Forced to look!

This image is one from my country which was taken during the time leading to the national elections. Just as a brief background the guy whose head is shaven was the contender now the prime minister, and the small picture in the corner is that of the then and current president also alleged to be a dictator.

When I saw this picture I felt that it was very interesting for quite a number of reasons. This picture is first and foremost male dominated. Which goes to show how gendered bodies have an impact in our society, with men influencing most conflicts.Secondly the picture was focused on the man with the shaven head. To make it seem as if the whole society was looking at him as an outcast, a danger to the society. Kind of the same way you look at a small child who has been miss-behaving. His the only one with an open shirt and a swollen face all of which are supposed to symbolize part of what the society has done to reprimand him for his actions of disobedience. The fact that the president’s picture has the national flag flying behind him goes to further emphasize the nation’s unity in fighting against the supposed criminal. The presence of the white man in the back plays a significant role in the picture. It is supposed to represent civilization towards barbaric behavior i.e. that which is represented by the black people in front of him. His face shows great puzzlement at the act of cruelty that is before him. the barred windows in the back, set to act as a reminder to any followers of the shaven individual that jail is not far off for them too if they decide to follow his footsteps.

This picture goes to show how natural classification is and that everyone tends to classify themselves in a different light from the next person, often a brighter light. The black people in the front of the picture have forms classes amongst themselves, and the picture clearly states the fundamental requirement of having a leader in a society to maintain order. The system shows that the subjects have become different representations of power. The presence of the white 'superior' male acts as a reminder to the reader who is 'naturally' supposed to be black, to remember that he 'the white man', considers himself to be better than us, the blacks, and so we the blacks have to support the disciplinary actions against this shaven guy because he 'supposedly' pro the western culture. It also goes to enforce the idea that black people are expected to be barbaric in their actions in contrast to their superior white counterpart.

This picture is not just a picture but a political statement as well, which goes to show that classification is and will always be natural and hierarchical.