N.IRELAND. Hunger Strike. 1981. - Peter Marlow

 I chose this photograph because of its absurd portrayal of the conflict in N. Ireland. The masked man here is standing with his arms smugly folded in front of a burning wreckage as if he were some kind of superhero/villian(it looks just like the type of poster ad you would see for the latest blockbuster superhero movie). Yet, what heroic deeds has this young man performed in order to justify his defiant stance? Upon reading the caption you will discover that "two Catholic teenagers were accidentally killed by British Army troops who drove into a group of rioters hurling petrol bombs." In short, it was the reckless action of rioters(wielding petrol bombs) such as this young man, and not the British Army(armed with plastic bullets) that led to the deaths of the two teenagers. In their hasty desire to rebel and "stick it to the man" these rioters blew up cars and wreaked havoc, but behind all of the superficial Hollywood-esque action flick glamour there is nothing but misguided teenage angst. Although this man appears proud in his accomplishments and may deem himself a hero of the cause or a villain to the state(especially if he sees this image in the newspaper), ultimately he and his kin are not worthy of either title. What he sees in this image and what others see are entirely different things, yet from an objective point of view there is certainly nothing admirable about this self-assumed "hero" whose irrational actions have led to the deaths of two young people.