I can’t believe the fuss being made over the photo of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev that appears on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine’s Aug. 1 edition.
In the AP report published in the Sun Journal on July 18, the image is described as being reprehensibly “glamorous”; Boston Mayor Tom Menino considers it ill-conceived at best; and one of the marathon runners present at the event has stated she initially thought it was a photo of a model or rock star.
Topping this indignant hubbub is the refusal on the part of some retailers to sell the issue.
Hello? The image of Tsarnaev the magazine used on its cover has been shown in other print media, on television and online again and again and, yes, again since the bombing occurred back in April. Where on earth has the above mentioned runner been these past months that she didn’t instantly recognize the guy as Tsarnaev? And why has there been no outcry over the photo’s use by other media?
If the magazine’s critics are in a dither because they view the cover photo as representing a certain sexifying of terrorism, they should chill. It is none too likely the magazine’s readership is going to be the least bit swayed in the suspect’s favor because of his tousled-headed good looks or that the photo’s going to give rise to hunky copycats.
William LaRochelle, Lewiston
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