ADDED: I'm giving this post the "using children in politics" tag, even though it's not quite what I have meant by it in the past. But the commenter HoodlumDoodlum said "This blog usually opposes the use of children to make political points or advance some cause." I responded:
This isn't a case of people putting children in political ads or having children carry signs in protests.
The photographer got in there to take the picture and the usefulness of the picture was perceived after the fact and largely occurred through viral sharing as it affected people.
That is propaganda but the child is real and no one chose to put that child in that condition. I think it's important not to look away from reality.
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96 comments:
It's called "war." Do you think there were no German children pulled from the rubble of Berlin or Dresden who looked this way? No Japanese kids who looked that way after they survived the firebombing of Tokyo and other Japanese cities? No English kids who looked that way after being pulled from the rubble of London during the Blitz? What about Dutch kids after the Germans bombed Rotterdam flat? War sucks.
@Big Mike:
Yes, but this bombing can be blamed on Assad/Russia and thus makes very useful propaganda.
Is there a "ululate" emoji?
I am Laslo.
Our legacy in Syria.
Having to pull a kid out of rubble is why they should come with a handle attached.
Look around the world today. Most places don't have children being pulled out of rubble, bloodied by explosions, but when they do, radical Islam is in the air. Don't mention this in the presence of our leaders though, because that's hate speech, specifically forbidden.
In vaguely related news -
US is said to have pulled all its tactical nuclear warheads out of Turkish Incirlik AFB to Romania.
Turkish foreign minister is also threatening "military cooperation" with Russia vs NATO.
Imagine a world right now without radical Islam. Wouldn't that be about as close to a peaceful world as there has ever been? No matter what you do to avoid it, there's always one asshole, all the time, screwing things up because they just can't help themselves.
US is said to have pulled all its tactical nuclear warheads out of Turkish Incirlik AFB to Romania.
There weren't any there to begin with.
Maybe I'm wrong - it's not just Radical Islam.
Of course it is heartbreaking. This is a child. Not an adult who has grown up indoctrinated into a violent, mass-murdering cult.
This message from the media is clearly meant as propaganda to counter the actual tragic consequences of countries taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees who belong to this cult.
Darcy: This message from the media is clearly meant as propaganda to counter the actual tragic consequences of countries taking in hundreds of thousands of refugees who belong to this cult.
More than that, at least for me, it's oddly counter-effective.
"Yes! We want you to have the right to have a haircut that looks like Moe's from The Three Stooges! We want you to have the right to watch as much CatDog as you can stand! You won't get that by living in a self-imposed militant Muslim third-world hellhole!"
Obama played golf yesterday with Marty Nesbitt, former NBA star Alonzo Mourning and attorney Cyrus Walker. Priorities.
Pretty soon there will be nothing left in Aleppo to bomb. I just want to fly over there and swoop in and pick up that kid and protect him, that's all.
@bagoh20:
"Most places don't have children being pulled out of rubble, bloodied by explosions, but when they do, radical Islam is in the air."
Yep. And authoritarian figures like Hussein and Assad and Qadaffi were keeping a lid on these forces until we brilliantly decided to bomb them out of existence. What's that about the definition of insanity again?
I certainly hope Barack and Hillary see this video as they are personally responsible for the humanitarian disaster in Syria due to their STUPID policies. Estimated 450,000 dead in Syria; that's roughly the population of Omaha.
But Barack is too busy playing golf and Hillary is sleeping when she is not raising money for her campaign.
Red line my ass. Tough talk from an intramural basketball player at Harvard.
@buwaya:
"Turkish foreign minister is also threatening "military cooperation" with Russia vs NATO."
Oh the horror, cooperation with a major power over mutual interests. NATO is an antiquated security arrangement that needs to be scrapped. There's no reason for Russia and the US to be at odds in Syria other than our unimaginably moronic strategy of trying to fight both sides of this civil war.
I LOVE CatDog! I was surprised it didn't become a big hit, but it couldn't quite compete with Spongebob Squarepants.
Without watching vid or reading story, I see a bloody orphan with a lonely, sad life ahead of him.
Says a lot about the visitors to this site where of the first 11 comments only 0.5 empathises with the awful horror of this small child's plight.
In this instance, does it matter if the child is Syrian, is in a civil-war, partly but not fully about radical-islam, involves Russia and so on.
So little humanity.
