February 24, 2013
David vs Goliath
The editors and at least one photojournalist at Al Jazeera English are to be commended for the composition of this photo and its selection for the front page:
This is a textbook example of a picture being worth a thousand words, by way of referencing an assortment of cultural images. To start with, there's the surface-level understanding of the basic near-futility of slinging small stones at an enemy who has kevlar, tear gas, and assault weaponry. But more importantly, this one single image stakes out an entire narrative: this young David is going up against a Goliath of an enemy, armed only with his sling. The fact that in this case David is the Philistine going up against Goliath the Israelite is pure icing on the narrative cake.
"It's not a football game, Mark. People die due to bad policy. They have to watch their children succumb to treatable illness because they can't afford their care. They don't get jobs, they drink and they do things they never forgive themselves for. I understand that you enjoy the game aspect, but real life is very different." --Michael Kimmitt
Posted by blahedo at 3:50pm on 24 Feb 2013