Should people videotape crimes and post them?
The world of Hip Hop is still mourning the senseless killing of Takeoff, from the multi platinum group The Migos. Friends, family and fans are trying to make sense of this avoidable tragedy. Multiple media outlets and social media platforms have been showing recorded footage of moments before and after the shooting. People are upset because this tragic moment is being relieved over and over again, which has to be agony for the victim’s loved ones. Many are angry that people recorded the incident, let alone posted it.
I agree that no one should have to learn of a loved one’s death on social media or the news, but why does it take the death of a
celebrity for people to voice their outrage? Is everyday Tyrone or next door Nikki not worthy of the same respect in death as a celebrity like Takeoff or Kobe Bryant? Can the people voicing their outrage say they have never watched or shared a video of someone else being bullied, harassed or worse?
In today’s society, many have become obsessed with watching others experience a variety of situations. From watching people undergo surgery, to mobs of angry Karen’s harassing innocent people, most of us are guilty of wanting to watch others “in real life”.
Then, you have cases like the videotaping of George Floyd’s murder. If that young girl had not filmed the murder, there’s a great chance the outcome would have been different for the officers found guilty of his death. All we would have known is what was on the police reports, whether it was true or not. In this case, I am glad that we saw the videotape of what happened. It allowed for some justice to be served, and it opened up dialogue about a variety of sensitive topics such as police brutality and racism.
We can’t have it both ways. There’s both good and bad that can come from videotaping incidents, especially horrific ones. I think that we have to be honest with ourselves, and admit that there is a huge audience that wants to see “what happened”, no matter what that might be.
