Visual representation is a key method of using and abusing power. While individual media personnel may not explicitly employ visual rhetoric to maintain or alter positions of societal and/or political power, the implicit use of rhetoric is unavoidable. Audience appeal is the primary goal of any media organization and/or event; appeal will result in continued or increased viewing, thus producing profit. But, audience appeal also necessarily demands visual rhetoric in the forms of: framing, iconic visuals, soundbites and dramatic impact.
The cases of racist or separatist visual rhetoric are too numerous to outline. We will, however, view a single, powerful example: The Murder of Emmett Till.
FOR WEEK EIGHT...
FIELD TRIP: Dreamgirls or New York Divided. Complete JOURNAL 7.
READING: Chapter 9 - "Prime-Time Television: White and Whiter"
PROJECT: Work on research paper and LAP interview.
MEDIA: Please visit The Murder of Emmett Till at PBS.
- JOURNAL SIX - Emmett Till's murder had a tremendous impact on the future Civil Rights Movement in large part because of widespread media coverage. Mamie Till Bradley held an open casket ceremony, and images of Emmett's severely-beaten body appeared nationally in Jet magazine. And, if these images were not shocking enough, Look published the killers' confessions in January 1956. What role did these two publications have in uniting civil rights activists? Specifically, did these publications move AMBIVALENT people into positions of COMITY? Do you agree with the ways Emmett's image and the killers' confessions were used by media publishers?
24 comments:
My first impression of the Emmett Till documentary is ‘Why would anyone want to view this?’ My next thought was the media’s role in all this. So, I’ll focus there first. We know the bottom line is $$$. The media make all their $$$ off extreme news such as the Till murder, the O.J. trial and presently the court hearing and burial of Anna Nicole.
Did the airing of Till's murder bring about a positive change? I think in ways it did. It has moved at a snails pace though. The Civil Rights movement was birthed after Emmett Till was murdered. The following year Ms. Rosa Parks made history when she took a stand for human rights. Many good things have come from the public awareness of this and other heinous crimes.
Have we solved the problem of ambivalence and animosity? No. We never will. As long as people hold onto deeply entrenched feelings of hate toward people of different color, we are doomed when it comes to harmony.
What I feel we can do is break the chains that bind our hearts in hatred on a personal level and leave behind what happened in the past that we cannot change.
I believe we are all made in God’s image. None of us is better than another based on our skin color.
The quality from within is what makes us a better person in God’s eyes and in man’s.
Emmett Tills’ murder is not in vain. Neither are all the other atrocities that man has committed on this earth. If Emmett was my son, I don’t know that I would have been as strong as his mother was. I can go on and on, but I will end here. TL
Looking at the movie of Emmett Till, I again saw the animosity of Southerners during that time. I find it very hard to believe that people had that much hatred of another race. Why? I don't know, when God made us, he wanted us to live in harmony with one another.
This type of selfishness and hatred that is embedded in people causes disapproval and actions. These acions are taken on in behalf of the injured party and can be fruitful or destructive.
Releasing her son's body for all to see, Mamie Till helped ignite the civil rights movement as well as the media's photos. It bought forth a struggle (peaceful) for all to see. It made everyone aware of the things being done in society. The verdict of Till's murder made me gag. Looking at the jury, I knew already what the outcome was. The admittance by both men did not help. Their remarks helped with some unanswered questions that we may have had. It showed blacks that even though they were set freed by Lincoln, they were not truely set free by others.
Ambivalence and comity has escaped many. With the emerging of civil rights; it showed others that this type of injustice will not be tolerated. The unity formed then showed the world that in order for everyone to live freely, we must learn to live amongst one another without prejudice. No segregation.
I find that the people of 1960's were more united than those of today. We today need to have that same kind of mind set. When injustices occurs, we as a whole must take a stand and say we will not tolerate this, not cause riots that fuel hatred with hatred. Wasn't that MLK belief? Some may say that this would not work in today's society, but I feel we must then find another way. Perhaps in the white man's pocket. During the civil rights era, there was also black power, where blacks formed a bond to live and purchase from one another. Can this be done again?
Emmett Till, Rodney King, Sean Bell were all targets of racial stereotyping from racist individuals. If this was seen back then and still being seen today, what has been accomplished? What must one do to stop this?
