The Numbing Nature of Drama

    The narrator of DeLillo's short story, "Videotapes," is a man that develops an unhealthy obsession with a poor quality videotape of a highway murder. Over time, he views the video many times, realizing the murder tape takes away the humanity of its victim. It turns a tragic occurrence into nothing but a flashy display of technology. This terrifying look at drama and the dehumanizing effect of crimes has now found a new gruesome parallel in the case of David Burke (aka d4vd). 

    In Delillo's world, the tragedy was a VHS tape; in today's world it will be a viral news cycle. Charges were recently filed against d4vd for the murder and dismemberment of a 14-year-old girl named Celeste. A virtual spectacle erupted. Just like the narrator in the story who counted the individual frames of the crime, the internet began to play out this tragedy on repeat. Users on TikTok and X have started to juxtapose the horrific details of the case with dv4d's music, primarily "Romantic Homicide." 

    This creates a sickening paradox. The public is consuming the artists' music, which frequently focuses on heart break and violence, while also witnessing their real-time downfall due to serious charges. The music becomes a soundtrack for the crime. The pain and suffering of the victim become just another vibe or theory to debate in comment sections. People don’t care as much that an innocent girl was groomed and killed, but rather, that they’re favorite underground artist was the perpetrator. 

    Delillo teaches us that repeated viewing causes numbness. At some point, when a tragedy is viewed over and over again, it no longer represents a life lost but rather the incident itself. As we continue to view the official news conferences and court hearings regarding the d4vd case, we run the risk of becoming just like DeLillo's narrator. 

    The d4vd case serves as a stark reminder that our television and computer screens can create barriers for us to experience the harsh realities of life. Regardless of if it is a grainy highway video or a 40 terabyte evidence file, the tape of modern life rolls endlessly and invites us to continue viewing the unviewable.

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