"this bombing can be blamed on Assad/Russia and thus makes very useful propaganda" Ah, yes. That's why we are seeing he steady drumbeat of denunciations of Assad, against Russia, against their ally Iran from which the bombing raids may have been flown. The MSM are so aflame with attacks on the evil-doers, and the administration is so focused on stopping their evil, they barely have time for Trump anymore.
Yes, there is little humanity in the world. Surprise, people are people.
Heartbreaking!
I certainly hope Barack and Hillary see this video as they are personally responsible for the humanitarian disaster in Syria due to their STUPID policies.
As much as I detest Obama and Clinton, I feel obliged to point out that they are not in the leastways personally responsible for the humanitarian disaster in Syria. The people personally responsible are those who are dropping the bombs, shooting the guns, doing the fighting and killing -- i.e., those prosecuting the war, including their leaders. America is not to blame for this war and its casualties and consequences. When might have intervened when the proverbial red line was crossed, but even if we had done so who is to say that tens of thousands might not in any event have been killed? The notion that America, merely by flexing its muscle and applying military force, has the power to end wars, save entire populations from their own murderous impulses and actions, and otherwise right the world's wrongs is fallacious, and dangerous ... to Americans.
As indicated in my preceding post, I utterly reject R2P ideology and its attendant policies.
The Libya-ISIS Affair.
Reminiscent of the famous "Shanghai Baby" photograph/newsreel image. See:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Saturday_(photograph)
Another excellent article, with follow-on pics, of the Shanghai Baby:
http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/bloody-saturday-a-crying-chinese-baby-amid-the-bombed-out-ruins-of-shanghais-south-railway-station-1937/
@Unknown:
:In this instance, does it matter if the child is Syrian, is in a civil-war, partly but not fully about radical-islam, involves Russia and so on."
What good does public announcement of personal feelings have? Feeling horror at the sight of a child's suffering doesn't have anything to do with how you think about the bigger picture. Much of the horror going on in Syria has been exacerbated by US and Gulf Arab state meddling.
@Roughcoat:
The people personally responsible are those who are dropping the bombs, shooting the guns, doing the fighting and killing -- i.e., those prosecuting the war, including their leaders."
We have been bombing Syria. And we've been training and arming rebel forces inside Syria. We're deeply involved in this war. Assad likely could have regained control of his country had we and our Arab partners not attempted to dislodge Assad from power in a stupid, short-sighted desire to counter the Shia ascendency that's been going on in the region since democracy turned Iraq into a Shia-dominated state.
@Roughcoat I didn't know what R2P was so I looked it up. I must admit that just skimming parts of it made me laugh out loud. To comment I'd have to read more deeply and I know it's not worth my time. Is this the UN or the League of Nations? Is there a difference? I guess because we're members there is, otherwise not much.
Roughcoat
But Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. And we were assured millions of times about his use of smart power. And how he was so, so much smarter than that idiot George Bush.
The thing is the two of them didn't even try. Too risky. Losers.
What human could not be moved by this picture? Now let's hear how no Muslims from countries associated with terrorism be allowed to enter the US. Women and children, by the thousands should be given humanitarian consideration and allowed entry to our traditionally empathetic country. No men, no boys over 14. Women and children only, how can they be refused?
Unknown, 2:46 -
"Says a lot about the visitors to this site where of the first 11 comments only 0.5 empathises with the awful horror of this small child's plight....So little humanity"
Eh. I showed up early, typed and erased something heartfelt. It felt cheap and I was ashamed of it.
What earthly good do I achieve by trying to show you how much I care? It won't convince you, it doesn't matter if it does or not, and it sure doesn't do any good for that poor kid or any other.
But yes, this is indeed an awful horror. And so? What do we do now?
Thanks Obama.
Unknown said...
"Says a lot about the visitors to this site where of the first 11 comments only 0.5 empathises with the awful horror of this small child's plight."
Is virtue signaling gonna make everything all better for the boy? How many likes on Facebook will it take to get him a better life?
@Unknown
And what's with this "0.5" bullshit? Why can't you say "half", like an American? Take your metric system back to France, surrender monkey!
@Unknown:
Making decisions based on an emotional reaction to a photograph is the height of irresponsibility. I'm sure the thousand female sexual assault victims in Cologne wished their government had been a little more circumspect before throwing open their doors in response to the photograph of a dead boy who had drowned in the Mediterranean.
@Dead Begley:
"The thing is the two of them didn't even try. Too risky. Losers."
Two of who didn't try what?
