Time Magazine Covers
Well, snap. Time has finally forced me into talking about al-Zarqawi, another “welcome-back-from-your-coma” name. Let’s see this for what it really is: the most publicized killing of an individual since Kennedy. Every newspaper ran the gory image of Zarqawi’s head late last week, with direct-quote titles of “Eliminated” and “The Military Swiftly Hit its Target”
Of course, the attack occured on a Friday, when newsweeklies such as Time and Newsweek are already in the mailboxes and on the newsstands. So the magazines had to wait a week. Here’s Time’s cover:
Pretty sensationalistic, if you ask me. But of course, old-school history buffs, Time readers, and people in the know remember this cover from May 1945:
Now I’m pissed. Time magazine has no right to compare this present to that past: Zarqawi was a menace, a killer, a thug. But he was no Hitler. Millions died at the hands of the Nazis (unless you’re the president of Iran….), and on, and on. I’m pissed because this is another attempt at a mountain-making from ant-piles.
But I’m not the only one who should be pissed: Germany should be livid, another painful reminder of its past brought up while it welcomes in the world in the name of sport. (See Munich, circa 1972 if you’re lost). I’m sure I won’t be the only one making this comparison. How many times will Hitler’s face be thrown up this week to the cable news watchers of the world? 10? A hundred?
We have descended into madness, into a world that celebrates the swift execution of an individual. We justify that through these comparisons to the villians of history.
Just remember Jon Stewart Here. “When you compare people to Hitler, ehh, you lose credibility….Please stop calling people Hitler when you disagree with them. It demeans you, it demeans your opponent, and to be honest, it demeans Hitler.”
Technorati Tags: jon stewart, time magazine, al-zarqawi
June 16th, 2006 at 2:59 pm
Great point by Jon Stewart. I guess Time magazine just ran out of ideas on how to portray Zarqawi.