Image of dead child on Turkish beach haunts and frustrates the world

[webfact]

Image of dead child on beach haunts and frustrates the world
By TAMARA LUSH



AP: -- The photo of the dead 3-year-old Syrian boy on a Turkish beach is haunting.

It captures everything we don't want to see when we tap our phones or open our newspapers: a vicious civil war, a surge of refugees, the death of an innocent.

Largely because of social media, the image of little Aylan Kurdi is hammering home the Syrian migrant crisis to the world. Aylan died along with his 5-year-old brother and their mother when their small rubber boat capsized as it headed for Greece.

"It is a very painful picture to view," said Peter Bouckaert, who as director of emergencies at Human Rights Watch has witnessed his fair share of painful scenes. "It had me in tears when it first showed up on my mobile phone. I had to think hard whether to share this."

But share, he did. Bouckaert, who is in Hungary watching the crisis unfold, said people need to be pushed to look at the "ghastly spectacle" so they can, in turn, prod governments to help the suffering Syrian people.

Still, will the disturbing image galvanize people into action? Will it be like other seared-in-our-memory photographs — a vulture hovering over starving child in Sudan, a girl fleeing a napalm attack in Vietnam, the child in a firefighter's arms after the Oklahoma City bombing?

Or will it become just another of the many images on social media, lost amid the flotsam?

"One of the things about this story is that it's really difficult sometimes for the world to get a handle on it," said Al Tompkins, a senior faculty member at the Poynter Institute, a center for media studies in St. Petersburg, Florida. "Regardless of the technology, a singular iconic image can still touch us in ways."

And that singular image is often of a child. That was the cold fact that unsettled people around the globe.

Kathleen Fetters-Iossi, a 47-year-old fiction writer from West Bend, Wisconsin, said she hopes people share the images to create awareness, then go beyond that to try to help in some way. But she has her doubts any concrete action will come of it.

"Most Americans, if they're just now becoming aware of this issue, will ultimately feel there's nothing we can do," she said. "They feel like we can't handle our own immigration problem, let alone Europe's. Social media can help by creating wider awareness, but ultimately, 'clicktivism' didn't help the Nigerian girls, and it's not going to help those migrants."

In Greece, Alicia Stallings, a mother of two, said she won't link to the photo. It's too close to home.

"I watch my kids swim and play in the Aegean and am sometimes struck by horror when I think this is the same water in which children just like them are drowning every day," she wrote in an email.

"One hates for something like this be the galvanizing element — we are pretty hard-hearted if we can ignore all the other hundreds of drownings happening all the time. But the scale is vast, and as humans it is easier for us to comprehend one specific tragedy, in a shirt and shoes like our own kids."

The photo of the body washed up on the sand was splashed on the front of all major newspapers in Brazil, a nation with more homicides than any other, according to the United Nations. Still, the picture ignited despair and indignation.

Ary Cordovil, a 35-year-old barber, lives near one of Rio de Janeiro's slums, where a drug gang war has meant nobody leaves home after dark and schools have been shut for weeks.

"I'm used to violence. Brazil is used to seeing violence. But this — this is just painful," he said, staring hard at the image in a newspaper. "He's just a baby trying to flee a war. The absurdity of this is extreme even for us."

It inspired people like a 52-year-old grandmother from Australia to tweet multiple versions of the story.

"If these images of a dead child don't change our attitude to refugees, what will?" tweeted Jenny Fawcett of Warrnambool, Australia. Her daughter started a petition calling on the Australian government to help more Syrian refugees.

Jeremy Barnicle, chief development officer of the humanitarian group Mercy Corps in Portland, Oregon, said it remains to be seen whether the outpouring of grief on social media for Aylan will translate into tangible help.

"For many Americans, the conflict in the Middle East is distant and complicated, and therefore tough to engage on," he said. "A photo like this reminds people why we should all care."

