Letter to Fred Ritchen

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 Dear Fred Ritchen, 

As an American citizen, I believe that you are doing the right thing in introducing the debate of violent images to the public's eyes. The people of the United States of America should know what they do by sending their soldiers off to war by voting in policymakers and government officials who join in wars. However, these violent images can cause more harm than good to someone's mental health. An oversaturation of violent images in one's life can lead to desensitization to pain and suffering. As you so eloquently put in Why Violent Images Matter, "[to] a reader looking at one wrenching image after another...the world may seem so senseless and repugnant that the reader tries to disconnect..." At the end of the day, it is up to each and every individual to regulate what they can and cannot tolerate in their daily lives without having violence become so "normal" that it does not affect them. Photographers who take photographs such as the ones you showed in your articles have a moral obligation to accurately depict the world as it is today without the intent to hide important details or sway the opinions and thoughts of citizens. Articles and photographs have the power to make a difference in the world. You have done a great job on this article and what you have done is a necessary part of reducing the over-politicized media as it stands now. 

Sincerely, 

Karen Smith 

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