Will an Iconic Image Arise from the Coronavirus Crisis?

"Accidental Napalm"

The COVID-19 pandemic fits the definition of collective trauma like a size 10.5 shoe on a size 10.5 foot. We see signs of this trauma all around us. From empty office buildings to stressed looking shoppers with masks, standing in line outside of grocery stores. In an article published on May 5th in Rolling Stone, sociologist Jeffrey Alexander, who specializes in “cultural and collective trauma,” said, “the collective of the United States is experiencing a sense of tremendous instability and anxiety.” John Lucaites and Robert Hariman discuss the iconography of collective trauma in chapter six of their book, No Caption Needed: Iconic Photographs, Public Culture, and Liberal Democracy. They point to the famous photograph “Accidental Napalm” as a defining icon of the collective trauma in the United States during and after the Vietnam War. The photo, shown above, depicts a young girl being burned by napalm. The image has three layers. The group of children screaming in pain is at the front, followed by a group of soldiers who look nonplussed by the pain of the kids. In the background, a dark cloud of smoke from the napalm looms. To people back in the states, “Accidental Napalm” summed up their views of the war. That unnecessary force was being used, and that civilians where being harmed, and the military was not helping. But if this photo became an icon that represented the collective trauma during the Vietnam War, where is the image that represents the trauma that we feel during the coronavirus? Well, “Accidental Napalm” did not become the icon we know it as today until after the war, so our COVID icon will probably not be recognized as such until years from now. But by looking at photos that have been produced from the crisis so far, we can hypothesize that the virus’s defining iconic image will both draw the viewer in and demonstrate the severity of the crisis.

Protesters at the Michigan capital

Three images stood out to me that possessed possible iconic traits. First, a photo of protesters outside of the Michigan state capital building, shown right. This picture grabs the viewer’s attention because the protesters are armed. This also demonstrates the severity of the issue. However, studies have found that most Americans worry the country is reopening too quickly, not too slowly, so perhaps this image does not accurately encapsulate the experience of the collective. The second image that could become iconic is of a mass grave in New York, shown below.

Mass graves in New York

This image definitely demonstrates the severity of the crisis and points at the main reason we are experiencing trauma: the number of victims. But the image doesn’t connect the viewer in any way. In “Accidental Napalm”, the children seem to be running towards the viewer, looking for help. The mass graves are sad, but it does not seem to have a link to the audience. The third image, below, seems to be the best candidate to become iconic.

A protester and counter-protester in Denver

It depicts a healthcare worker standing stoically in front of a protester’s SUV. This picture does it all. It demonstrates the division in the country. It shows the seriousness of the situation, through the screaming protester and the suited-up nurse. It draws the viewer in by forcing them to take a side. But it still seems to be missing something. The CDC warns that depression rates will spike because of stay-at-home orders. This demonstrates the severity with which COVID impacts everyone in the U.S. and around the world. This image does not show this. It does not demonstrate the truly collective nature of the crisis. Can any image?

We will have to wait and see if one photograph becomes the iconic image of the COVID crisis. We don’t know what it will be, it probably has not been taken yet. But using the images above, we gain some insight into what themes it might show.