While the image of the body on the sand was on many international websites, many U.S. sites ran a photo of a Turkish police officer carrying the limp boy in his arms. The boy's face is obscured.

Mike Wilson, editor of The Dallas Morning News, decided to run the tamer photo. He received an email from a reader who said the picture was "gory."

"I wrote back and told her that I appreciated her sensitivity," he said. "We chose it specifically because it wasn't gory. It's just a forlorn, heartbreaking image that tells the reality of what's happening."
___

Associated Press reporters Brad Brooks in Rio de Janeiro and Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires contributed to this report.


-- (c) Associated Press 2015-09-04

RELATED TOPIC:
Father of dead boys: 'All I want is to be with my children'
http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/853339-father-of-dead-syrian-boys-all-i-want-is-to-be-with-my-children/

[robertthebruce]

So so sad..... Poor mite..... Never lived, gone too soon...

His poor father, must be going through hell....

[pedro01]

I presume now that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other wealthy Gulf Arab States will now be accepting refugee after this...

[Scott]

RIP.

[NeverSure]

Sad. RIP little one.

[Neurath]

I presume now that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other wealthy Gulf Arab States will now be accepting refugee after this...

Yep, it's always someone else's responsibility isn't it?

[Seastallion]

I presume now that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other wealthy Gulf Arab States will now be accepting refugee after this...

Yep, it's always someone else's responsibility isn't it?

No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the maine. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. Therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

[slipperylobster]

I presume now that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other wealthy Gulf Arab States will now be accepting refugee after this...

Yep, it's always someone else's responsibility isn't it?

No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the maine. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. Therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Wow.... Nice words

[BuaBS]

This picture is being used to manipulate the europeans into accepting the massive stream of "refugies".

[Usernames]

This picture is being used to manipulate the europeans into accepting the massive stream of "refugies".

And it's something that didn't even happen in Europe. It happened in Turkey, whose president has blamed "the West" for it. Of course, the Turks could shut down all the smugglers and ferries--if they wanted to. But it's Turkish double dealing in Syria (backhandedly helping ISIS against the Kurds and the Turks' Syrian rivals) that plays no small part in the creation of the entire mess.

[Neurath]

This kid deserved to live under ISIS and the calamitous conditions in Syria. Father simply an economic refugee seeking to bleed the generous provisions of western welfare states. Turkey can stop these people in the same way that US can stop the bloody mexicans. It's Turkey's problem (well, the kid's really), not mine. How dare they use pictures of dead children to show that children are dying. Disgusting.

[TommyUK1960]

This was on Sky news and is on youtube;

Syrian boy drowned because his Father wanted new teeth:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZUuoaq1MLM

It is sad the boy drown but these Migrants should be looking at safe Muslim countries but they don't get the free housing, Schooling,Healthcare and welfare payments that European countries give them.

[Usernames]

This kid deserved to live under ISIS and the calamitous conditions in Syria. Father simply an economic refugee seeking to bleed the generous provisions of western welfare states. Turkey can stop these people in the same way that US can stop the bloody mexicans. It's Turkey's problem (well, the kid's really), not mine. How dare they use pictures of dead children to show that children are dying. Disgusting.

So, how many Syrian "refugees" are you putting up in your house?

[empireboy]

I presume now that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other wealthy Gulf Arab States will now be accepting refugee after this...

It would be nice.

It would be the responsible thing to do.

It would be humane.

It would be an evolved and civilised thing to do....

THAT'S exactly why I seriously doubt they will!

[geriatrickid]

I presume now that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other wealthy Gulf Arab States will now be accepting refugee after this...

Yep, it's always someone else's responsibility isn't it?

