Gaddafi death in the media

I happened to listen to Redi Tlhabi’s show on Talk Radio 702 yesterday when I had to step out of the office for a bit. She was asking for listeners’ opinions on whether it was right to show deposed Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi’s bloodied face and dead body openly in the media. There was a handful of people calling in, saying that they were shocked and disturbed to see it and there were others who were unfazed by it, calling it a dose of reality or whatever. One of the main concerns from the former group of callers was that their children could easily see the major newspapers at supermarkets flashing his gory mug shot on their front pages. The latter group felt that we do not need to be protected from what is happening out there in the world. I think there are valid points on both sides but let us get something straight here… This man not only forcefully ruled a nation for forty years, he killed and even burned alive several of his own people who dared to oppose him. Posting a bloodied photo of him in the media not only serves as proof for everyone to see that they really did get him, it delivers a sense of relief that this despicable monster is well and truly no more. I think doing this is essential no matter how gory or difficult the image. Sure, in the case of news media perhaps the photo could have been featured inside rather than on the front page, as some callers suggested. I agree to that. But the story needs to be told nevertheless. History must teach mankind the valuable lesson that one cannot simply torture one’s own people for decades and get away with it. Look what happened to Saddam Hussein. And what better lesson than visual proof?! And surely we can handle the gore, c’mon! We watch movies that are way more violent than this. Some video games have blood splatters every few seconds as the score goes up. But I can understand how different people have different sensitivity levels and that is when it becomes a difficult call. Anyway, I cannot imagine how relieved the Libyan people must feel now. Let’s hope America doesn’t take over.