I recently read an article in the Washington Post about a state senator from Nebraska who was so sick and tired of people suing everyone for everything that he decided to make a point by suing God. The senator, Ernie Chambers, cited that God has made terroristic threats against him and his constituents, inspired fear, and caused "widespread death, destruction and terrorization of millions upon millions of the Earth's inhabitants."(Click here for the full article.)The article struck me for two reasons. One, it is a clever form of verbal rhetoric attempting to appeal to people's common sense by relying on shock-value tactics. The second reason is the photo that the Washington Post deliberately chose to include with the article. This photo (seen above) is not a photo of Sen. Chambers during his lawsuit. Rather, it is an AP file photo from April 12, 2006 that shows the senator in the middle of a debate in the legislative chamber in Lincoln, Nebraska. Positioned behind his head is what appears to be a rotating fan, but when looking at the picture as a whole, has a definite halo look to it.
While this may have been the Post's attempt at humor (which is how I took it), I think there is also the potential for the religious undertones of the photo to impact the story. By making it look like Sen. Chambers is wearing a halo, it appears as though he is on God's level, and thus, is able to sue Him. This could potentially further offend readers who may have already found offense in the Senator's actions. On the flipside, it may also mock the Senator's method of making his point. What do you think?
(As a side note, interestingly enough, when I went to go to the page to write this response, the image was no longer available. I'm not sure if it's my computer or not, but perhaps some offense was taken by one party or another?)
5 comments:
It's still there, at:
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/
offbeat/2007/09/wednesday
_breakfast_bender_35.html
The Post takes everything down after a couple of weeks to avoid too much free downloading.
This was such a clever choice of image to use to support this article. At my first quick glance, without reading the comment yet, I actually thought that he was wearing something on his head to look like a halo. This is such a funny photo to show how ridiculous this senator is acting. I suppose he's just trying to prove a point by "suing God", but it makes him look so silly and unprofessional. With his position he holds a certain amount of power, and I'd rather him use it for a more useful and positive cause.
This is a great example of synergy. If I saw this photo in its original context, I wouldn't make the same assumptions I did when I saw it paired with the "Suing God" article. It makes me chuckle to think that someone would waste their time making a point through such ridiculous means. I agree with Kerry...if this man holds an influential position, he should use that for the greater good. Instead, he is making a fool of himself and the state which he serves. The Washington Post chose this photo as a way of patronizing this man, which makes me laugh even more.
Do we know what the outcome is of the lawsuit? (kidding) It's a shame that a senator would go to such lengths to prove a point everyone is already aware of. We get it-Americans file lawsuits for stupid reasons. I think we all became perfectly aware of that point when that lawyer sued a dry cleaner for millions of dollars for damaged or lost pants. Note taken.
I think that though, silly for the senator to sue God, it is no more ridiculous than just about anything else that get 2 seconds (2 seconds more than it deserves) of media time (i.e. Brittany blog). Policiticians are human and not above doing silly things such as this... maybe he mad a different audience realize how superficial we've become
Post a Comment