Disclaimers

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We live in a time in which disclaimers are to be found anywhere and everywhere ~ sometimes in the most unlikely places. There are times that a disclaimer suits the situation ~ in other words it is a warning about something that can be encountered in that particular situation. And while that is a good thing in many cases, it can also seem redundant. For instance when on the internet a disclaimer is found that the opinions expressed are just that, opinions; and not stated factual truth.

To me the most eye-catching disclaimers are the disclaimers about medication which by law now have to be included in the commercial or advertisement for that medication in the U.S. Out of a thirty second commercial, sometimes as much as twenty seconds seems to be a fast spoken summary of all side effects and health problems this very medication may instigate in your body. It often makes me wonder why ~ after having heard all of that ~ a person still would opt for a medication like that...

Since the channel ‘Investigation Discovery’ has made it to Dutch television ~ a whole new range of disclaimers have come to my attention. And with them, an entire new set of ponderings...

The programs aired on ‘Investigation Discovery’ are at least based in reality, and oftentimes are documentaries of things that happen in reality. At the start of many of their programs a disclaimer is both shown as well as spoken that ‘the following program contains images of a violent (or sexual, or graphic...) nature that some viewers may find disturbing’.
Given the content of the program ~ no matter how interesting it may be ~ I keep wondering why it is not disturbing to everybody? What part of our experiences makes us watch narratives of the most gruesome occurrences without feeling a level disturbance? At what moment have we started considering the fact that those things happen in the world ~ let alone them being shown on TV ~ as normal?

A more interesting thing to me is that when I switch channels and land on a ‘whodunit’; a dramatized crime series like CSI ~ no such disclaimers are offered.
Of course those series are rated, and when one is very familiar with the rating system, one can deduce whether there may be disturbing scenes in that program. But how many people really look at those tiny images in the TV guide of their choice? And yet, in those series, similarly gruesome plots play out as they do in the real world documentaries...

Ultimately, disclaimers bring up the question at which point we are going to make our own choices ~ doing our ‘due diligence’ not based in the fear (or fascination) of anything ‘bad’ that may happen, but more out of interest or a sense of curiosity. Then, weighing the risks, we can make an informed decision on what to do next.
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