In a world where social media is both our best friend and worst enemy, there is a never-ending possibility for a person to gain attention for what they post.
Things can go viral within hours. Sometimes the world inside our phones that never stops streaming can be a huge platform for protest; it can start a war with the entire world with the click of a button.
Kathy Griffin started a cyber war between conservatives, liberals and those who reside somewhere in the middle on the political spectrum when she tweeted a photo of her somberly holding a fake, decapitated head of President Donald J. Trump. Mangled, bloody orange-blonde locks curled around her fingers. The caption read “I caption this ‘there was blood coming out of his eyes, blood coming out of his…wherever.'”
Griffin tweeted later, “OBVIOUSLY, I do not condone ANY violence by my fans or others to anyone, ever! I’m merely mocking the Mocker in Chief.”
The photo, shot by Tyler Shields, is a controversy all over every media platform and people cannot seem to decide whether Griffin’s photoshoot is a protest in the highest form or treason.
People say that what Griffin’s photoshoot did was way out of line and goes beyond the boundaries of free speech that is protected by law. Although, what Griffin did was no more graphic and obscene than what one would see in any number of horror movies.
The issue is not that the photo was too obscene or threatening to be shown. Griffin’s statement tells world that liberals and her supporters will not be silent in the face of the changes that Trump has implemented.
Griffin’s photo was a direct protest to all the negative things that Trump has passed since being sworn in, such as the immigrant ban, the new energy plan that focuses on lowering the cost of energy without addressing the growing concern of climate change, and the impending threat to affordable birth control for millions of women.
Some people look down upon Griffin for this because they see it as “going too far” or too graphic. People forget that sometimes you must go to great lengths to get people to listen and pay attention to what is happening in the world.
In the end, Griffin had every right to do what she did. Though it may not have been socially acceptable, it was legal. Just because some people look down upon her methods, it does not make Griffin’s photo any less protected by the most absolute law of the land.
Mikala Turner is a sophomore social work major from Bruce, Mississippi.
