Reflection piece

This article in the New York Times, How One Journalist's Death Provoked a Backlash That Thousands of Dead in Yemen Did Not is an "interpretive" piece that really provoked some reflection and that I think might provide an important discussion in the classroom. It describes the psychological experience of the "collapse of compassion"; how we are more susceptible to being galvanized by a single death than by the thousands of deaths in a natural or humanitarian disaster ("That is why news coverage of a famine or a flood will often highlight the story of one victim.").

It might be effective to take a short/long review of history and identify landmark events where such single deaths moved society to action. A dozen come to mind.

The article also talks about a "dynamic called common knowledge: A group becomes much likelier to act against a transgressor when each individual member knows that every other member knows about the transgression. This creates a perceived social pressure to act." This provides a strong rationale for supporting our school's efforts to develop strong small-group relationships with students to mitigate things like bullying.