In this case, the Arab world has responsibility. It wasn't too long ago that these migrants were cheering on Assad. Many of the people now fleeing were the same people who profited from the Assad regime. They are also the people who would take to the streets chanting slogans such as death to England, death to the Satanic America and of course the old reliable standby, death to the jews/Israel. It was only a short time ago, that Turkey's frustrated dictator Erdogan was traveling to Syria to promote his relationship with Assad. It was Erdogan and Turkey who propped up Assad. It was also Turkey that has provided the convenient transit point for ISIS killers. Qatar and Saudi Arabia aided and enabled this fiasco. It is Qatari money which has funded many radical groups. It is now various factions in Libya and Tunisia who profit from the migrant traffic, Turkey could have prevented the surge in migrants, but it chose not to. The Greeks are hitting back at Europe by willingly facilitating the migrants. This is how they are punishing the EU for their reduced subsidies.

Oh yes, it is a sad picture. However, this was no impoverished refugee family. All of these migrants look well nourished. They are not dressed in rags, but some rather fashionable clothes. Have a good look at the images. Armani, Donna Karran, Ralph LaurenTommy Hilfiger, etc. Must be a special wardrobe for refugees. Europe is being invaded by people who have no intention of respecting European values, European laws or European culture. They are invading, demanding that they can go wherever they want and to have access to social services. Meanwhile, the elderly Europeans must get by with reduced pensions. Poor Europeans must accept benefit freezes, and all Europeans must accept reduced medical care. However, these migrants will get it all.

I won't be surprised if included in these angry violent mobs are terrorists. I find it laughable that there is so much hand wringing from the EU. They should take a hint from the wealthy arab countries who don't really care about these people. Instead, Europe will soon be colonized by those who are its enemies.

[geriatrickid]

This picture is being used to manipulate the europeans into accepting the massive stream of "refugies".

It seems to be working. Merkel is making a big mistake and needs to shut up.

[Geordie59]

^Inshallah

[Seastallion]

I presume now that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other wealthy Gulf Arab States will now be accepting refugee after this...

Yep, it's always someone else's responsibility isn't it?

No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the maine. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. Therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Wow.... Nice words

So well known, I didn't feel the need to attribute.

But for the illiterati,, Jon Donne, 16 hundred and something.

Strikes quite well in this case.

[Scott]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[dragonballs]

thai logic

if he would have stayed HOME ....

[Shermanator]

This picture is being used to manipulate the europeans into accepting the massive stream of "refugies".

It seems to be working. Merkel is making a big mistake and needs to shut up.

Merkel herself is a big mistake. I'd wish someone would make her shut up for good...

[DrTuner]

A few more photos like this and the public will get hardened and stop caring altogether. Might not work like the PR people thought.

[TommyUK1960]

This picture is being used to manipulate the europeans into accepting the massive stream of "refugies".

It seems to be working. Merkel is making a big mistake and needs to shut up.

Merkel herself is a big mistake. I'd wish someone would make her shut up for good...

The day the German people get rid of Merkel will be the best days work the German people will do.

[Asheron]

Once again it shows that nowadays people can't use their brain for a few seconds before starting some kind of passive-aggressive feeling marathon in their head because they saw a picture of a drowned child. Didn't read the article but do you guys know that the family had been in Turkey for 3 (three!) years before this incident?

[Neurath]

This kid deserved to live under ISIS and the calamitous conditions in Syria. Father simply an economic refugee seeking to bleed the generous provisions of western welfare states. Turkey can stop these people in the same way that US can stop the bloody mexicans. It's Turkey's problem (well, the kid's really), not mine. How dare they use pictures of dead children to show that children are dying. Disgusting.

So, how many Syrian "refugees" are you putting up in your house?

As far as I'm concerned sunshine, it's the more the merrier. I'd just as soon my taxes go to the likes of this kid than to paying for upper class welfare and further tax breaks for the fat, greedy and xenophobic who now want to shut the doors of a country that they themselves stole from someone else.

[wabothai]

The media feeding frenzy at work.

RIP little feller and I wish strength for the family who have to go through this distasteful reporting.

Shame on you media.