If you don't know who made and edited a video and what response they are trying for and why you don't know much about it these days. Probably this was always so. Metadata.
@ObliviousUnknown Hashtag ________________ (fill in the blank, takes care of it).
I feel great now. I did my good deed right?
Farmer, it's not based on this photo alone. It's ludicrous and simplistic to the max to assume that my feelings or those who favor admitting women and children Syrian refugees to the Us is based on one or two heart rending photos. I must ask, what the hell is wrong with you?
J. Farmer:
We are not deeply involved in this war: not deeply enough, that is, to have the sort of impact for which you are excoriating our leadership. Our involvement is relatively shallow and manifestly ineffective, as attested by our inability to affect the course of events for good or ill. The loss of life caused by our air strikes and associated operations is negligible in part because they being conducted, when they conducted at all, under severe ROE restrictions that produce scarcely any meaningful tactical/strategic results (including the killing of our enemies). The rebel forces that we endeavored to arm and train were numerically inconsequential and have more or less evaporated and vanished from the battlefield. By far and away the enormous loss of life in the Syrian conflict is attributable to Shia/Alawai and Sunni factions fighting and killing each other. The Shia ascendency that you reference, and the Sunni reaction to it, constitute the ideological/theological underpinnings that are fueling what is, effectively, a religious war on the order of Europe's Thirty Years' War. The policies and actions of the non-Muslim world are mere adjuncts to a war that would be happening in any event and which would be extraordinarily sanguinary with or without the outside non-Muslim support and participation.
Good deeds don't only happen on Sundays after you go to church. You have faith? Live it.
I find myself, in this discussion, being in the rather (for me) peculiar and unpleasant position of sort of, kind of, defending Obama and Clinton. Ugh. Therefore I am bowing out of this discussion.
@J Farmer, I get your point but it's becoming clear that Barack Obama believes that the 1980's really do want their foreign policy back.
"Unknown said...
Farmer, it's not based on this photo alone. It's ludicrous and simplistic to the max to assume that my feelings or those who favor admitting women and children Syrian refugees to the Us is based on one or two heart rending photos. I must ask, what the hell is wrong with you?"
What is it based on then? By the way, are you suggesting ONLY women and children?
is there a chance that Syria will be Obama's Rwandan genocide legacy?
is there a chance that Hillary and her husband will be held to account for the Rwandan genocide in this election by the media?
this was a truly sad video and I am heartbroken...and I am grateful that our country has borders, the rule of law, 2 oceans, and a very small minority of muslims. I do not know if this was assad or putin or isis but what I do know is that moderate islam or even secularism in ME is on the retreat and that we cannot import these tendencies anymore to this country. I actually think that putin understands this having to deal with Chechnya for so long. but there will be blood for now.
Curious George,
I don't know about you, but I've been following the war in Syria and the plight of the Syrian refugees for quite sometime, haven't you? Yes I'm suggesting ONLY women and children be admitted to the US at this point. Men and boys can wait in refugee camps until it's deemed they are safe to join their families. It's not ideal, but it's better by far than what we are doing now.
Char Char Binks said...Is virtue signaling gonna make everything all better for the boy? How many likes on Facebook will it take to get him a better life?
How quickly you forget, CCB! Mrs. Obama's skillful hastag deployment got all those Nigerian schoolgirls back, remember?
Oh.
Remember that whole Neibuhr prayer? It says something about
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."
But in 2016 UnknownInga demands we forget that old wisdom.
Fucking idiot.
moderate islam or even secularism in ME is on the retreat
It was abandoned in Iraq. It was almost defeated in Egypt. It was sodomized and aborted in Libya. There is, thanks to Russia, a Secular Spring in Syria.
The kids in Dresden didn't have to suffer
The "good" wars a la South Africa, Serbia, Ukraine, Libya, etc. have no victims.
This boy is in a war zone. What's more, he's in the half of Aleppo occupied by the rebels.
What is there to be done? We, the U.S., are not going to remove Assad from power. With Russia's backing, Assad is not going to lose. The only way the war ends is for the rebels to surrender. Otherwise, the war will be endless.
Should we stop arming the rebels? Should we limit ourselves to airstrikes on ISIS-held areas, or focus only on Iraq?
I don't know.
But this kid would have been far better off in Assad's regime, however repressive, than in an unending war zone.
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/janetheactuary/2016/08/should-we-give-up-on-aleppo.html
"Unknown said...
