The recent footage of five police officers brutally beating Tyre Nichols — an unarmed Black man who later died from his injuries — has brought up an old debate on the internet: Should you watch these violent videos when they come through your feed? To understand what may be at stake when we decide to click “play,” we enlisted the help of clinical psychologist Alixis Rhodes, PsyD.
First off, it’s important to note that the effects of witnessing police brutality may differ depending on your race. If you’re Black, for example, these videos can be particularly distressing. “Because of the collective history of slavery, public lynchings, and brutality at the hands of authority figures, African Americans have a sense of linked fate with others of their race,” says Rhodes. “This makes us particularly susceptible to vicarious trauma.”
First identified in the 1980s, vicarious trauma is “the emotional residue of exposure to traumatic stories and experiences of others.” Although not the same as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the symptoms can be similar. For example, a 2019 study found that undocumented Latinx teens who had been exposed to images from immigration detention centers had increased symptoms of depression and PTSD.
Another point to consider is how violent images can affect your perception of the world, regardless of your race. According to Rhodes, seeing too much violent content can make you believe the world is a scarier place than it really is. Conversely, it can have a desensitizing effect –– if you believe that violence is “just a way of life,” you may become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others.
If you don’t know whether to watch a video, Rhodes suggests asking yourself what you hope to gain in doing so, especially if you’re easily triggered by violence. If you think watching will motivate you to take action or help you take part in a larger conversation, you may ultimately decide it’s worth it to click play.
tl;dr: The footage of Tyre Nichols being beaten by police — which ultimately led to his death — has renewed the conversation about how these types of videos can affect our mental health. We consulted clinical psychologist Alixis Rhodes, PsyD, to understand the effect violent imagery can have on our thoughts, emotions, and perception of the world.
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