Disgusting pictures.
There are two kinds of gross internet pictures.
The first kind can thrill young minds (or even grown ones) with a vivid reminder of the macabre possibilities in life. They’re worth a nervous shriek of laughter, or some giddy goosebumps. They break from the mundane, and can even help keep one grounded in a certain understanding.
Fuck Nitrogen or Carbon, and the other elements as well. The world is made up of about 80% carnage.
The second kind is different. And much worse. There are almost never any gasps or squeals from viewers. One picture that falls into the second category was shown to us during today’s Human Sexuality lecture, in the University of Madison’s psychology building.
These pictures are not useful for entertainment. They were never meant to be seen by the public, and without an imminent threat to your family’s safety depending on your familiarity with them, there is no excuse for seeking them out. Sending these images to a friend or coworker is not a sick joke, it is a betrayal. They often seem to be pulled from antiquated medical journals or other unholy and rightly forgotten vaults of blind horror.
The reaction I find most typical to this second form is what I call “The Death Gaze.” Today’s lecture was, of course, on the issue of “STI’s” in America. Contrary to what some dude tells you at a party, they are not an urban myth. The hundreds of students in the spacious hall were mostly silent after the first photographic slide clicked up on the projector. There were a few miserable sighs and a quiet moan or two. Mostly we stared at the picture like we were staring at our own graves. Silent. I felt suddenly dejected; weary of life and all it offers. The many eyes directed toward the drop-down screen were sad and confused. They spoke of formless, unposed questions to God. Outside, the rain kept falling.
I won’t even describe the picture in words: the ghost of an image my exacting prose might conjure would haunt your sleep.
Instead:
