How the Right Uses ‘9/11 Porn’ In an Appeal to Patriotism

By now you may have seen this stirring display of anti-Mosque “patriotism,” “Salt in the Wound,” which is making the rounds on YouTube. When I watched this hot mess of a video, it wasn’t so much its overt racism or even its poor production quality that shocked me (could these idiots AT LEAST take a Final Cut class or two?). Instead, it was the images of smoke billowing out of the World Trade Center, bloodied people covered in soot, stunned firefighters, and smoldering plane fuselage in the middle of a Pennsylvania field … for lack of a better term, “9/11 porn.”

It’s not that I think we should be shielded from such images — in the proper context. In many ways the incredible footage from that day, much of it shot by bystanders who were in the thick of it, ushered in a new era of citizen journalism. The images and videos also serve as a reminder of just how palpable the pain of that morning still is for so many, which is why the use of the footage in this video, and others like it, is so disturbing. For these anti-Mosque protestors “if it bleeds, it leads.” After all, what better way to whip up hysteria and promote violence against Muslims — yes that’s the sound of a gun being cocked around 2:13 in the “Salt” video — than by showcasing that violent effects of jihad?

Conservatives’ self-serving appropriation of 9/11 imagery doesn’t end with their opposition to the Islamic cultural center that's planned two blocks from Ground Zero. The Young America’s Foundation is a conservative youth group that seems to have taken up the Tea Party cause -- even using the hastag #teaparty on nearly every tweet in its official Twitter feed. They have been running a campaign since 2003 called the “9/11 Never Forget Project.” The campaign is part of the group’s “Conservative Campus Battle Plan” which provides college students with ways to push back the liberal menace on college campuses (again with the violent imagery guys! They'd probably be thrilled if their members started carrying muskets.) The information about the project provided in the September edition of their newsletter includes the screengrab seen below:

Note the description: “Don’t let the Left appropriate this day to promote its politically correct, multicultural agenda.” Yes, because it would certainly be unseemly to exploit a tragedy for political gain. On a related note, what a subtlety designed logo you have there!

On page two, the ownership of 9/11 continues:

You can unite your campus community to properly remember the victims of the terrorist attacks by taking part in Young America’s Foundation’s 9/11: Never Forget Project.

There is also a promotional video for the campaign on their website. Look familiar?

The fact that many conservatives to have turned the memory of 9/11 into rallying cry to defend liberty against not only our enemies abroad, but against liberals at home, is disturbing in itself. But to go as far as to promote a political agenda through a montage of Ground Zero carnage, or to presume that there is a “right” or “wrong” way to honor the victims of that day is a bridge too far. Kinda like this, come to think of it.

Katie is the Communications and Outreach Manager for Campus Progress.