Chapter 5 - Image, War, Legacy

Ritchin begins this chapter speaking of the power of image and how it can sometimes come back to haunt us. He goes on to give an example of 9/11 that I don’t altogether agree with. Ritchin talks of Arabs being portrayed as “anonymous villains” in the media causing such destruction as kidnappings and the hi-jacked planes of September 11^th. Somehow I think their motives went beyond the media. As chapter 5 progresses, Ritchin gives another interesting example of the power of image with Nixon vs John F. Kennedy. He tells us that before their televised debate, Nixon was actually favored. However, Kennedy’s charms in person on screen won the public over. A quotation by Ray Price was included in this chapter stating that voter approval comes down to a “chemistry between the voter and the image of a candidate.” I feel like that could be easily applied to the most recent election, where Obama seemed to have a much better appearance in the media.