Saturday, June 10, 2006
Death of a Terrorist
I can't feel too sorry at the loss of Abu-Musab Al-Zarqawi. He wasn't a nice man, and you couldn't call him an ornament to society. Still, I thought the photos of his dead face, plastered all over the news media, were a little much. Frankly, it reminded me of my dear, and late, aunt; except that she had better taste. We visited her once, shortly after her husband had died; and she showed us a photo of him in his coffin. Given the family history, I assume she wanted some definite proof that he was really dead and she was finally rid of him. She, however, didn't publish the photo in the newspaper to make her point.
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I thought the photos were gruesome. It seemed the modern equivalent of displaying the head on a stake on the ramparts of the castle. It also made me wonder. Did the people who sent pictures around the internet of a stereotypical Christ figure with prominent outstretched arms, floating behind the World Trade Center Towers have any connection with the dead terrorist pictures showing up almost everywhere?
ReplyDeleteI missed the World Trade Center crucifixion pictures. Gah.
ReplyDeleteAs for the head on the stake on the castle ramparts, I think it's exactly equivalent. When did European rulers quit displaying heads on pikes, do you know? I'm thinking at least the 17th century, I don't think that practice carried over into the 18th. Certainly not past the middle of the 18th, although God knows what the Jacobins did during the French Revolution. One would have hoped that in 350 or so years, we would have attained a slightly higher degree of civilization than that.
Just because the jihadis want to return to the 14th century doesn't mean we should accompany them there.
OK, I was wrong. The British did do it in the 18th century - in the aftermath of "the '45" Jacobite Rebellion. I'd forgotten that. I found this by googling "heads pikes", along with a blog by a guy who is collecting a photo gallery of people whose heads he thinks should be impaled on pikes. Google is truly wonderful for satisfying idle curiosity...
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your comment on being civilized and not original with me, but have you seen "civilization dumbs down the gene pool"?
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