Curious George,
I don't know about you, but I've been following the war in Syria and the plight of the Syrian refugees for quite sometime, haven't you? Yes I'm suggesting ONLY women and children be admitted to the US at this point. Men and boys can wait in refugee camps until it's deemed they are safe to join their families. It's not ideal, but it's better by far than what we are doing now."
So you're not just saying women and children. And there is no way that this will happen...Obama, or Clinton if she wins, will let them all in ASAP. There is an ample track record of that.
And better than we are doing now? For who? Not us. Show me one country that has let in Syrian refugees that hasn't had major problems. I have an idea, send them to a Muslim country. Turkey. Iran. But here? No.
Countries that let in mainly Syrian men are having major problems, granted. Letting in women and children won't present the same sort of problems. The men and teenage boys may not get entry to the US for years, if ever.
"Unknown said...
Countries that let in mainly Syrian men are having major problems, granted. Letting in women and children won't present the same sort of problems. The men and teenage boys may not get entry to the US for years, if ever."
You are delusional if you think Obama, or Hillary, will separate families, and deny men and teenage boys access.
Of the more than 8,000 Syrian refugees admitted to the country so far, 78% are women or children, according figures released by the State Department this month. Fifty-eight percent are children, with a roughly even split between girls and boys.
Only a few months ago, refugee activists and experts were concerned that the US would not admit many of the almost 5 million Syrian refugees who have fled the country since civil war began there over five years ago. By April 2016, halfway through the fiscal year, only 1,285 people had been admitted. However, monthly totals have increased steadily, with over 2,000 arriving in July. The uptick came as the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and other government agencies working in tandem on the project expanded their capacity.
“We can now say that we’ve welcomed 8,000 Syrian refugees so far this year, and that we are very confident that we will welcome at least 10,000 refugees from Syria by the end of this fiscal year,” said Anne Richard, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, in a conference call Friday with reporters.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/08/09/syria-refugees-united-states-women-children/88446226/
@Unknown:
"Farmer, it's not based on this photo alone. It's ludicrous and simplistic to the max to assume that my feelings or those who favor admitting women and children Syrian refugees to the Us is based on one or two heart rending photos. I must ask, what the hell is wrong with you?"
You began your post with, "What human could not be moved by this picture?" What the hell does that have to do with the second part of your post. And furthermore, why should women be treated differently than men? And how do you propose we get them here? And where do we put them? And even boys have a strange way of turning into men in a few short years. Here's a better idea: help Assad crush the rebel forces and get back control of his country.
Farmer, what a hypocrite you are. You make comments about German women in Cologne being sexually assaulted by Syrian refugee men, now you whine about women refugees being given preference over men? This is a big country, we can accommodate women and children refugees.
@Rough Coat:
I take your point, and me saying "deeply involved" was probably a rhetorical flourish too far. I try to stick to the phrase "the US and our Arab ally partners," because it more honestly reflects what's going on. The Sauds are big players here and have no problem funding and arming radical salafist rebel groups. I've been arguing for a pivot away from the Arabs and a detente with Iran since September 12t, 2001.
That said, even if US involvement is contributing 5% of the problem, that's 5% that can be taken away. We've given hundreds o thousands of weapons to the Free Syrian Army but luckily they all had "For moderate soldiers only" printed on them. Plus, there are US soldiers fighting in Syria now. And I would be very surprised if the US were not engaged in covert activity in and around Syria. Lastly, the US very early in the start of the civil war made stupid proclamations about planning for a post-Assad Syria. All very dumb. And because our foreign policy is so strongly driven by a fear of losing "legitimacy," we won't backtrack on Assad and admit we'd been wrong all along. I never supported airstrikes in Syria or arming any rebels, and I still don't.
It is a sad photo, but there have been many staged photos and videos by radical Muslims to garner international sympathy to further their political goals.
So it is sad, but it doesn't make me want to let any of them into the US at this point.
@Unknwon:
No, I'm not a hypocrite. If there had been men sexually assaulted by immigrants, I'd denounce that, too. There just weren't. And it's interesting how you framed it as me making "comments about German women" but "whine about women refugees." But just out of curiosity, why do you believe that women should be given preferential treatment if equality of the sexes means anything?
"And even boys have a strange way of turning into men in a few short years".
And Farmer, your sons will grow up to be men also, does it follow that they will become rapists
Syrian women have no equality of the sexes Farmer. Your knowledge regarding the situation is woefully lacking.
