MATERNAL DISPATCHES with Hollie McKay

Why We Rage Against Predators But Shrug at Airstrikes

Hollie McKay

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0:00 | 7:22

Why do we recoil in horror when a child is abused by an individual, yet so often accept the deaths of children in war as an unfortunate reality?

In this thought-provoking episode, Hollie confronts a difficult question that challenges some of our deepest moral assumptions. Drawing on years of reporting from conflict zones and humanitarian crises, she explores the psychological and cultural forces that shape how we perceive suffering—and why our outrage is often selective.

Why are some acts of violence against children universally condemned while others are explained away as collateral damage, military necessity, or the cost of security? What role do distance, politics, and tribal loyalties play in determining which victims we mourn and which we overlook?

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