On December 17th, 2010, twenty-six-year-old Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire in the streets of Sidi Bouzid, an act of protest following years of mistreatment and harassment from government officials. In the wake of his death, people across multiple nations would do the same, self-immolating in defiance of longstanding corrupt Middle Eastern governments. The viral images of men and women engulfed in flames, covered in gasoline and clawing at the ground but choosing death over the humiliation of their current situation would become one of the most powerful images of the 21st century. Indeed, a rallying cry for millions and the defining image of the Arab Spring protests. In spite of decades of authoritarian control and structural inequality by governments born in the spectre of colonial imperialism, Mohamed Bouazizi’s death awoke something in millions – a tipping point that convinced many that change was not only important, but imperative. Why was this?
Bouazizi’s tragic life circumstances played a significant part in the strong reaction of his story, as the injustice he endured presented the emotional appeal of a man punished for trying to make a living. One of six siblings, Bouazizi’s father died when he was three and he was forced to drop out of high school to support his family. Throughout his life he was frequently mistreated by the local police and government, who on several occasions publicly humiliated him and refused to act on his complaints. Many sympathized with the story of someone trying to provide for his loved ones, punished by those in power and failed by institutions designed to protect.
Bouazizi’s tragic life circumstances played a significant part in the strong reaction of his story, as the injustice he endured presented the emotional appeal of a man punished for trying to make a living.
The emergence of social media also proved vital in the spread of his story, as the presence of sites such as Twitter and Facebook allowed both the story and public reaction to spread to audiences in a way not previously possible. While photographers in the Vietnam War might have needed several days of darkroom processing before an image was presented to the public, Bouazizi’s story traversed across borders and nationalities in a matter of days, connecting those who desired change and exposing injustice to a global audience.
But moral argument and virality alone could not have been enough for Bouazizi’s story to appeal to so many and motivate millions into protesting against systematic processes of injustice. Rather, the burning man proved to be such an effective symbol because it was physically disgusting, causing us to avert our eyes and shaking us to our very core. The idea that we could live in a society where people are so mistreated that they prefer a graphic and excruciating death over living is both unacceptable and inhumane, but to truly understand this we had to see it. The public image of a man aflame presented a single unsettling and candid argument: that something deeply evil and inherently wrong has happened, and as human beings we must see to it that such an incident can never occur again. The graphic nature of his death appealed to us on a layer deeper than our sympathy or sense or morality, but instead our very conscious. Thus is how Bouazizi’s story served as the tipping point for millions who had otherwise grown accustomed to their weariness.
Societal movements occur when a community that has grown apathetic to a norm is challenged in a single visceral moment that appeals to their humanity.
We too have seen this to be the case throughout our own country’s history. Whether the medium or subject, societal movements occur when a community that has grown apathetic to a norm is challenged in a single visceral moment that appeals to their humanity. Whether it be a naked girl covered in napalm burns or the open casket of a mutilated lynching victim, these images repulse us and urge us that things cannot be this way, that as a shared species we must be better. Our disgust motivates us to act, recoding our previously held beliefs and making sure that we never again allow things to reach the depths of what we witnessed.
But while the media has long realized the power of moving imagery on our conscious, shock value and resentment-driven action alone proved insufficient to create lasting structural change. While the image of a burning Bouazizi motivated millions to successfully protest and remove faces of oppression, many of these movements largely failed in their long-term goals to replace them with representative legislatures.
[W]hile the media has long realized the power of moving imagery on our conscious, shock value and resentment-driven action alone proved insufficient to create lasting structural change.
Economic instability, civil war and democratic backsliding would persistently plague the Arab Spring countries in the years following protest, proving that while a visceral reaction could motivate millions to overthrow autocratic regimes, it could not give them the tools necessary for a successful transition. Although an intent and desire to create lasting change was likely present, a movement sparked at its core by reactionary anger and indignation found itself largely incompatible with the post-expulsion formation of peaceful government.
Steven Jeon ‘28 studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at jeon.steven@wustl.edu.