![]() ![]() ![]() The paper examines acts of rhetorical citizenship of how American viewers voiced reactions and distributed videos and artwork in the weeks following the usage of pepper spray by Lieutenant John Pike on nonviolent protesting University of California – Davis students. Regional appropriations, an internet meme and inter-iconicity causes a seemingly regional icon to have a large impact on the global sociopolitical landscape. The concept of the visual icon is defined, and a three-step methodological approach is applied to the icon to find that the concepts of 'the national' and 'the international' are not as rigid and clear-cut as they may seem. The image of the Pepper Spraying Cop puts the issue of police brutality in a sharable frame and through this the discussion on the role of the police resurfaces in various regions around the world. This article identifies the ways in which visual icons impact the sociopolitical landscape, and through that shape global politics. As the mask of Guy Fawkes evokes a sentiment of anarchism, certain pictures of Occupy Wall Street ooze a sentiment of empowerment, of standing together against authoritarianism. But where speeches are hard to use in unison for international groups, the power of an icon increases greatly as it is reproduced and re-viewed while not being bound by the barrier of language. Like memorable speeches, iconic visuals have the power to transcend time and place, and embody a certain sentiment. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |