Does Anything "Shock" You Anymore?

In My Humble Opinion
1

People often say they are “shocked” at hearing something, but was wondering what, if anything shocks you? (And no, I am not referring to electrical shocks…)

We read about 10 year old kids murdering their parent(s), or 8 year old’s being sold for prostitution, and lots of other horrific news stories.

What, if anything, has “shocked” you recently?

Personally, I think the last time I could say I was shocked was on 9/11 - otherwise, I guess I am kind of jaded. Horrible news stories, yes - but shocked, not so much.

BTW, my definition of “shocked” is to be severely affected and have it matter to you a lot.

2

I have to admit, I was shocked by that woman who sold her 5-year-old child as a sex slave . . . to be raped and murdered.

3

I think about this sometimes, too. Like you, OP, the last time I was truly shocked was on 9/11/01. I’m not sure anything could shock me more than that, and I hope I never know whether that’s true.

Some other things have bothered me, sure, but not caused true, gut-wrenching shock.

4

The Beslan school siege in 2004 really shocked and upset me.

I was also shocked, though not to nearly the same degree, by: the July 7 bombings in London; the 2007 terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport (mostly because it was in my city, the shock became amusement as the details emerged); the police tactics at the 2009 G-20 protests and the death of Ian Tomlinson; the April 2009 helicopter crash off the coast of Aberdeen.

5

Now maybe this has been going on for years, and because I never rode the bus to school was just unaware of it. But my friend is telling me how upset his (8th grade) daughter was about having to ride the bus home from school. Upon further digging to understand why, she tells him that kids are having oral sex on the bus. BJ’s on the bus ride home from school ! I was shocked.

6

The Columbia blowing up did it for me, though not on the same level as 9/11. The only other thing I can think of is Katrina: the event itself wasn’t so shocking, as it didn’t come out of nowhere, but seeing the devastation to New Orleans over the next few months was… surreal.

7

I’m still shocked by incredible stupidity and/or what may be intentional misstatement of facts. An example is the Death Panel nonsense. I can’t imagine a situation in which I was so misinformed about a subject I am speaking about, or so without a moral compass that I would disseminate deliberate misinformation. If I had to lie to make my point I’d take that as a hint.

8

I don’t recall ever being shocked by anything.

9

This article shocked me.

Unspeakable horrors as trial opens in torture and rape of Columbia student.

I’m pretty sure I almost threw up when I first read the story.

Anything like that severely affects me and matters to me a lot. I guess by your definition I’m shocked all the time. Not like, ‘‘I can’t believe that happened,’’ because of course humans can be evil. More like, ‘‘I can’t stand that this happened, I’m horrified this happened and I’m not sure I want to go on living in a world where this can happen.’’

When I was in high school, Columbine shocked me. I think Columbine affected me more than 9/11.

10

Oh my God, Olive. ITA. Yes, I will say this kind of stuff shocks me- that a human being could be so depraved and sadistic to another living thing, let alone a person. What possess someone to do something like that? I am not shocked by fetishes, I am not shocked by drug use or infidelity or anything like that. 9/11 was unexpected, but I can’t say it shocked me in the way that stories like this do; maybe it’s because, in my mind, the victims of that tragedy were spared some pain and humiliation; they weren’t tortured and raped for hours. What truly shocks and disgusts me are the lengths people will go to to inflict pain on another person. For example, this article- I’m serious, don’t read it if you get bad mental images like I do.

11

Back in the 50s, middle school or high school, I was shocked at some things girl friends mothers said about me. A couple of years later in college I was shocked at what adults said about blacks.

But after early attempts at courtship and participation in desegregation (BTW, I am a white male.) I had pretty much heard it all. The way politicians defended Nam was shocking I suppose. The defense of the second Iraq war - shockingly ignorant perhaps. I have seen it as bad as it gets during desegregation, I think.

12

I would also say 9/11 was the last time I was really shocked. Everything that happened seemed so not plausable, yet happened. Even as it was happening, I didn’t think ahead. For instance, after one of the towers fell, I remember seeing the footage and I said to my co-worker. Wow next time I got to NYC it’s going to be strange to only see one tower in the skyline.

It never occured to me the other one would fall too.

I was researching for a website I was doing about early Chicago Hospitals and one thing I found, not shocking but really odd was how much of crime went on long before today. I mean you always hear about how bad crime is but then you read old newspapers and you see the crime still existed.

