As Simple as a Picture

A picture can say a lot. But when it comes to being in the spotlight from the media, a picture can make or break you. The paparazzi and Associated Press (AP) are not only after the rich and famous from Hollywood, but they are also interested in the political elites. The paparazzi and AP show up to political events no matter how insignificant for the off chance that they might snap a juicy photo. While I was “info-snacking” on the web, I came across a hilarious photo of Hilary Clinton. The look on her face is priceless, as it appears she is “about to bite the head off of a small child.”

I think these kinds of photographs are great, because it shows that everyone is human and can be caught at an inopportune time. I, myself, have been in many pictures where it looks like I just rolled out of bed, my eyes where completely shut, or my facial expression looked very displeasing. It happens, but it is a lot funnier, or to some shocking, when it happens to a person in the mainstream media. Many photos, just like the one with Hilary, have been posted on the internet to mock their campaigns. I can remember a picture back in 2004 when George Bush and John Kerry where in the race for the White House. This particular picture showed Kerry fumbling a football that was tossed to him, and on the other side, it showed Bush gripping the football tightly as he pointed to make a pass. This picture really does not mean anything besides the fact that Kerry happened to drop a football that was thrown to him. On the bottom of the picture there was a quote that stated “Do you really want someone who catches like a girl running the USA?” Don’t get me wrong I think the picture was hilarious and extremely clever, but it the long run I don’t think it has any lasting effect on Bush or Kerry.

These pictures are a result of the “new news” syndrome. Photographers’ years ago would not take pictures of elites and put them in the news for the sole purpose of making fun of them. This practice was not considered to be professional and somewhere during the past couple of decades that professionalism dwindled. The AP started a frenzy of photos that showed stars and politicians at their worst possible moment. The public must have loved these pictures because, that is the standard that we have today. I am used to seeing photos of unwilling elites pasted all over the news; it’s just how it is these days. These pictures are meant to entertain, not inform the public about the particular person in the photo. However, some photos may be worse than others if caught at an extremely bad time. Most of these incidents occur in Hollywood, when an actor is drunk and makes a fool out of themselves. I guess it’s really infrequent to see a politician drunk in public, so there are not a lot of cases of that.

The picture of Hilary was funny and obviously created by a Republican supporter. These photos can even be considered as attack ads because they show up everywhere. Both sides of the political spectrum are capable of creating such photos. I think that this is a good way for both parties to bash each other at minimal cost and high hilarity.