Page 14 - aruba-today-20210112

a14 people & arts
Tuesday 12 January 2021
A theater of propaganda: The Capitol, cameras and selfies

By JAKE COYLE er story: the on-the-ground
AP Film Writer culmination of an online
NEW YORK (AP) — One of alternative reality fueled
the defining images of the by QAnon conspiracies,
Capitol Hill siege was of a false claims of fraud in the
man dangling from the bal- election and Trump’s own
cony of the Senate cham- rhetoric.
ber. Clad in black and with “In their minds they had im-
a helmet over his head, punity. I’m having trouble
he might have been hard understanding how these
to identify even after he people could believe
paused to sit in a leather that,” says Larry Rosenthal,
chair at the top of the Sen- chair of the Berkeley Cen-
ate dais and hold up a fist. ter for Right-Wing Studies
But Josiah Colt made it and author of the upcom-
easy. He posted a video ing “Empire of Resentment:
to his Facebook page Populism’s Toxic Embrace
moments later, bragging of Nationalism.”
about being the first to “They’re going to be pros-
reach the chamber floor Trump supporters use cell phones to make images of a man injured during a protest with police, ecuted,” he says of those
and sit in Nancy’s Pelosi’s Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. involved, and “they have
chair (he was wrong). He Associated Press provided the evidence.”
used a slur to describe itself. The folks who are Black Lives Matters protests if not outright bloodshed. Federal law enforcement
Pelosi and called her “a watching and comment- were in 2020. In hundreds of The call to the Capitol officials have pledged an
traitor.” A little later the ing and encouraging and images, the fallacy of a far- drew many of the right’s exhaustive investigation
34-year-old from Boise, Ida- sometimes giving some right brand of “patriotism” extremist factions — some into the rampage that left
ho, posted again. This time, cash are supporting the was laid bare. of whom helped lead the five people dead, includ-
he sounded more anxious. individual on the ground. The modern Capitol had charge. ing Capitol Police officer
“I don’t know what to do,” And he’s supporting their previously been besieged The white nationalist Tim Brian D. Sicknick. They are
Colt said in a video he’d fantasies,” says Oren Segal, before only in Hollywood Gionet, known online as relying in part on the so-
soon delete but not before vice president of the Anti- fiction. Marauding aliens “Baked Alaska” and a cial media trail many left
it was cached online. “I’m Defamation League’s Cen- in “Mars Attacks!” Ensnarl- noted participant in the behind. “The goal here is
in downtown D.C. I’m all ter on Extremism. ing ivy in “Logan’s Run.” “Unite the Right” rally at to identify people and get
over the news now.” “Selfie culture,” Segal says, Blown to bits in “Indepen- Charlottesville, streamed them,” Ken Kohl, the top
Colt was far from the only “has become so much dence Day.” But the im- live from congressional of- deputy federal prosecutor
one documenting the in- part of the norm that it’s al- agery of last week’s siege fices, gleefully document- in Washington, told report-
surrection from within last most second nature when offered something else: a ing the break-in for more ers Friday.
Wednesday in Washington. you’re carrying out a terror- warped cinema verité of than 15,000 viewers on the Among those arrested so
Many in the mob that ran- ist insurrection.” right-wing extremism with streaming platform Dlive. far are Richard Barnett,
sacked the Capitol did so Taken together, the vari- waving Confederate flags The service, ostensibly for photographed sitting in
while livestreaming, posting ous fragmented feeds from and white-power poses in gamers, has grown into a Pelosi’s office with his feet
on Facebook and taking Wednesday’s incursion Capitol halls. tool for white nationalists on her desk, and Derrick
selfies, turning the United form a tableau of an ill-con- Though many involved because of its lack of con- Evans, a newly elected Re-
States Capitol into a the- ceived insurrection — as full Wednesday in Washing- tent modulation. publican from West Virgin-
ater of real-time — and of “I was here” posturing for ton were Trump support- Journalists chronicled ia, who had posted video
often strikingly ugly and social media as of ideologi- ers without designs on vio- the storming of the Capi- on social media of himself
violent — far-right propa- cal revolution — and one lence, the visuals illustrate tol, some while being at- clamoring at the Capitol
ganda. that was given far more lat- that some were clearly tacked. But the rioters’ self- door. “We’re in! Keep it
“This extremist loop feeds itude than most peaceful there to summon mayhem documentation told anoth- moving, baby!” q

Harris team says it was blindsided by VP-elect’s Vogue cover

a problem: the shot of the day, according to a person posed in the light blue suit
country’s soon-to-be No. 2 involved in the negotiations in front of a gold backdrop
leader isn’t what both sides over how Harris would be for the magazine’s cover.
had agreed upon, her featured on the cover. Har- She also posed, more ca-
team says. ris’ office declined com- sually dressed in slacks, a
Instead of the powder blue ment and the person spoke blazer and sneakers in front
power suit Harris wore for Sunday on condition of an- of a pink and green back-
her cover shoot, the first onymity. ground, for photos that
African American woman In a statement, Vogue said were planned for inside the
elected vice president is in- it went with the more infor- magazine, the person said.
stead seen in more casual mal image of Harris for the Pink and green are the col-
This combination of photos released by Vogue shows images of attire and wearing Con- cover because the photo ors of Harris’ college soror-
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on the cover of their February verse Chuck Taylor sneak- captured her “authen- ity, Alpha Kappa Alpha.
digital and print issues. ers, which she sometimes tic, approachable nature, Vogue has released both
Associated Press wore on the campaign which we feel is one of the images online, but the pho-
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE mala Harris has landed on trail. Harris’ team was un- hallmarks of the Biden-Har- to of a sneaker-clad Harris is
Associated Press the cover of the February aware that the cover pho- ris administration.” the one that will grace the
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — issue of Vogue magazine, to had been switched until Harris, who is of Jamai- cover of the fashion bible’s
Vice President-elect Ka- but her team says there’s images leaked late Satur- can and Indian descent, print edition. q