What happened?
David Thomson published a contemplative piece that weaves together a personal memory of his grandfather's death, the televised images of the World Trade Center on 9/11, and the current humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He recounts riding his bike to his grandmother's garden in Hackbridge, London, to see his grandfather's body for the first time, then shifts to describing how the 9/11 attacks were consumed on television as if they were scenes from a film. The essay also includes a contribution by William T. Vollmann that adds further perspective on the cinematic framing of mass tragedy.
Why does it matter?
The article argues that presenting real catastrophes as movie-like spectacles shapes public reaction. By likening the attacks to war movies such as All Quiet on the Western Front or Black Hawk Down, the narrative suggests that audiences become detached spectators rather than engaged citizens. Thomson points out that the constant exposure to images of destruction, from Dresden to Hiroshima, has turned collective outrage into a muted, almost routine response. This desensitisation is especially relevant today as the death toll in Gaza, reported by the Ministry of Health at 73,386, is processed through the same visual language.
"It was a day, 25 years ago this week, when at breakfast in San Francisco our life was broken in on by TV views of Manhattan."
By highlighting the overlap between personal grief and global tragedy, the essay underscores how media framing can either amplify empathy or render suffering invisible. The reference to the "Great Ignoring" of past atrocities, such as the Holocaust, reinforces the danger of normalising large-scale loss.
What happens next?
Thomson's reflection calls for a reassessment of how media and culture present disaster. He suggests that moving beyond the cinematic veneer could foster a more active public response to crises like the conflict in Gaza. While the piece does not propose specific policy changes, it implies that journalists, filmmakers and educators should strive for narratives that convey the human cost without turning it into spectacle. In doing so, audiences may be prompted to engage more critically with the realities behind the images.
Key contributors
The essay also features insights from film editor and sound designer Walter Murch and director Anthony Minghella, who recalled their own reactions to the 9/11 images, further illustrating the pervasive instinct to interpret real events through a cinematic lens.