Last night, President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden, 9/11 mastermind and leader of terrorist organization al Qaeda, had been killed by an elite team of Navy SEALS. With the terrorist mastermind dead, America has scored a stunning symbolic victory. However, even with all the reports coming out about the operation that led to bin Laden's death, some people are wanting visual proof, namely a photo.
In the past, it has been common practice to make a spectacle of hated mens' dead bodies in order to prove that they are indeed dead. However, by the 21st century, techniques for doing so have evolved from parading severed heads around on pikes. Example: during the War on Terror, almost as soon as their deaths were announced, photos of Saddam Hussein's sons and al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi were being beamed around the world on televisions and computers. Then there is always the illicitly-captured video of Saddam Hussein's hanging. Why? To prove that these men were indeed dead.
Bin Laden, the ultimate catch? No photos, just a quick burial at sea.
So, without an official death photo, rumors are running rampant and speculation is sure to give way to hoaxing should the photos not appear. So far, there are stories about supposed bin Laden death photos, but they all center around an image that is almost certainly a hoax. In the coming hours, the government may release a photo of the dead mass murderer as, without an image, there is certain to be doubt in some quarters over the authenticity of bin Laden's death, much the way rumors about Adolf Hilter's having survived the fall of the Reich have persisted ever since 1945.
In the end, only time will tell what will happen. However, as speculation continues to abound, keep a skeptical view on anything not directly confirmed by the U.S. government.
In the past, it has been common practice to make a spectacle of hated mens' dead bodies in order to prove that they are indeed dead. However, by the 21st century, techniques for doing so have evolved from parading severed heads around on pikes. Example: during the War on Terror, almost as soon as their deaths were announced, photos of Saddam Hussein's sons and al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al Zarqawi were being beamed around the world on televisions and computers. Then there is always the illicitly-captured video of Saddam Hussein's hanging. Why? To prove that these men were indeed dead.
Bin Laden, the ultimate catch? No photos, just a quick burial at sea.
So, without an official death photo, rumors are running rampant and speculation is sure to give way to hoaxing should the photos not appear. So far, there are stories about supposed bin Laden death photos, but they all center around an image that is almost certainly a hoax. In the coming hours, the government may release a photo of the dead mass murderer as, without an image, there is certain to be doubt in some quarters over the authenticity of bin Laden's death, much the way rumors about Adolf Hilter's having survived the fall of the Reich have persisted ever since 1945.
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