Video Link to New Images from Abu Ghraib

Of particular interest to me are the many essays that the photos from Abu Ghraib which consider the political implications of photography itself, especially violent imagery. The context for interpreting the Abu Ghraib photos has been their use of the conventions of commercial pornography, the travel photo, the trophy image, the digital phone and camera, and the sending of pictures over the Internet. – Julia Lesage

D. A. Clarke’s essay, “Prostitution for everyone: Feminism, globalization, and the ‘sex’ industry,” is one of the most extensive and thought-provoking essays in Not for Sale. With unflinching honesty, Clarke points out the interconnectedness of the systems of oppression, noting that globalization nurtures male violence against women, noting that the documentation of torture at Abu Ghraib is yet another form of pornography, noting that if we are to be successful in our work as feminists, then we must attack the entire system, not just parts. If we are to have our revolution, we must begin with honesty-with ourselves and each other. Clarke argues, “For feminists seeking allies against the traffickers of women and kids, the men of the traditional Left and Right remain fairly useless.” – Laura Newland

The will to domination permeates the propaganda of the flesh, including the rather specialized variety exemplified by the Abu Ghraib photo-montage of Arabic degradation. Cruelty and role-playing, creating and reinforcing stereotypes of dominance and submission, are key elements of what can only be called pornoganda. – Justin Raimando

I have seen a lot of hand-wringing about these photos, but so far I haven’t seen anyone discuss them as pornography. I don’t have a whole lot of personal experience with pornography, but it seems to me like these pictures would pass most of the tests: naked bodies, stripped of individual identity by the bags over their heads, simulate sex for the cameras while the only clothed subject who still has a face – the American soldier who is symbolically fucking these bodies – grins with evident pleasure. – The Plaid Adder

Last year, when the Abu Ghraib crisis came data-streaming out of our boob tubes, we were treated to the now-memorized tiny handful of photos – photos showing a woman gloating over dead bodies and a woman holding male prisoners on a leash. In June, 2004, Zillah Eisenstein would describe these women as “gender decoys.” Everyone knows the name of the sketchy Ms. Lyndie England these days, and they have all but forgotten the name of her lumpen-Svengali, Charles Graner, who was a creepy civilian prison guard with a history of abuse before he took up the uniform to become part of the ironically named Operation Iraqi Freedom. – Me

The latter is an excerpt from the seris on sexual aggression in the US military, which is also covered in depth in the pdf book, “Sex & War.”

The link at the top was provided to me by the excellent new site The Progressive iNdependent.