A lot of it is a matter of perspective. Here's an example--not long ago here in my home town the Humane Society came across a severely malnourished and neglected German Shepherd. An adult German Shepherd should weigh somewhere between 80 and 100 pounds and this dog was right around 35 pounds when he was found. I'm a huge dog lover, so it would be easy to view this negatively. What kind of person could do this to a dog, and what kind of society is it where such people exist?
But here's the "rest of the story"--our community has taken this dog to heart. Vets have donated medical care, dog trainers have worked with him free of charge, and businesses have donated money and whatever other resources they have available. An outdoor advertising company donated some billboards to raise awareness. A loving foster home has taken the dog in while he returns to health. He's put on some weight and is doing well.
So what I get out of this story isn't that there are awful people in this world capable of such depravity, but that there is an entire community full of loving, caring people willing to do what they can to help. There has always been evil, twisted people in the world but I'm heartened by the fact that they're outnumbered by caring and loving people.
Humanity shouldn't be defined by the few people who do bad things, but the many people who do good things. Reporting on them may not get the ratings up on the local TV news, but it is what is *really* important...
BTW, here's the website detailing the story of the German Shepherd named "Rocky" and his recovery:
Save Rocky