Photography Studies: The Value of a Dead Body
They call it “cheap sensationalism” (Ephron 3) and say this is not something they would like to see while having their breakfasts (Rushdy 74). In fact, they do not want to see it at all, yet most of them are ready make it happen. Most assuredly there are enough valuable reasons for dead bodies not to be censored in media, even though the reaction that is provoked is for the most part negative.
Death never leaves anyone indifferent as it is considered to be something almost sacred that should not be laughed at or be discussed freely. Every time a photograph of some victim’s dead body had been published, people could not help, but complain. For instance, the Boston’s Photographs taken by Stanley Forman aroused the indignation of the people and the reason for that is the fact that the falling woman had been said to be already dead at that moment. An interesting point was made in the article concerning these photographs saying that people would not have been so worried about some woman and her child in ghetto unless the caption said that the woman had died while falling. This is the first thing worth mentioning that it is death that attracts others’ attention, the pure fact of it is already intriguing and disturbing at the same time. Another example of similar human behaviour could be a lynch mob. Those were people ready to kill others, but not brave enough to take responsibilities. More specifically not only they would just end someone’s life, but also torture them. However, the peculiar thing is that they could not bear looking at the bodies of their victims as they usually ended up burning those corpses, basically turning it all into a ritual. The reason why they did not want to see the results of their decisions is obvious: the picture was gruesome and vomit-inducing. Thus Rushdy makes a great statement saying that “the sight of lynched bodies became an embarrassment for white communities” (73). Even though it may seem inappropriate not to bury a body or to publish photographs of the dead, there is a clear reason for that which justifies it all. When the relatives of the lynched refused to bury the bodies, they wanted to show how dark is white supremacy. People wanted to change usual things, in this case they wanted to get rid of lynching. The Boston Photographs were used to promote inspection of fire escapes in Boston and around the country (Ephron 4). This is the efficient way to change things as it immediately attracts public attention. Although it may be a bit of a radical way to approach the issue, it works without doubt.
However, people would most likely accuse the photographer of inaction or the publisher of “invading the privacy of death” (Ephron 3). This is one of the most basic human traits that should be dealt with all the time. Emotions lead to misjudgment which sometimes …
