INDCJournal: Imagery

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February 03, 2005

Imagery

Posted by Bill

Safia Taleb al-Suhail of Iraq (news - web sites), who voted in the Iraqi elections, embraces Janet Norwood, who lost her son Byron while serving with the Marines in Iraq, during the State of the Union address 02 February 2005. Looking on clockwise from upper left are: John Manuel Martinez, shaking hands with William Norwood, and Laura Bush(AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

If you retain faith in the conventional ideals and institutions of this country, and the capacity to believe that emotional moments can represent noble and tangible constructs, then this is a stunning picture with powerful implications. If you're too cynical to note its power without also being compelled to minimize it as propaganda, then part of me feels sorry for you. Sometimes, it's ok to just be moved.

UPDATE: From Wonkette's liveblogging:

9:52 A LADY VOTER. We love them. Just don't get pregnant. Or be gay. Just go and vote. In another country. For the right person.... Wait.... 9:56 OMG. Cheney CRYING. He must really love liberty. Or actually, really loves Bush. Really loves him. Kind of heartbroken about the gay marriage thing. 9:58 Bush will cry here. Perhaps out of relief. 10:02 Mother of dead soldier and Iraqi voter got tangled up.... sort of perfect metaphor for the war, except that it wasn't fatal.

She can't even table the snark for a moment. Ana Marie Cox: you are a pathetic, very small person. Perhaps you sould spend five minutes with that Iraqi woman and ask her if this war is the cause of violence in Iraq. Perhaps she can explain to you how her father died.

Posted by Bill at February 3, 2005 11:52 AM | TrackBack (5)

Comments

I dunno, Bill, that Wonkette comment doesn't strike me as "pathetic and very small." It smacks of her being not hooked up right (i.e., creepy).

Posted by: Jim at February 3, 2005 12:41 PM

Well, she's certainly got very little heart.

And the "humor;" it's so ... phoned in, often forced. That style of snark is mastered by Tim Blair. Ideology aside, she can't hold a candle to him.

Posted by: Bill from INDC at February 3, 2005 12:42 PM

Yes, the humor: clever jokes. But no humanity. The good comedian turns the snide remarks in a plausibly humane direction. The mere clever snarkster - reasonable IQ but no real clue - just slings brickbats for the sake of appearing clever alone. And without the humanity, it is creepy.

Posted by: Jim at February 3, 2005 12:50 PM

Jim -

BINGO.

Absolutely spot-on. It's like a grasping, inhumane formula.

Posted by: Bill from INDC at February 3, 2005 12:53 PM

Indeed. There are times when you just have to shelve the comedy. I haven't been Wokette's site in months. Good to know I haven't missed anything.

Posted by: rbj at February 3, 2005 01:04 PM

Wonkette - the Paris Hilton of the Blogosphere (tm)

Posted by: Parker at February 3, 2005 01:53 PM

Parker -

Congrats. I'm not sure if this violates your trademark or not, but I just used your quote in an interview with the NY Sun. I mentioned it was "As one of my readers commented ..." and gave her your nome de internet.

Posted by: Bill from INDC at February 3, 2005 01:56 PM

Ah heck, if I got to slap everyone who deserved it I'd have carpel tunnel syndrome. (thank goodness I wasn't in the same room with Wonkette, I would have backhanded the silly bitch into next week). I post here about an indecent N. Calif. college student who posted this gem on one of Markos' threads:

your son is dead

you got 4 minutes of fame. that should do.

by Miss Devore on Wed Feb 2nd, 2005 at 18:59:47 PST

I'm at a loss at what animates such individuals masquerading as human beings.

Posted by: Darleen at February 3, 2005 03:50 PM

Darleen: I think it is selfishness, pure and simple. It's all about them. Other people only exist to validate their existence. If the other people fail to do so - well, piss on them.
"I'm wonderful and witty,
so charming and pretty -
don't you agree
you must love memememememem!"

Posted by: Mikey at February 4, 2005 08:49 AM