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Today is the 18th anniversary of the outbreak of the Gulf War.
After the war of Iraq(2003), this war in 1991(the Gulf War)
seems to be rather forgotten. I recall the war, however, as a
more horrifying event I witnessed in my lofe, though I "witnessed"
the war through media--not as my real experience.
Among the many things I "witnessed" through media during the war,
I am most impressed by the image of the sea bird that was contaminated
by oil, whose image was at first explained as a victim of "Iraqi
environmental terrorism". It was told, at first, that the bird was
found at a certain sea shore of Saudi Arabia and that the bird was
standing in spilled oil after the Iraqi released oil to the Persian
Gulf.
It was found out, however, that the explanation was illogical
because the sea stream of Persian Gulf was not so fast as to
bring the spilled oil to Saudi Arabian sea shore if the oil had
been really released by the Iraqi in Kuwait. On contrary, it was
revealed later that the bird had been a victim of American air raid
that made oil flow into the sea.
I was appalled when I heard in a radio news that the report of the
sea bird outraged the public and there appeared even such opinion
as to say nuclear weapon may be used against Iraqi who commit such
environmental terrorism in the Western nations. It was appaling to
witness the public oipnion of "democratic" countires can be thus
easily misled to an emotional one to condone nuclear attack against
whatever nation, with a false caption given to a image of really
miserable bird.
Our democracy is always at the threat of propaganda with visual
propagandas. The Gulf War(1991) is a reminder "public opinion" in
democratic society can be misled with such fraud as the sea bird
standing in oil given a false comment--the Iraqis did it--to the
extent of supporting nuclear attack.
On the 18th anniversary of
the outbreak of the Gulf War
Nori
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