Must we attack the politicans? This injustice is not just focused on the black race, but on all races.
Will there be an uprising set forth for the future or must we endure these types of violence and prejudices for the rest of our lives?
Bessie
prior to watching this film in claass i saw it before. each and everytime i view this film i ge more and more angry. yes it took a lot f courage for emmitt till's mother to have an open casket and allow everyone to view his badly beaten body.in order for african americans to stand up for one another they had to see what happened to emmitt had to stop,and never happen to any other person.i believe that was the turning point for everyone.
The movie Emmett Till was very enlightening to me. It opened my eyes to life in Mississippi. I was very upset and my heart goes out to his mother and family. I could not have imagined watching a family member of mine being taken away and knowing he will not be returning. Although, I have read a little about Emmett Till and heard about the story I never saw the entire movie clip as we saw in class. Mrs. Till was definately a strong, courageous and mindful to say the least of herself and others. I recommend this movie to be shown to all americans especially the young adults. They can learn and be able to identify with their culture as well.
I don't believe ambivalent people move into comity. Racism still exists in some areas. Just last year in the Rockaways a white man beat a black man with a baseball bat and was using racial slurs.
Emmett Till's murder was not in vain; he die a martyr for african-americans. Mamie Till saw what blacks was going through, the lies, injustice and the media that feeds into what these officers did. Sharing her pain to let every mother, father knows your child can be next was a wake up call for blacks. An open casket was the appropriate thing to do. Allowing the media see the way these white officers disfigured this young man beyond recognition. Rosa Parks defended herself by not giving up her seat on the bus, which ignite the boycott.
OJ Simpson was found not guilty. The media and so many people believe he did commit the crime. OJ never came out an said he did it like how these white officers were allowed to. OJ wrote a book "If I Did It" and he tried to sell that book and the media blasted him, the publisher and every who was involved with OJ. O'Reilly on FOxnews called him "Scum". Why wasn't these officers treated the same way?Racism still exists and a lot of people are in disguise and very angry with other race.
Carol J.
Mamie Till was being a mother when she decided to allow her son to be shown to the world. She was taking a stand as a greiving mother. I do not believe that she knew that her stand would be the beginning of a movement that would forever change history.
Bryant and Milam, slapped African Americans in the face, hard, everywhere! I believe that if it had been an older African American male it might not have made such an inpact. Everyone feels differently when there is a child involved. A child was tourtured, killed, and thrown away like a bag of trash. The Emmett Till incident can be compared to today when a woman gives birth and then tosses the baby in the trash. Everyone wants that person brought to justice. However, when Bryant and Milam were "brought to justice," they were set free. The people decided to have their own justice, Mamie let her son be seen by the world, and other people began to speak up, and march. Yes, the ambivalent people moved into positions of comidy, (action).
I agree with Mamie wanting to share such a horrible act towards a child, but the brothers (Bryant and Milam)were bragging about killing a child. The media was doing their job as always, playing devil's advocate. -Sinclair
Yes Emmett Till's murder had a tremendous impact on the future Civil Rights Movement. This is one of the events that helped esstablished the movement. I believed that if this didn't happen alot of other events would not have happen. What made me so mad about the kill was that the two white killers sold their story to "Look" magazine. It talked about their confessions to the crime. How could they publish something like this. No feeling what so ever.
No, I don't you agree with the ways Emmett's image and the killers' confessions were used by media publishers. The media sometimes give off what is not really thiere. It give false information or as they say bend the true.
Melissa
The murder of Emmett Till was the most chilling and disturbing film to watch. This young fourteen year old lost his life for whistling at a white woman. Mrs. Till was a brave woman. She wanted the whole world to see and viewed, how two white men mutilated Emmett's body.Mrs. Till wanted to reveal the depth of racism in Mississippi by having an open casket to view her son's body.
Linda
I wasn't in the class for the Emmet Till movie but i"ve seen it in a previous class, and the hatred shown in this movie is very heart broken. It's hard to believe theat people has so much hatred and annomosity for blacks. It's hard to see that another human can take the life of a human of another by beating him to death for something that was innocent.It was hard to see that a family had to suffer so much, you wouldn't believe that prejudice in Missississippi was was so horrible in those days, our youth really need to see this movie to see the struggles our people had to go through to get where we're at today, because of his murder this mad a big impact on the civil right movement. Yhe professor that i seen this movie with was from this home town in and he sits as a member on the committee that handle the case.
