The Photo that Captures the Essence of Jan. 6th and Trumpism

Often one photo can capture the essence of a moment in history, even if the actual story behind the moment is far more complex and nuanced. For instance, is difficult to think about the Vietnam war without remembering Eddie Adams's photo of Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan shooting a Viet Cong prisoner on a street in Saigon. For many of us, it captured the brutality of that tragic conflict.

Similarly, Saul Loeb's photo of a rioter waving a Confederate battle flag in the Capital building on January 6th captures so much about the insurrection and the dark motives behind Trumpism. Clearly, not all Trump supporters are white nationalists, but it's impossible to deny the influence that warped mind-set has had on the Republican Party over the last 4 or 5 years. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor of the New Yorker captured that succinctly in a piece last January

The New Yorker: "The white right-wing assault on the Capitol, with a Confederate flag in the building and gallows on the lawn, was alarming yet wholly predictable as Trump’s frantic efforts to hold on to power faltered. Not only did Trump clearly incite violence with his speech, but his Administration also paved the way for the violence through its deliberate neglect of the rising threat of white extremism."

The power of Loeb's photo is that it captures all of that, the entire stinking carcass of Trumpism and the malice that it incited in his weak-minded followers. From the moment he announced his candidacy, blathering on about Mexican rapists, we knew where this was going. January 6th was just the logical conclusion.

#Trump #photography

By: Don Lam & Curated Content