This is one of those photos that from time to time shock the world. They are published in the cover of many newspapers, apear in the news, and are shared in Twitter and Facebook. Usually, there is only a headline with the photo.
You can not imagine anything more sad than what we see in this photo. So it is human, to want to stop it. And here is were propaganda comes in, when the headline is shaped, usually by mass media.
But, for some unknown reason, when we dig behind these iconic photos, we usually find stories that differ from the headline
This photo as many other before had been used to model public opninion. We can see a good example of how this photo changed public opinion (and therefore political agenda) in these two news from the UK: Cameron 'deeply moved' by Syria boy death and the next day David Cameron: UK to accept 'thousands' more Syrian refugees, or as described in The Independent:
"2 September: pictures of three-year-old Aylan al-Kurdi, drowned in his Syrian family’s attempt to reach Greece from Turkey, provoke a wave of public sympathy for refugees.
3 September: the slogan ‘refugees welcome’ goes viral; 250,000 people in 48 hours back an ‘Independent’ petition calling for Britain to take its fair share of refugees. Mr Cameron says Britain will fulful its ‘moral responsibilities’."
But, as usual, the complete story was hidden from the public.
Some facts:
1. Abdullah Kurdi was living and working in Istanbul before the sea crossing
2. He and his family were renting a small house paid for by his sister
3. Kurdi worked for £5.50 a day supervising women making Islamic garments
4. A passenger on the doomed boat claims Kurdi was working with the gang
Let's put the allegations made on the last point aside (Second passenger claims Aylan Kurdi’s father was working with people smugglers and was driving the boat on which his son died), because they don't change the point. The point is:
"But once the family settled in Turkey nearly a year ago, could the Kurdis still truly be classed as refugees in the same plight as those sheltering in a dusty tented city?"
So they were not refugees fleeing from death and destruction but migrants looking for a better life. A better life or better teeth for his father...?
I have read many times that the real reason the family took this dangerous trip was because the child's father, Abdullah Kurdi, wanted new teeth. But I couldn't find the source of this version, so I didn't want to publish it.
But here is the source: child's aunt, Teema Kurdi explains in Sky News:
“The situation is that Abdullah does not have any teeth. Another story about it. So I been trying to help him fix his teeth. But is gonna cost me 14,000 and up to do it. He need teeth implant. So when I told him there is now way I can get you the money in one time because dentist need to get paid right away and Western Union usually – if I send them the money – they only allowed 1,000 at a time – not under their name of course – has to be a third person to collect the money and give it them. So I said to him, actually my dad, he come up with the idea, he said to me, "I think if they go to Europe for his case and for our future, I think he should do that, and then we’ll see if he can fix his teeth." And that’s what I did three weeks ago.”
You can not imagine anything more sad than what we see in this photo. So it is human, to want to stop it. And here is were propaganda comes in, when the headline is shaped, usually by mass media.
But, for some unknown reason, when we dig behind these iconic photos, we usually find stories that differ from the headline
This photo as many other before had been used to model public opninion. We can see a good example of how this photo changed public opinion (and therefore political agenda) in these two news from the UK: Cameron 'deeply moved' by Syria boy death and the next day David Cameron: UK to accept 'thousands' more Syrian refugees, or as described in The Independent:
"2 September: pictures of three-year-old Aylan al-Kurdi, drowned in his Syrian family’s attempt to reach Greece from Turkey, provoke a wave of public sympathy for refugees.
3 September: the slogan ‘refugees welcome’ goes viral; 250,000 people in 48 hours back an ‘Independent’ petition calling for Britain to take its fair share of refugees. Mr Cameron says Britain will fulful its ‘moral responsibilities’."
But, as usual, the complete story was hidden from the public.
Some facts:
1. Abdullah Kurdi was living and working in Istanbul before the sea crossing
2. He and his family were renting a small house paid for by his sister
3. Kurdi worked for £5.50 a day supervising women making Islamic garments
4. A passenger on the doomed boat claims Kurdi was working with the gang
Let's put the allegations made on the last point aside (Second passenger claims Aylan Kurdi’s father was working with people smugglers and was driving the boat on which his son died), because they don't change the point. The point is:
"But once the family settled in Turkey nearly a year ago, could the Kurdis still truly be classed as refugees in the same plight as those sheltering in a dusty tented city?"
So they were not refugees fleeing from death and destruction but migrants looking for a better life. A better life or better teeth for his father...?
I have read many times that the real reason the family took this dangerous trip was because the child's father, Abdullah Kurdi, wanted new teeth. But I couldn't find the source of this version, so I didn't want to publish it.
But here is the source: child's aunt, Teema Kurdi explains in Sky News:
“The situation is that Abdullah does not have any teeth. Another story about it. So I been trying to help him fix his teeth. But is gonna cost me 14,000 and up to do it. He need teeth implant. So when I told him there is now way I can get you the money in one time because dentist need to get paid right away and Western Union usually – if I send them the money – they only allowed 1,000 at a time – not under their name of course – has to be a third person to collect the money and give it them. So I said to him, actually my dad, he come up with the idea, he said to me, "I think if they go to Europe for his case and for our future, I think he should do that, and then we’ll see if he can fix his teeth." And that’s what I did three weeks ago.”
Read more inconsistencies here.
No comments:
Post a Comment