Falling Man photo

I thought very hard about the morality of both viewing, uploading and discussing this image. In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 tragedy it was one of the images censored as it was deemed to explicit. It was part of a move towards imagery which focussed on the heroic elements in the attempts to save life, rather than the actual lose of life itself.

The voyeristic focus on one individuals descision to jump rather thanawait inevitbale death was considered to be a step to far. An example of desenitised public and the immoral media.

I disagree! I believe this image to be of critical importance. It is something which whyilst incredibly difficult to look at we must look at. Events such as 9/11 get lost in a plethora of figures and the political reverberations and reactions. In this mass of information something critical is forgotten. The loss of life of individuals. To talk of thousands of people dying can lose meaning. To relocate the mass lose of life (of the day and of connected events since) back to a speciifc and singular figure seems to somehow remove us. I say remove as I feel we are now virtually incapable of feeling genuine empathy to scenes of genuine tragedy and death. So immersed are we in the mass media spread of war time imagery that we have become oblivious to it.

Discussing it in such formalistic terms seems inappropriate. All I know is that this image moves me. I find it difficult and uncomfortable to view, but essential. It seems to not only evoke the tragedy of that days events and what has followed, but beyond that more unviersal elements of humanity.

We can close our eyes to uncomfortable imagery all we like, but in doing so we are ignoring truths.


As a final comment- this does not mean I support the viewing of any imagery. There are other extensive sections of images in the last few years which I categorically believe should never be viewed. I am thinking specifically about the horrific beheadings of kidknapped citizens in Iraq. These killings continue as the murderers are aware of the spread of the footage across the internet and media. The intention of the murderers is to get as many people as possible to view the footage. By viewing it, therefore, you are in part providing the justificaition and support for future similar acts to take place. I don't believe the viewing of the above discussed image (falling man) to be subject to such a network of events.

I hope I have managed to articulate myself accurately in the above post. I feel it is a very contentious area of deabte and thought long and hard about the justification of its discussion. As it is I feel, despite my lapses in articulation, that it is necessary.