I’m acutely aware that this image will be seen by...

I’m acutely aware that this image will be seen by children, who will undoubtedly find it distressing. We have consulted with a number of child psychologists about its potential impact … In the end, I felt that the image is a window into the reality of what is happening — and what can happen — in a war that affects and involves all of us. I would rather confront readers with the Taliban’s treatment of women than ignore it. I would rather people know that reality as they make up their minds about what the U.S. and its allies should do in Afghanistan.

Time managing editor Richard Stengel, on his decision to put a photo of an Afghan woman who was mutilated by the Taliban on the cover of the magazine (via New York Mag) (via soupsoup) (via markcoatney) (via mikehudack)

“We have consulted with a number of child psychologists about its potential impact”—

Seriously? A. This is not true, unless, maybe, that number is one. B. I’m pretty sure the child psychologists came back with “As long as you don’t put this on the Web, no kid is going to see this anyway.”

Media criticism aside, the deeper problem I see here is not the photo so much as the text accompanying it: “What Happens if We Leave Afghanistan.” Because, really? This is the rationale here, that once the U.S. departs, the Taliban will come in and start mutilating people? Fine, but by that logic, why isn’t the U.S. invading Sudan? Or North Korea?

There are perhaps many legit reasons why the U.S. has an interest in continuing the war in Afghanistan. But this cheap stunt is not one of them.

I had yet to see this photograph until today - and reading this comment on Time’s decision being a “cheap stunt” is a fairly polite way to frame it.

It is heartbreaking to me to think of what the young woman featured on Time’s cover has gone through… and that a handful of people at Time saw her experience as a way to what? Make a false-positive argument about leaving a country that we’ve been fighting in for 10 years?

10 years… and for the most part there has been little rioting in the streets, civil unrest, public outcry… the fact that every day we push this war further is a precedent of what we as a country can stomach in the name of “spreading democracy”.

The release of the 92,000 wikileak documents on Afghanistan have revealed many things in the last few days - one of which is that the innocence have been dying in much, much, much higher numbers than ever admitted by our government.

The mutilation of this young girl is terrible to see… terrible… and something in it kills a piece of me inside to see such evils… it really does. But to pretend that US air strikes and US raids and US drone campaigns haven’t killed and left thousands upon thousands of women and children with bodies half burned beyond recognition is a fantasy. A very selective one at that.

Perhaps the question Time should have posed on the cover is: What would have happened if never went to war in Afghanistan.

soupsoup