Desensitization--your thoughts?

You hear a lot that if you watch a lot of violence, or horror, you become
desensitized to it. I'm sure that's true, but on the other hand... I can
watch Private Practice, which I've heard described as "parental
nightmare porn" or "The Cute Kids Must Die Show," which shows, many weeks,
children dying or very sick. The storylines are not the best--I freely
admit it's a goddamned soap--but I find myself liking it. Most of the time,
though, when the show's over, the emotions fade and are gone quickly.

Add this show to ER, and I've watched this kind of thing for
something like 15-20 years. And yet, when I see real life news stories,
they affect me on a deeper, more horrifying level. I cannot stand to hear
that children have been hurt or killed by their parents. It literally makes
me feel sick in my gut.

Real horror still hits me a thousand times harder than horror I know is
fake. So I'm going to think I'm not actually desensitized. Thank the
Nine.