarious Trauma supports Kaplan’s view. All the key criteria from Kaplan’s chapter apply. There are graphic images of destruction, death, dismemberment, active combat, and all the trappings of war, including refugees and relief efforts. There is media coverage from news outlets on all points of the political spectrum. If there were an improvement, or rather an update I would offer for Kaplan’s view, it would be to update for social media, which was only getting started in 2011. The explosion of social media and the proliferation of apps via smartphones multiplies the quantity (and quality) of the media coverage, and the ability for anyone to comment has the effect of dumbing down the discussion because of the open demographic access. Everyone can comment on Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, Tik-Tok or any other app, whether they are qualified to opine or not. This suggests the opportunity for research into how social media impacts Kaplan’s theory. And is my interpretation of Kaplan’s option b as ‘keep scrolling’ accurate, or does social media have additional and other impact as to Kaplan’s 3 forms? A reminder that this is not all about philosophical theory. It is about Russia’s War on Ukraine and how we experience it. Remember that social media is only a tool.

Reference:

Kaplan, E.A., 2011, Empathy and Trauma Culture: Imaging Catastrophe, Empathy Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives, Amy Coplan & Peter Goldie, editors., Oxford University Press., New York, New York.