[simple1]

I presume now that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other wealthy Gulf Arab States will now be accepting refugee after this...

Yep, it's always someone else's responsibility isn't it?

In this case, the Arab world has responsibility. It wasn't too long ago that these migrants were cheering on Assad. Many of the people now fleeing were the same people who profited from the Assad regime. They are also the people who would take to the streets chanting slogans such as death to England, death to the Satanic America and of course the old reliable standby, death to the jews/Israel. It was only a short time ago, that Turkey's frustrated dictator Erdogan was traveling to Syria to promote his relationship with Assad. It was Erdogan and Turkey who propped up Assad. It was also Turkey that has provided the convenient transit point for ISIS killers. Qatar and Saudi Arabia aided and enabled this fiasco. It is Qatari money which has funded many radical groups. It is now various factions in Libya and Tunisia who profit from the migrant traffic, Turkey could have prevented the surge in migrants, but it chose not to. The Greeks are hitting back at Europe by willingly facilitating the migrants. This is how they are punishing the EU for their reduced subsidies.

Oh yes, it is a sad picture. However, this was no impoverished refugee family. All of these migrants look well nourished. They are not dressed in rags, but some rather fashionable clothes. Have a good look at the images. Armani, Donna Karran, Ralph LaurenTommy Hilfiger, etc. Must be a special wardrobe for refugees. Europe is being invaded by people who have no intention of respecting European values, European laws or European culture. They are invading, demanding that they can go wherever they want and to have access to social services. Meanwhile, the elderly Europeans must get by with reduced pensions. Poor Europeans must accept benefit freezes, and all Europeans must accept reduced medical care. However, these migrants will get it all.

I won't be surprised if included in these angry violent mobs are terrorists. I find it laughable that there is so much hand wringing from the EU. They should take a hint from the wealthy arab countries who don't really care about these people. Instead, Europe will soon be colonized by those who are its enemies.

Wow, that's a new one, hundreds of thousands of refugees wearing original designer clothes. BTW research what UNHCR is saying about the reasons for the refugee exodus from Turkey

In the meantime you & others may be interested in the article below "Quantum Geopolitics".

https://www.stratfor.com/weekly/quantum-geopolitics?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Gweekly&utm_campaign=20150728&utm_content=readmoretext&mc_cid=6a57dd2b30&mc_eid=ce07bb591d

[Sviss Geez]

No man is an island, entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the maine. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. Therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Wow.... Nice words

So well known, I didn't feel the need to attribute.

But for the illiterati,, Jon Donne, 16 hundred and something.

Strikes quite well in this case.

If you're going to post something as pompous as that and try to give the impression that you are more educated and cultured than everyone else here try to get things right. The poet's name was John Donne and using a word that does not exist [illiterati] confirms you as being less knowledgeable than those you are foolishly sneering at.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Sviss Geez

[GeorgesAbitbol]

For those against the refugees in Europe, you maybe should ask yourselves WHY they come here and WHO is mainly responsible of the Sh.t in the middle east. Iraq war anyone? Libya war? Syrian war?.....

Certainly not Europe and USA, as they are really not into taking the oil resources of the countries, right? right?...mmm

And certainly most of those here who are not real expatriates (in the sense that no company asked you to come here to work for them) are not kind of refugees neither ( refugee of love, money, sadness, emptiness,....)

Edited September 4, 2015 by GeorgesAbitbol

[Asheron]

For those against the refugees in Europe, you maybe should ask yourselves WHY they come here and WHO is mainly responsible of the Sh.t in the middle east. Iraq war anyone? Libya war? Syrian war?.....

Certainly not Europe and USA, as they are really not into taking the oil resources of the countries, right? right?...mmm

And certainly most of those here who are not real expatriates (in the sense that no company asked you to come here to work for them) are not kind of refugees neither ( refugee of love, money, sadness, emptiness,....)

Which kind of tin-foil hat do you like?