For instance, Belle Gunness was the leading female serial killer. But this all took place in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The biggest death of school children happened not at Virginia Tech but in Bath Michgan in 1927.

You talk about gun control, I recall reading in the Chicago Tribune index from around 1910 about a bunch of white kids, pushing 5 black kids out of windows killing them all, in what what termed a “racial incident.”

You always think of crime as a new thing, but it’s really not.

On a personal note, the most shocking thing I experienced was turning 40. I was always told how much disrimination old people face, in terms of job, dating or whatever. I never, ever thought it was so, I thought it was griping by old people.

Now that I’m over 40, wow, I can’t believe how true it is. What’s really shocking was not the fact that you’re being discriminated against, but how truthfull people are in telling you right to your face that’s the reason. For example, (from a few years back) “You’re 42? Oh I didn’t realize, I don’t go out with old guys.”

I think with me the difference is not that something may “shock” me but that it doesn’t come as a shock to me. It’s like dating, now I’ve been around a long time and I thought I had heard everything, but I tell you they just keep coming up with them

13

There was a thread here recently about the monk who set himself on fire in protest. And in that thread someone posted a link to a video showing “witches”, in Africa IIRC, being burned by the roadside. There was one gentleman who was setting with his feet in the fire while being beaten. I shall go the rest of my life and never get over the shock of seeing that. I really wish I could un-see that video.

Not providing a link for obvious reasons.

14

This went from confusion to hilarity pretty quickly over the course of the day. Oh Glasgow, don’t ever change.

Actual genuine shakey-hand shock: Dunblane, 9/11.

15

You and me both. It goes on and on, every day, absolute made-up lies just being told by parties with an agenda, and ignoramuses wielding pitchforks and torches as they’re egged on. I never realized how many sad, ignorant doofuses live in this country. Lose the election, Hoffman? Blame the Democrats, the unions, and ACORN, not the fact that you are a knuckle-dragging fucktard who makes Sarah Palin look intelligent. I’ve lost faith in humanity. It makes me wish I actually did make that huge fortune just so I could leave it all to Planned Parenthood and the SPCA.

As for being shocked by crime and cruelty, I’ve developed selective reading over the years. If a headline promises gruesome, sad details in the story to follow, I wimp out and stop reading immediately. I know something horrible has happened, but I don’t have to marinate in the details to feel even worse.

16

Along the same lines, I was truly a little shocked over the summer when Obama announced plans to address the nation’s school children with a message promoting hard work and good study habits and was met with outrage. I mean really, women sobbing on national news over the prospect that thier precious snowflake might be exposed to the President Of The United States.

17

Using the OP’s definition, I’m shocked by College Football weekly. Otherwise, nah.

18

I’m shocked that there is still bigotry in the world. The few times I’ve been confronted with it personally, I just gaped at the person as if they had two heads. It’s just unbelievable to me.

19

Yeah, I know, it’s pretty sick. It’s even sicker that he’s going to get life in prison - a life of bangin’ and slangin’ behind bars with his fellow Bloods, since he’s a gang member, he’s going to get treated like a goddamn Knight of the Garter. He’s going to have everything he wants in prison - the best food, contraband drugs and cigarettes, porno, “punks” (homosexual men) to rape - he’s going to live like a king. His fellow Bloods will treat him like a hero.

How does that strike your fancy? He is going to be living it up - on your dime, baby.

He is going to have more fun in that prison than you will ever have in your entire life, you know that? If that doesn’t piss you off, I don’t know what will.

20

Count me in as someone who is shocked at Post 2008 Election “America”.

I was pretty stoked to be part of what seemed to be a huge movement of change in our country, and that “our side” won.

Seems to me that since then, America has become this vapid wasteland of stupidity. It could be that all of us liberals are keeping quiet, but what it really seems like is that the zealot Righties are just getting louder and more unbelieveable.

I actually thought to myself the other day that perhaps I am doing a disservice to myself by watching The Daily Show and Colbert. Like I am forcing myself to pay attention to all of this nonsense, even though those shows mock the nonsense.

The amount of nonsense and foolishness that abounds is just shocking to me, every day. I suppose maybe I am a bit naive, or too hopeful…but the burning fire of Crazy still shocks me.