Spectatorship

Today in class, we discussed how humans feel the need to spectate other human beings in trouble. We talked about how the news plays to this by always showing images of death and destruction to catch channel surfers. I just recently had an expierence dealing with the spectatorship of destruction. I was leaving Tampa and heading back to St. Petersburg about a week ago on I-275S, I knew that there had already been one wreck on the bridge right before you're in Tampa, but I didn't expect there to be any traffic leaving Tampa. Well, as soon as I hit the bridge it was bumper to bumper, and I couldn't figure out why. I thought that there must of been another wreck, but as we edged along, I saw that all of a sudden the cars ahead of me started accelerating as the bridge was completely clear. I looked to the left, and you could see the part of the wreck on the other side of the bridge. I was quick to anger as for one I hate being in traffic, but secondly that all these people had been slowing down to see the wreck. It made me mad, I thought why the hell are all these people stopping to see it. What? Are they hoping to see some blood and gore? As I quickly accelerated as fast I can, I fought the urge, but I couldn't stop myself from taking to a very, very slight glance at the wreck. I had tried to fight, but I was unable to stop myself, which made me very angry at myself.
I hate to admit this,but I gotta believe that there is something that is probably on the subconsciuos level that humans like to see this kind of stuff: death, destruction, violence, etc. I don't want this to be true, as my faith in mankind is already limited. My honest opinion is that I feel that most of the % of the population are just a bunch of violent dumbasses. When I watch the news or television, some of the things I hear that are going on in the world and even in our government (big surprise right) just make me wanna close my eyes, shake my head, then palm myself in the face. But I believe that this is mainly because of how people are brought up and educated, which leaves me hope that we can change things. But if it is true that humans have an inherent, subconscious need to see people in violent and destructive situation, hoping to see blood, I find it very disheartening. I hope that it is not so, but I got the feeling that it is so.