Viewing Barbarism

Does viewing images of barbarism strengthen us or demoralize us? That may have once been a question for media theorists, but the horrific images of decapitated Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl—available on the Internet—have made it a pressing matter for us all. After murdering Pearl, his Islamofascist kidnappers edited and distributed a ghastly video of their butchery that included statements by the reporter—clearly made under duress—as well as scenes from the continuing conflicts in the Middle East and South Asia.

The question of whether to watch these images has turned into a public debate. In May, for example, CBS News was widely condemned for airing portions of this sickening propaganda video. At the beginning of June, the Boston Phoenix chose to publish a link to it for its readers. On June 13, The New Republic came out in favor of viewing this commercial for evil and also published a link to it.

On Tuesday, June 18, Daniel Pearl's father, Judea Pearl, argued in a New York Times op-ed piece that showing such images will only encourage savages like his son's kidnappers to continue their gruesome practices. This week, Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen countered that view, arguing that by looking squarely at the horror, Americans can see "what we're up against." The tape, an advertisement of evil, is in fact not aimed at us; it does not seek to dishearten us. Instead, it is a recruitment film designed to inspire new holy warriors in a vicious war against America and its allies.

On balance those in favor of allowing the American public to see this horror are right.

Certain images are seared into our memories; their very horror reminds us of what we are fighting against, and what we stand for. Like the appalling footage of mass death in Nazi concentration camps, such images are evidence that barbarity can become ascendant, and must be countered. This is an assemblage of just such images.