Cinema Numbs Mass‑Death Response

Repeated cinematic depictions of urban catastrophe (starting with 9/11 films) distance viewers from real suffering so that large casualty numbers become theoretical rather than emotionally mobilizing. The result is a cultural habituation that reduces the immediate political and moral urgency when comparable real-world tragedies occur. — If true, this pattern helps explain why public outrage and policy pressure fail to scale with mass casualty counts and points to media form as a lever for restoring civic responsiveness.