As many Syrian men have fled to Europe or joined the combat, women have filled the traditionally male role of head of household. Shifting gender roles have incited violence in refugee communities and gender-based violence has become a significant feature of the conflict. More than half of female refugees need psychological services and have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or forced or early marriage. Most Syrian children live outside of refugee camps in Turkey, where only 25 percent of them attend school—heightening the risk of early marriage and sexual exploitation for Syrian girls.
As many Syrian men have fled to Europe or joined the combat, women have filled the traditionally male role of head of household. Shifting gender roles have incited violence in refugee communities and gender-based violence has become a significant feature of the conflict. More than half of female refugees need psychological services and have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence, or forced or early marriage. Most Syrian children live outside of refugee camps in Turkey, where only 25 percent of them attend school—heightening the risk of early marriage and sexual exploitation for Syrian girls.
The plight of Syrian women living in refugee camps.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/child-labor-sexual-abuse-death---the-plight-of-syrian-refugees-in-lebanon-94741/
Child labor has also increased with reports of children working for $5 a day or $15 a week, and landlords demanding they work for free if a family is late paying its rent. Some mothers have reportedly resorted to prostitution to support their families. Women have also been vulnerable to sexual exploitation by employers or sponsors.
“Five Syrian women told Human Rights Watch that sponsors or employers sexually harassed or tried to sexually exploit them but that they could not confront them for fear of losing residency,” the report said.
And without legal status, refugees risk deportation if they move around within the country. If they travel to Syria, they might not be able to re-enter or could be detained as security risks, according to the report.
Now do some research,of your own before opening your big uninformed mouths.
"Unknown said...
Of the more than 8,000 Syrian refugees admitted to the country so far, 78% are women or children, according figures released by the State Department this month. Fifty-eight percent are children, with a roughly even split between girls and boys."
If this is proof of the women and children only, 22% of 8,000 is 1,760 men. And there is no definition of what constitutes a "child."
Of course as I said:
"The U.S. government has also also set up a process to promote family reunification for Iraqi and Syrian refugees who have relatives in the country. The program, called “Priority 2” or P-2, allows refugee applicants with relatives in the U.S. to bypass the UNHCR screening. U.S.-based family members can start an application on behalf of their relatives abroad via an I-130 petition for reunification. If that request is approved, family members then go through the same screening by U.S. agencies as all other refugee applicants."
This will be accelerated for sure. And a disaster for the U.S.
@Unknown:
"Syrian women have no equality of the sexes Farmer. Your knowledge regarding the situation is woefully lacking.."
No, you've misunderstood me. "Equality of the sexes is a principle. If it's one you believe in, then how do you justify the US government giving women preferential treatment?
Ah, the "B" team, very sexy You go 'ol 55'!
Good lord Farmer, these are Syrian women we are discussing. The principle of equality of the sexes is not being applied to them and because of their sex they are a much more vulnerable population in the refugee camps. I believe in humanitarian principles above all others. Once the women are safe in a civilized country and have recovered from the trauma of war, they can be expected to be on a level playing field when it comes to equality of the sexes.
It was good when we let those women into this country. Women such as Tashfeen Malik and Noor Salman could never be a threat to anybody.
Trust UnknownInga, who can look into the very hearts of women and see that they are all good. Or, at least the ones Obama let into the country will all be good.
Except those two, named above. And the roughly 60 people dead because of their jihad.
Omelettes must be made.
(Hey Skipper). What makes you think there weren't nukes in Turkey? Just trolling or?
Two independent sources told EurActiv com that the US has started transferring nuclear weapons stationed in Turkey to Romania, against the background of worsening relations between Washington and Ankara.
According to one of the sources, the transfer has been very challenging in technical and political terms.
“It’s not easy to move 20+ nukes,” said the source, on conditions of anonymity.
According to a recent report by the Simson Center, since the Cold War, some 50 US tactical nuclear weapons have been stationed at Turkey’s Incirlik air base, approximately 100 kilometres from the Syrian border.
Don't let the ideology in the door. Its proven the second generation is conflicted about the old world and susceptible to jihadism. Much better to help out the Yazidi women than the Syrian women.
You can't take everyone in. With the EU open door policy the sympathy for one child created a rape epidemic. Progressives want these refugees to destroy traditional ways without regard to the mayhem they cause. That is what a vote for Hilary does. Which means progressives really lack a moral conscience. There are better ways to help the Syrians than turning them all into refugees.
