"A whole vocabulary of mediaspeak terms applied to real life has gradually emerged. Included here, among others, are: collateral damage, neutralized, canceled, surgical strike, playbook, rules of the game, high-value target, and gamechanger."
"When the word 'neutralize' is applied, it is a buffer to reduce the normal distress associated with watching and reacting to carnage and destruction."
"This shift from reality to the fantasy world of mediaspeak is made easier because we have become accustomed to employing media-associated terms in our everyday discourse."
The use of video imagery in war has led to a vocabulary that distances individuals from the reality of violence. Terms like 'collateral damage' and 'neutralized' create emotional detachment from the suffering depicted. This language flattens the emotional response to events such as genocidal attacks, reframing them in a way that diminishes distress. The normalization of media-associated terms in everyday language further blurs the line between reality and fantasy, making it easier to accept violence without serious emotional consequences.
Read at Psychology Today
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