Media & violence

I came across this shockingly beautiful photo on another page of celebratory photos from the blockade:
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2007/06/360564.shtml
Apparently, it's from a series taken by professional photo-journalists. These photos (this one is attributed to DPA, Deutsche Presse-Agentur) appearing in commercial media (Welt Online) depict state repression with aesthetic appeal. The caption of the photo above read, "Ein Bild wie aus einem Science-Fiction-Film." Describing this scene as something out of science fiction is a comforting distraction. It allows us to view the rest of the photos of actual state violence against non-violent protesters through the lens of fiction. This couldn't possibly happen here, not today, not to me. This protest was not violent, there was no property destruction. It took place in a field of poppies. The only crime the protesters could even possibly be guilty of is trespassing. These images showing the violent response by the state as documented by professional photojournalists and distributed through the commercial media then become a commodity. They are used to increase internet traffic, readership, or audience numbers, thus making the advertising space more valuable. Meanwhile, through the use of appealing images that use the visual language of science fiction film and television to depict the perpetrators of this violence, their impact is weakened. They remind us of the of the heroes of Stargate SG-1. The potential impact of these images on the viewer is undercut, and state violence is inserted into the market system.