Garth Rattray | Some rights are wrong

In societies such as ours, we are entitled to certain rights, one of which is the freedom of expression. That includes free speech, the freedom to write or post statements/opinions, and the freedom to capture and transmit pictures/videos and sounds.

These rights come with certain caveats. For example, it is illegal to broadcast (transmit widely by whatever means) defamatory material. It is also illegal to distribute things recorded in private, things captured indoors, nude images, and statements made … unless the person(s) involved give(s) his/her consent to release/distribute that information/material.

It is with great sadness and distress that I vividly recall my friend and patient, Joseph Burey. Many years ago, Joe was a recent The University of the West Indies graduate with a very promising career in our foreign service. The then prime minister used his parliamentary privilege, his right, to wrongly accuse (innocent) Joe of being part of a Russian and Cuban spy/murder plot.

Joe’s home (with his terrified, elderly parents inside) was invaded, turned upside down, and he was arrested. The charges were totally baseless, but Joe could not sue because Section 48 (3) of the Jamaican Constitution gives parliamentarians immunity against civil or criminal prosecution for statements made within the legislature. There was never any apology. Joe was never the same again. He became a teacher at Wolmer’s High School and died prematurely at a relatively young age.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many responsible scientists and physicians made extraordinary effort to inform the public regarding what was known about the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Granted, the virus is so novel, so adaptive, and so unusual in its behaviour and interactions with human beings that it is very unpredictable. However, opponents to everything scientific, opponents to modern medicine, opponents to all scientific evidence regarding this pandemic, and opponents to current COVID-19 vaccinations exercised their right to vociferously contradict anything put out by scientists. Their interminable deluge of misinformation and disinformation, their minuscule truths mixed with tons of ridiculous lies seriously compromised, and continue to compromise, our ability to reduce the suffering and deaths from the virus.

MACABRE TREND

There is a very macabre trend for people to capture images of injured, dying, and dead human beings. People will record images of someone who is in critical need of assistance, rather than render assistance. They literally drool at the prospect of being among the first to capture the badly damaged and/or dead, and hurriedly post the images on the Internet. For some unfathomable reason, they get a sick thrill out of watching human suffering at its very worst.

I know many people who, because of the madness on our roads, fear for their safety; but they are far more fearful that they may be photographed if mangled and/or dead in a crash and those images were spread over the Internet. They worry for their friends, relatives, and family members whose last memories of them may be a bloodied, naked, disfigured, or charred body on the roadside or trapped inside an automobile. If people even had the tiniest bit of respect for others, no one would have to worry about that.

I remember a newspaper vendor who worked most of the day, seven days each week, in pouring rain or baking sun, and through her pregnancies, to support her family with dignity through honest work. No one took notice of her. Some would buy the newspapers without even looking her in the face, or courteously telling her thank you. She was a nonentity until a truck lost control, rode up on the sidewalk, and mangled her on the spot. Suddenly, everyone with a camera noticed her body, shredded to bits with her developing foetus torn from her womb and exposed for the world to see and gawk. It was their right to take pictures of the scene, but they did great wrong in capturing her helpless, dead and disembowelled, then showing her corpse to the world.

GHOULISH APPETITE

Much more recently, the daily shootings, killings and multiple killings have generated a ghoulish appetite within many of our fellow citizens. Some surf through their social media posts for their daily fix of bloodied and gruesome images of murder. Sometimes the images are obviously taken by first responders; the people who are supposed to help the victims who encounter unimaginable tragedy. These entrusted individuals are sometimes the ones who callously disrespect them and their family by posting horrible pictures of their dying or dead bodies.

I am of the firm opinion that murderers are elated when they see the products of their handiwork…their trophies. I strongly believe that, when the pictures/videos of murder victims are put on the Web, the perps look out for them, relive the event, and therefore reinforce their lust for blood. They celebrate their (cowardly) acts and try to outdo themselves or others whenever they kill again. It is likely that posting those horrible pictures is helping to increase our murder rate.

We are being desensitised to horror. Images of unrecognisable vehicles, and the distorted bodies of crash victims, are not making our roads safer. Images of murder victims are not reducing our murder rate…they have become a bizarre source of wonderment and morbid entertainment. Trauma victims and their families have rights, too. We should explore their right to privacy and the legislation to stop the displaying of our unfortunate citizens.

Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and garthrattray@gmail.com.