Sherry Chandler » Picturing the Boy Guv
Picturing the Boy Guv
There’s a blog I love to visit called BagNews that takes as its mission the deconstruction of image and how pictures are used to create a metamessage. The Bag is run by a psychologist who is smarter about these things than I am by far — and he has a dedicated group of commenters who are also very sharp. Still, I can’t help but try my hand a little at analyzing this photo of Ernie Fletcher, (on the left) appearing in today’s NYTimes online alongside the story of the plea bargain struck yesterday.
This AP photo, taken by Haraz N. Ghanbari, does not show us the bright and grinning young pol we’re accustomed to seeing here in Kentucky. Note the heavy Nixonian beard, the shadowed eyes, the pursed mouth and rather petulant expression. Notice also how Fletcher is isolated, a dark man against a dark background, storm clouds around those American flags.
Contrast the photo the Lexington Herald-Leader ran (on the right [I'm on the hunt for this photo, lost in the great blog crash of October]) with the same story. Taken by staff photographer Frank Anderson (not so much diversity in Kentucky), it shows Fletcher working the crowd at the Kentucky State Fair, famous grin and swept-back wave in place, the “public” staring up at him with friendly, if not adoring, eyes.
I would not call the Herald-Leader a Fletcher friendly paper. Still, their photograph was much more what we’re accustomed to see here in Kentucky. I was actually somewhat,well, shocked I guess, by the Times photo.
A little bit of a reality check?
At the very least, a man more troubled than we are usually allowed to see around here.
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