Phogotraphy

The Daily Mash, a UK satirical site that specialises in making light hearted jibes of current affairs got it absolutely spot on with this headline:

Everyone sad because of photo of thing that’s been happening for months

The article is of course in reference to the photographs and videos that have been going viral on social media which show the lifeless body of a very young boy washed ashore on a European beach. The young boy, a refugee fleeing the atrocities happening in Syria in search of a safer home.

The satirical publication made the striking point as one commenter expressed in a Facebook post. “Today’s story is not making humour out of the photograph of a dead child, but our delayed response to an all too real disaster. It’s still funny, dark, but funny, and the joke is at our expense.”

The article is very short, intentionally without image and reminds us not only of our own inability to act without seeing photographs, but also how important they are to the world.

It has been confirmed that everyone kind of knew the thing was happening, but now they are very sad and angry because there is a photo of it.

Exactly.

To donate, Save The Children are campaigning to support child refugees here.

Related: Why Use a Doctored Image to Highlight Plight of Syrian Refugees.