Michelle J
I do think the ambivalent people moved into position of comidy and the murder of Emmett Till was just one of the many events that played a major role in the civil rights movements. I think what Emmett Till's mother went through was a mother worst nightmare. No one should have to go through what she went through. I also think she did the right thing by having her son's body viewed by the world so everyone could see how sick demented someone could be to brutaly murdering a child and then to brag about it afterwards.
Emmett Till death was inhuman. Nobody deserves, to be murdered, no matter what color, religion or whatever makes us different fron someone else. Ms Till wanted the world to see cruelity done to her son when she made the decison to have an open casket at his funeral. She understood the race relation in mississippi was different than chicago.
With all the media coverage it got, it was only for their advantage to make money from it.
Maria
The murder of the fourthteen years
old boy, and African American
broke my heart, because he was
kidnpped and brutally tortured and
mudered for whistling at a White
woman in Mississippi. The African
Americans have been bructaly
discriminated like any other
ethnic group by White, and untill
today they feel the iscriminated.
Emmett Till had a extremily impact
toward the Civil Right Movement.
The media coveraged and produced
pofit, this case demand iconic
visual , soundbites, framing and
tremendous impact to the African
American because they demand Equal
Right in which White got resenful.
Martha
What happened to Emmett Till was a horrible death and very disturbing. By Mammie Till Bradley taking a stand to show the world the brutality of her son by putting his body on display I believe did push people from being ambivalent to comity. sharon
The role these two publications had in uniting civil rights activists were Jet magazine showed you that the visual lynching of African-American men are stil very much alive even if "White Americans" said this was no longer happening. The Look publication published the comments of the killers to show African-Americans no matter how many rights you get "Whites" will still rule this world. I have to agree with the way Jet magazine used the images of Emmett Till. The images showed people all over the world that African-American men are still being brutally murder by the hands of white people for no reason but the color of their skin. I don't agree with the Look magazine publishing the killer's confession but this was done to make a point. The point which was made to let African-American men know that white women are the "forbidden fruit" and they can kill "Negros" and get away with it and the law is on their side. Yes I do believe these publications move ambivalent peopel into positions of comity because now people were able to see the images as well as read the killers comments.
J.Johnson
The documentary of Emmett Till should have had a tremendous impact in everyone’s life, regardless of skin color. A fourteen-year-old child’s naked, beaten decomposed body was found in the Tallahatchie river in Mississippi three days later, just for whistling at a white lady. The decision to show the world her son’s body, must have been hard for a mother. His murder was a turning point for the Civil Rights Movement, and the NAACP. Still, with these and other organizations RACISM IS ALIVE AND WELL. No one was indicted for the murder of Mr. Till and there was enough evidence to have an indictment.
If we look at today’s murder rate for African American Men and the Police Departments, we will see that the Policemen are always justified in killing them, even when there is enough evidence to sink the officer/officers. Even with numerous supports from ambivalent people who mean well RACISM wIll be around FOR A LONG TIME. Sonja
The 1955 murder of Emmitt Till will put a tremendous impact on any one's heart, provided they have one. Ater my first viewing of the documentary of Emmitt Till I felt hatred for all white people. I had to re-evaluate myself (especially since my boss is white). I know that all white people are not like those dirty B-----ds, just like all black people are not the same.
That's where the media steps in and prosecutes who e ver they want to; it doesn't matter if they are innocent or guilty. their main concern is capital gain by any means necessary. Due to the baised way in which the southern newspaper and other media outlets operaterated, it is no suprise that they would be less in favor of Emmitt till's murderers to be found guilty than the northern newspaper. We must keep in mind that the northern journalists had to be constantly aware of their immediate surrounding for they were in a town full of racist people. This story had a negative illusion and they had to remain safe, so this would not lead to the imbalances of their lives.
Ms. Till showed strength, courage along with a passion for her only son and a nation of black Americans who shared her pain. She showed the world what hatred and racist could do to a person, and the legal system showed her how they could turn its back with no remorse what so ever.
