- War is a national endeavor
- War is an American Tradition
- War is manly
- Winning is everything
They all put a positive spin on war, depicting it as a courageous and patriotic act.
One image that fits into the category of “winning” is the toppling of Saddam’s statue in
Another example of an “official” image relating to the
This last image of another TIME cover shows “The American Soldier” as being the person of the year. Three soldiers are seen standing together in uniform, upright, unyielding, and proud of the work they do. This particular image fits into the category terming war as being “manly”; it also, especially with the help of the wording also present, makes the soldiers who represent the war a source of national pride because of the positive way in which they are represented. Such an image that brings soldiers into the pictures really helps to further the interest of the country because the military is one aspect of war that most everybody agrees about: nobody would want to say that they don’t support the military when the people in the military are losing their lives for the protection of others.
Overall, the images work towards gaining a national unity in favor of the war that is occurring. It is also important to note, however, that these pro-state images are not the only ones that make it to the front covers, even if they are the majority and the most likely to do so. Other images, sometimes precisely for the reason that they were first censored and thus caused an uproar, also make the covers (such as the image of a detainee with his head covered by a sack, or about to be “electrocuted” and even to an extent the flag-draped coffins). These, I suppose, are never really “official”, however, as they work to the detriment of those leading the charge.
Aday, Sean, John Cluverius and Steven Livingston. “As Goes the Statue, So Goes the War: The Emergence of the Victory Frame in Television Coverage of the
2) I agree that images have a lot of power which, like all power, can be used for good or bad (depending on how you look at it). This notion goes all the way back to Plato’s use of images to further the state, as well as Hitler’s, and the differing ideas regarding modern art during times of fear and war.
But in the photography of real-life events – photography which was not even done with the idea of propaganda, such as was be the case with the other examples seen as either helping or harming “the state” – should we ignore the images (to an extent) and focus on the events?
First, let me quote Sontag herself and clarify her position: “So, then, is the real issue not the photographs themselves but what the photographs reveal to have happened to ‘suspects’ in American custody? No: the horror of what is shown in the photographs cannot be separated from the horror that the photographs were taken – with the perpetrators posing, gloating, over their helpless captives.” Sontag does not appear to be arguing at all that we should ignore the images at all; rather, she ties the fact that the images were taken to the actions, and then focuses on the fact that these actions occurs. And I totally agree with her.
Torture was occurring even before these pictures “came out”… and there were people who knew about it (as proven in greater detail in part 3). This maltreatment, even if it wasn’t of the same type as the posing which was done for the images that we see today, still existed and was still deplorable. The actions themselves solicit the responses of disgust. The images main role was really in making the actions available to the view of the public… without which, people would not know what was going on in the prisons.
As Sontag said, fact that these people would actually smile at the camera behind the naked detainees and regard the whole event with humor worth saving in the form of a picture is indeed quite horrific; however, the acts themselves can stand alone as being horrific occurrences whilst the pictures are as disconcerting as they are because of the fact that the things depicted therein really happened. The response against the pictures is not one calling for the stop of photography in prisons as much as it is a call for the stop of torture itself. The torture is what is inhumane, and it remains so even if no picture is taken of it occurring.
3) Images of war definitely should not be kept from public view during wartime because doing so deliberately misleads the population into believing things are much better than they really are. People have a right to know what is going on, not only because they are the ones going or being sent off to war, but also because they have the responsibility, if it is wrong, to change it.
So should the Abu Ghraib photos have been exhibited? Unequivocally, yes. These images brought to light for many people some of the atrocities that were occurring within US prisons. It forced the administration/military to own up a bit more, to do something about what was going on. As Sontag states, the pictures were “…necessary to get our leaders to acknowledge that they had a problem on their hands. After all, the conclusions of reports… about the atrocious punishments inflicted on 'detainees' and 'suspected terrorists'… have been circulating for more than a year… Up to then, there had been only words, which are easier to cover up… so much easier to forget.”
This idea that the human rights violations were simply ignored before the pictures came out is mirrored in the report by an independent panel headed by Schlesinger, “…the first to assign responsibility for the abuse of prisoners… to senior Pentagon officials including Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.” In the Abu Ghraib Timeline presented in “Inconvenient Evidence”, it says: “The report states that officials were aware of the problems at the detention facilities and failed to address them.”
The purpose of showing these images is thus to raise awareness of the occurrences and help to wake the people up to the truth of this war and its costs… not just to us, but also to the rest of the world. And it seems that the administration is aware of the power of these images to force change… which is precisely why they are afraid of them. Sontag in her article says that Rumsfeld acknowledged the existence of many more photographs and videos, and said: “If these are released to the public, obviously, it’s going to make matters worse.” Presumably, as Sontag states, it would be worse “for the administration…not for those who are the actual – and potential? – victims of torture.”
Not only can exhibiting these pictures help bring justice in the present, it can also provide the force to stop even more injustice in the future.
So while I don’t know about everyone else, I’m most assuredly willing to trade a bit of dissent for the safeguarding of justice and human rights.
2 comments:
In looking at the Time magazine covers as official images you can see an interesting aspect of these images that you didn't point out. When I was looking at time magazine covers and articles the more recent ones concerning the war don't glorify it nearly as much and often show shots of death and terror. It is important to note that as mass support dies down for a government policy the media will reflect it and antiwar or anti-government sentiment will make up the majority of images even if the government wanted the official images to be under their control.
Furthermore, adding to what Ariane commented about, the Time magazine covers as well as other magazine covers and newspapers appeal to the overwhelming public opinion. It is essentially a product of the culture industry. Time magazine, just like any other magazine, needs to sell copies in order to make money. To do so they publish pictures on their front cover of the most controversial topic at the time and often convey the general feeling of the viewing public.
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