If earth is ever attacked by aliens I despair for humanity. Especially if they arrive as refugees. Euro-pusssies everywhere will import their own conquerors and even make bank on weapons trade with the aliens' home planet. Even knowing the certain result of this will not stop it.
Maybe it's because his life did not end in the privacy of abortion chambers, and his marketable parts were not cannibalized then trafficked by Planned Parenthood, so that he can pose for the camera as a whole human being.
@Unknown:
Men are suffering in Syria, too. Why is their suffering worth less than a woman's. So let me ask one more time, why should the US government treat Syrian women differently than Syrian men? If you don't believe in equality of sexes, then just say so. Stop jumping through rhetorical hoops that are completely beside the point you're making.
Hey Skipper said...
US is said to have pulled all its tactical nuclear warheads out of Turkish Incirlik AFB to Romania.
There weren't any there to begin with.
8/18/16, 2:11 PM
As jdniner says, your statement contradicts the conventional wisdom. Do you know something?
I know!
Take the refugees.
Arm them with light weapons. Feed them.
Deploy them along the Mexican border.
Tell them, every wetback we catch north of your zone, one of your families gets dropped off back in downtown Aleppo.
Immigration problem solved!
Oh, and implant them all with GPS trackers attached to self-destruction devices.
Note that these Humanitarian Rescuers left him covered in blood and s*** while they filmed him.
Unknown said...
What human could not be moved by this picture? Now let's hear how no Muslims from countries associated with terrorism be allowed to enter the US. Women and children, by the thousands should be given humanitarian consideration and allowed entry to our traditionally empathetic country. No men, no boys over 14. Women and children only, how can they be refused?
The San Bernardino shooter, who was born in the USA to Muslim immigrant parents, probably looked a lot like this little boy when he was five years old. The Orlando shooter probably did, too. And the truck-driving terrorist in France on Bastille Day. They were all cute little children once, and some of them even had the blessing of being born in our country, even if they felt and acted like aliens in our midst. Bottom line, we don't know which Muslim immigrants are going to be decent, law-abiding citizens and which ones will be "radicalized." If we allow a bunch more of them to come here, we will almost certainly be importing current or future terrorists because that is what many Muslims believe their religion tells them to do. The only safe number of new Muslim immigrants is zero. I feel sorry for people like this child who suffer in wars, much as I feel sorry for stray animals, but we can't take all of them in or we would be overrun by them.
We should virtue signal about the gang shootings in US inner city hellholes controlled by Democrats. Not a thing we can do about Syria.
This blog usually opposes the use of children to make political points or advance some cause.
J. Farmer said...
@bagoh20:
"Most places don't have children being pulled out of rubble, bloodied by explosions, but when they do, radical Islam is in the air."
Yep. And authoritarian figures like Hussein and Assad and Qadaffi were keeping a lid on these forces until we brilliantly decided to bomb them out of existence. What's that about the definition of insanity again?
Well. Not Hussein. He way vigorously murdering large numbers of his countrymen and neighbors all the while defying UN sanctions.
"This blog usually opposes the use of children to make political points or advance some cause."
This isn't a case of people putting children in political ads or having children carry signs in protests.
The photographer got in there to take the picture and the usefulness of the picture was perceived after the fact and largely occurred through viral sharing as it affected people.
That is propaganda but the child is real and no one chose to put that child in that condition. I think it's important not to look away from reality.
But thanks for bringing that up and I do want to add the children in politics tag to this post.
Hillary thinks that this is a great war and we should be arming at least one side.
Ann Althouse said...That is propaganda but the child is real and no one chose to put that child in that condition. I think it's important not to look away from reality.
I fully agree it's important not to look away from reality. I'm not sure I agree "no one chose to put that child in that condition;" certainly if people are intentionally dropping bombs on civilians they chose to do so (or their superiors who ordered it did, etc). [Certainly the people who took and distributed the picture didn't put the child in that condition.] One of the things that makes it difficult, I think, is exactly that the motivation, purpose, etc, of the people who committed the act is what's in question--is this a picture of a terrible consequence of an otherwise-correct action, or a picture of the result of a deliberate illegal act?
At any rate I don't think it's wrong to show the picture (nor even to use it for political ends) and the addition of the tag seems appropriate acknowledgement of the thorny issue.
Does the kid have a publicist yet?
@ Unknown - Are you saying women can't be jihadis? How misogynist of you. Tafsheen Malik begs to differ.
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