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| Photo Credit: Sarah Jaffe |
Every era has an iconic image, like
a protester standing up to a tank in Tiananmen Square, a military
officer shooting a handcuffed Vietnamese prisoner in the head at
point-blank range, or the famous zeppelin Hindenburg crashing in flames.
These images can end wars, destroy industries or memorialize a moment
for a nation forever. The image speaks to us through its raw potency
and ability to freeze an instant into a frame. It becomes iconic
because it captures a particular cultural zeitgeist. These two elements –
authenticity and timeliness – grant such images power.
In
the autumn of 2011, a video of the casual pepper-spraying of peaceful
student protesters at UC Davis by a police officer dressed in full
paramilitary gear gave America a new iconic domestic political image.
The video,
posted on YouTube, immediately became a cultural sensation, showcasing
the willingness of American security forces to use chemical weapons on
peaceful Americans posing no physical threat. This iconic video didn’t
appear from thin air, but was preceded by months of organizing work and a
network of tent cities set up around the country. It now stands as a
visual accompaniment to linguistic innovation, the creation of a new
language of 21st century depression: the 99% versus the 1%.
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