Analysis of a picture

Young Lebanese drive through devastaded neighborhood of South Beirut,
15 August. Spencer Platt, USA, Getty Images. World Press Photo 2006 Winner.

Contrast. This picture shows contrast on every tiny part of itself. At first, we notice that the picture is full of details. In the foreground, we are attracted by a bright red object with several people totally distinguishable. The background, however, is all covered with a dull brown layer with too many details to be caught at this quick glance. Another look helps us identify clearly the strong difference between the foreground and the background of the picture. Time to start analyzing each layer separately. The front layer reveals that the shiny red object is, in fact, a luxurious red convertible car. Not one of these huge cars, but a fancy little urban car. If we look closer at the gauges on the dashboard and without being a car expert, we can probably guess that this is a red Mini Cabrio. So far, so good. Still at the front, and even though a Mini is not a full-size car, there are five people riding in it: a man who is the driver, and four beautiful tanned women. All of these five people are wearing summer clothes and also, except a woman who is using her cellphone, wear fashionable big mirrored sunglasses. The blonde woman with a white shirt in the passenger's seat stands out easily from the others who either are dark haired or wear dark sleeveless shirts. We could surely picture them driving along Malibu Beach in Los Angeles, California.

Focusing our eyes on the back layer, we instantly know that it is not Malibu Beach. We can see the ruins of what probably was a large building, and the houses next to them are also seriously damaged. Six men are between the rubble and the car. None of them are looking at the impressive car. They are either talking on cell phones or staring at the front buildings while walking or sitting.

An obvious question arises at this point: how can both layers fit in the same picture? What could draw more attention to those men than a luxurious red car in what it seems a poor neighborhood?

The answer starts to reveal itself when we read the picture's caption: “Young Lebanese drive through devastated neighborhood of South Beirut”. In order to fully understand the picture, we should know that it was taken in Beirut, Lebanon on August 15th , 2006, the second day of a cease-fire after a 34-day military conflict between Israel and Hezbullah, the Islamic political and paramilitary organization based in Lebanon. With this shocking knowledge, we can figure out that the people from the car are driving along the isolated streets of Beirut and staring at the chaos after the Israeli bombing. They do not look as if they have lost their homes. But they look as if they are visiting the destroyed city. They are war-tourists. Isn't it ironic? While most of Beirut's citizens lost everything in this cruel war and do not know where to begin in their nightmarish life, here, in contrast, we see a group of, we might assume, rich people observing the damage from their stable and secure life. From a luxurious car, they are taking pictures and one is even holding a handkerchief over her nose to prevent from smelling the dead. They are not part of this. They are just visitors.

What's even most surprising is the sticker on the dashboard of the car. A local newspaper that interviewed these people, says that it was a Samidoun sticker, which it is a volunteer organization that was formed during the war to help victims. That is another example to illustrate the shocking contrast of each element on this picture. A NGO sticker on a luxurious car. People that have lost their homes or their siblings among those wealthy who want to take pictures of the bombed city. Needed people among unhelpful ones. Everyone minds his own business.

Unfortunately, people forgot too soon. This picture was taken after a war in 2006 between Israel and Lebanon. Nowadays, Israel is fighting on an endless war against Palestinian people at Gaza Strip. They are on their 17th day of continuous war and neither United Nations, Europe, nor United States are able to convince Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of Israel, to stop the massacre. The elections are too close to start losing voters.