Desensitized

You hear it all the time... people are desensitized to sex and violence due to the media. Kids have no problem killing each other because they play too much Halo and have lost respect for sex due to hollywood and the porn industry. Sit 'em down for a 8 hour Tarantino and Rodriguez movie marathon and they could chop off their on hands with meat cleavers without blinking... or so some people claim. I think that kind of power is great. No, seriously. The desensitizing power of the media is awesome, it is just misdirected. There are a million things that I would love to be desensitized to. Take, for example, Moths.

The Moth is my cosmic nemesis. In the vast swirlings of fate and the universe, the Moth and I are at an existential high noon standoff.... a standoff where it flutters erratically in my direction and I run screaming like a little girl. Yes. I have a case of Mottephobia, or "moth fear". Those hairy, dusty, vile little insects cause a panic in me that is completely inversely proportional to their actual ability to hurt me. In other words, they freak me out for no logical reason. I must admit that most large, unpredictable, insects freak me out. Take those large grasshoppers, for instance. With their damn fluttering towards me; not flying, not jumping... what is that? Its an abomination, thats what it is. I mean, other insects gross me out, like roaches, but they dont fill me with fear unless they start their strange flying...

The thing is, I am not even able to kill these critters without cringing. Moths sort of smear into a dusty goo. Killing a roach means feeling that hard exoskeleton crunch and spew guts, and grasshoppers are similar. While seeing those things fills me with revulsion and panic, having to confront them and finish them is even worse. I need a good dose of desensitization. I think someone should create a video-game that slowly gets you used to these kinds of tasks. Start with finding them in a cyber room, then capturing them and finally levels and levels of moth-slaying in escalating violence and mayhem until finally killing the real thing not only doesn't bother me, but even entertains me. I need something like that.
But think of it, there are other things desensitization could be useful for... medical students getting used to nasty procedures, plumbers unplugging a stopped toilet, husbands and their mothers-in-law....

Comments

Anonymous said…
You make a good point. But I don't think that a moth slaying video game could make me want to play video games. But then again, neither does gore. Maybe a whole movie about slaying moths would work. Ooh, try wasps too since they terrify me. It would be like "Arachnophobia" only with wasps.
Anonymous said…
i would like to be desensitized to stupid people - they really agitate me.
Miriam said…
You should watch the old Dr. Doolittle. He rides a giant moth to the moon. That's really the only movie I can think of that involves moth. Except for the one in "A Bug's Life" that gets hypnotized by the bug-zapping light. Perhaps you should watch that.
Ryan said…
oh man. I can think of nothing less repulsive than riding a giant moth.

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