Now years later in 2007 we faced another eposide of racist in Douglasville, Georgia a 17 years old black male name Genarlow Wilson, had consensual oral sex with a 15 years old white female. He was convicted of aggravated child molestation and then sentenced to 10 years in prison.
So we must ask ourselves, have times really changed or is it just the processing system where lynching is being done by the legal system. SA
Watching the Emmitt Till documentary upset me like it does everytime i have viewed it for a class. Its so unbelievable to see how a person can hate another because of thier race. i don't know why but i figured they would have left well enough alone when they saw that Emmitt was a young boy. I'm glad his mother had the courageto have an open casket so everyone could see how much the black race was hated. she also figured it would bring the colored people together in order to get justice served.
The role of the two publications were polarization of the civil rights movement. "Look" Magazine article of the murderers confession, details, and description about the tragically death of Emmett Till was horrific to imagine. This was how they felt about all African-Americans expressing their hatred and fears. However, the murderer was upstaged by a young black 14 year old boy. He didn't cry, whimper, or had a broken spirit. Emmett took the torture, pain, blood, and sweat with dignity. The murderer felt embarrassed, inferior, and completely foolish. The murderer wanted to show the world that he had the upper hand because he is "white."
The "Jet" magazine showed Emmett Till opened casket to the world. It communicated volumes "ENOUGH," "I AM A MAN," and "WE SHALL OVERCOME." Too many years of sweat, pain, and blood has been spilled on America's soil. So, when the Civil Rigts Movement was born and spread like wildfire from re-active to pro-active.
Althea
The stand Mammie Till Bradley took was powerful. Her decision to have an open casket of Emmett Till's body united the black community. The media coverage of this despicable crime motivated folks to stand up and be heard. I do feel that this was an ignition of the Civil Rights Movement.
The confessions of the crime only proved how whites use their power and money to get off with a slap on the wrist. Listening to them confess sent chills down my spine and its sad to say its still happening today.
Benita
When I seen this documentary, I was hurt, because I was raised in the South. And I still remember how we, as blacks people, or people of color was treated. I did not crossing street, when a white person was walking down the same street. I remember white people calling nigger. I remember my grandmother telling us, my sister and my two brothers, how we should behave when a white person is talking, how we should be quite. I remember crying, because how I was treated, for being black. I think Emmett, Till story was horrible. I thanked God, I wasn't born at that time because I would been dead, before I got chance to live. Emmett mother had great courage. Emmett mother had to use the media, to get her point express, no matter how painful it was. Black people needed to be aware of what was happening to other black folks. Wanda, G.
This was the first time I saw the Emmett Till documentary. I was not shocked at all. I had heard about the way black people were treated in the past.so any thing from that era did't surprise me however when they killed a fourteen year old boy for whistling at a white woman,this was the last incident that black people were going to take. Then the "Civil Rights Movement began. this movement showed the world how black people were being treated all over the world. TTribble
I had always heard about the Emmett Till story but never saw it, it was a bit distrubing because how could a person do something so horrible to a child, he was a child. I do think that something good came out of the fact that Emmett's mother had an open casket, it made black folkes stand up and start to defend themselves another thing that took a lot of courage was the man that spoke up, he was afriad but that did not stop him from doing what had to be done. Shortly after the Emmietts death Rosa Parks did her thing. Which is one reason why i am still in school and doing all of the things that i am doing, look at what had to happen for us to get some sort of equal treatment.
Octavia
Later Days :)
First of all, when i saw the Emmett Till movie i was drawn to tears. I could not believe how racist the whites were in the South. Second, the object of the media is to boost there ratings and make money. Exploting the Emmett Till story did not make a difference in the way the whites thought about black people. The case did help with the Civil Rights Movement.
Karen T.
I was appauled by the Emmett Till story. I had often heard of Emmett Till but had no idea of the actual events that took place concerning. I believe these publications brought shock to the community of something that was done at night in the dark like thieves to be put "on blast" where it belonged. At least it was some form of making a stand. Especially through Black unity which is so precious. When people fight demons together their love has a better chance of conquering. It will always be remembered. I am proud of Emmett's mother. All these events in combination helped abolish slavery. Although I am not a friend of media, in this sense it was effective.
Shaniqua
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