Comedian Louis C.K. recently remarked on the desensitizing effect he found digital communication — be it through texting or Facebook — had on his children. It was easier to make a pithy, cruel comment, he noted, if you didn’t have to see the impact on the victim, the crestfallen expression that stirs up empathy.
The same could be said of recent acts of vandalism in this community. It is doubtful that the perpetrators knew that they were spray-painting the garage of a 90-year-old, or that by turning off the furnace in the Rochester skating rink building, they would force community members to cancel holiday travel plans in order to fix the damage.
These acts have done more than sully buildings. They have profound effects on those least deserving or capable of dealing with the vandalism. The vandals may have acted under cover of night, but what of the nonagenarian who must face their handiwork in light of day?
