DarrenJBeattie
Some poor idiot set himself on fire to make some kind of pro palestinian statement.
Leaving aside the fact that the cause is a foolish one, this dramatic gesture reflects a grave misunderstanding of prevailing media ecosystem.
It is simply impossible today to make a "statement" of any enduring gravity, a permanence of the sort achieved by Thích Quảng Đức, whose self-immolation protesting Diệm achieved photo of the year status in the early 60s.
Nothing like this is possible---every statement, every gesture, no matter how seemingly "serious" will at best be allowed to try on a handful of outfits graciously provided by the commentariat's take machine, only to be quickly worn out and flushed away in the phantasmagoria of the news cycle.
In two weeks no one will be talking about this, in two months no one will remember or care.
This is not Thích Quảng Đức and this is certainly not Mishima, whose suicide is equal parts overrated and misunderstood for that matter.
---Contrary to popular understanding, Mishima was heterosexual, wrote great novels, and wanted to make Japan great again. And he didn’t kill himself — he posted on Facebook that he had information that would lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton
Some poor idiot set himself on fire to make some kind of pro palestinian statement.
Leaving aside the fact that the cause is a foolish one, this dramatic gesture reflects a grave misunderstanding of prevailing media ecosystem.
It is simply impossible today to make a "statement" of any enduring gravity, a permanence of the sort achieved by Thích Quảng Đức, whose self-immolation protesting Diệm achieved photo of the year status in the early 60s.
Nothing like this is possible---every statement, every gesture, no matter how seemingly "serious" will at best be allowed to try on a handful of outfits graciously provided by the commentariat's take machine, only to be quickly worn out and flushed away in the phantasmagoria of the news cycle.
In two weeks no one will be talking about this, in two months no one will remember or care.
This is not Thích Quảng Đức and this is certainly not Mishima, whose suicide is equal parts overrated and misunderstood for that matter.
---Contrary to popular understanding, Mishima was heterosexual, wrote great novels, and wanted to make Japan great again. And he didn’t kill himself — he posted on Facebook that he had information that would lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton
