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November 13, 2004
Priorities
There are photos that capture the imagination of everyone that looks at them. The flag raising on Iwo Jima is a famous example of an image that takes on a life of its own. Or the sailor and nurse kissing in the street at the end of WWII. Or the picture of the toddler, John F. Kennedy Jr., saluting his father's casket. Images that become almost iconic in the sense they represent much more than the moment in time they capture.
Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times ran the picture here, of Lance Cpl. James Miller, in its continuing coverage of the Iraq war. It was taken by Luis Sinco, a Times photographer traveling with Miller's unit: Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment.
But something about the picture struck a chord. It ran in over 100 newspapers across the country and the reaction was swift and deep. Today the LA Times has a follow up on the reaction and Miller, a country-boy from Kentucky, himself.
"I just don't understand what all the fuss is about," Miller drawls Friday as he crouches inside an abandoned building with his platoon mates, preparing to fight insurgents holed up in yet another mosque. "I was just smokin' a cigarette and someone takes my picture and it all blows up."
It's the reality, the unaffectedness of the picture that people are reacting to. Here, full face, is the line soldier. Weary, gritty, taking a small measure of pleasure in a pause in the horror of war. We know these images from WWII, be it newsreels or Bill Maudlin's Willie and Joe cartoons. There is both a timelessness and an immediateness to the image. It affects us on the most emotional of levels.
Well, most of us.
James Taranto points out that no sooner than this image ran than the "health police" started whining. They looked at the picture of Miller and saw Evil Cigarette Man.
- I was shocked to see the large photograph on Nov. 10. A tired, dirty and brave Marine rests after a battle--but with a cigarette dangling from his mouth! Lots of children, particularly boys, play "army" and like to imitate this young man. The clear message of the photo is that the way to relax after a battle is with a cigarette.
- I opened the Chronicle this morning and got slapped in the face by a huge picture of a "battle weary" Marine with a fine looking cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
- How much did Phillip Morris pay for the front cover advertisement? Thank you for continuing to encourage the development of cancer.
Jaysus on a Pony! Need I say more about these cluess morons? The man is in a friggin' war, who the hell gives a flying fig on what he considers a momentary pleasure??
Posted by Darleen at November 13, 2004 08:54 AM