Posted by Jurassosaurus [63.191.9.197 - sdn-ap-014caburbP0451.dialsprint.net] on 13 May 2004 at 06.05.58 ZuluTime:

In Reply to: Beheading website posted by Jurassosaurus on 11 May 2004 at 21.10.01 ZuluTime:

It's interesting to note the differences between the actual beheading, and how the media portrayed it. For one, I never heard the guy scream. I heard some slight gurgling as the neck was cut, but no actual screaming. Admittedly, it didn't help that these idiots were proclaiming the greatness of Allah so loudly that it was drowning out the camera's mic.

After seeing it, I also checked the MSNBC website and downloaded their streaming version (or, a streaming version). They state that:

"The next part is too gruesome to show on television."

I found that to be very interesting. I was left wondering exactly what entails "too gruesome." I've seen worse stuff shown on late night TV. The best I can figure is that the only reason for not showing it was because it was real. As we all know, the media draws the line on showing actual death right after the part where people launch themselves out windows (and that one had 3 different camera angles).

It is interesting to note the differences between real life and cinema though. I can't say that TV and movie violence has desensitized me to actual violence. I really can't see how it can. Hollywood is too over the top. If those Iraqis did a Hollywoodized version of the beheading (or, alternately if Hollywood decides to pick up the Nick Berg story and turn it into another crappy made for TV movie) then his neck would be spouting off like a geyser and blood would have festooned every available wall (which is to say nothing for all the gratuitous eyeball closeups those stupid films always use). Offhand, the only piece of recent media that ever really handled violence in a realistic way was Rockstar Game's: Manhunt. Kind of fitting that it was about snuff films.

I don't really have much else to say about the video, other than my initial surprise at how quickly a head can be chopped off with a knife. I guess I gave too much credit to the vertebral column. I figured it would have taken more than that. I was also left wondering why he didn't struggle more. If I was in that situation I probably would have been flailing all over the place. Then again, maybe he was, and that was why they had to do that annoying zoom in of his face. Not to condone this stuff, but they really could have done with some basic camera lessons.

What else to say; Nick Berg went to Iraq on his own volition. He thought he could help the Iraqis out and be a small hero. He was also completely behind Bush's official reasons for going there. So he died for what he believed in. In the end, that's really not a bad way to go.