Thursday, November 22, 2012

Images and Public Perception


The effects of images on public perception have changed the norms of journalism.Images of dying soldiers have a negative effect on military mission regardless of the reason for entering the conflict.  The reluctance by many governments in participating in humanitarian intervention, especially in Africa and the Middle East, can be traced to the portrayal of dead soldiers in the media.
Bleeding Soldiers:
            The portrayal of soldiers in conflict zones directly impacts public perception.  Images of soldiers in combat are inherently violent, but public perception of conflict and the realities of war are not shown by many US media outlets. When images of bloodied, battle weary US soldiers are shown in the media, the public reaction has been to portray the conflict in a negative light.  In Mogadishu the images of US soldiers being dragged through the streets caused public outcry and depicted the inherent “backwardness” of Africa.This followed the narrative that Africa is a wild and un-tamable land which does not accept western influence without the understanding of their colonial past. The images of Mogadishu instigated public outcry and caused the premature withdrawal of US troops, who entered to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.  The negative portrayal of African intervention has had a cascading effect on how the US conducts humanitarian intervention in Africa.
            Since the events in Mogadishu and the images depicting the conflict have been shown, there has been reluctance for US intervention for humanitarian purposes in Africa and the Middle East.  The reason for the reluctance draws on preconceived notions of the region and rarely takes into account the actual events that are occurring.  For many citizens of the United States there is a predetermined image of backwardness and that Africa and the Middle East are distinctly “different” from a cultural, historical, and social standpoint.  The image of the African savage and the Arab terrorist dominate the collective conscience US citizens. This understanding has been established throughout history through “white man’s burden” and the idea that democracy is the agent of democracy and positive social change.   In recent years the media has helped reiterate and affirm the notion of African savagery and Middle Eastern radicalism through rhetorical and historical content manufacturing.
Justified Intervention:
There are several cases in Africa and the Middle East where humanitarian intervention was justified, yet there was little action by the US or the UN to get involved. The lack of action and unwillingness of the US to intervene in Africa can be linked to the images of dead US soldiers in Mogadishu and the affirmation that Africans are savages and unwilling to accept western influence because of the association of the West with colonization. The Darfur genocide, the Somali refugees, and the revolving conflicts that plague Africa give enough onuses to justified intervention. The problem with intervention comes, not only with the images of dead American soldiers being dragged through the street, but with who does the intervening.  The UN is largely ineffectual with regards to humanitarian intervention because of the reluctance of the Chinese to pass any resolution regarding humanitarian intervention. The African Union is funded and supplied by the Nigerian government, and there is a fear of regional hegemony from other African nations which makes humanitarian intervention difficult to justify. 
Lethal Combination:
The combination of negative images of dead and bloodied US soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu and the negative context of Western intervention and colonization make African and Middle Eastern humanitarian intervention a social, political and economic drain. There is a reluctance to intervene in some regions because of the preconceived[1]



[1] Dauber, C. “The Shots Seen ‘Round the World: The Impact of The Images Of Mogadishu on American Military Operations,” Rhetoric & Public Affairs.


No comments:

Post a Comment