opinion

A viral image can say whatever you want it to. But in this case, it's gone too far.

In the wake of the horrific terrorist attack on London’s Westminster Bridge overnight, this tweet is going viral:

‘You see, this is why immigration should be halted!’ alt-right fake news enthusiasts add as they retweet at speeds faster than light, their profiles adorned with the statements “proud Republican woman”, “very conservative”, and “#TrumpTrain” (yes, really).

It could be true – perhaps the woman in the photograph did not care for the bleeding person on the street. Perhaps she is a wild sociopath. Or a common jerk.

After all, her image can say whatever we damn well want if we strip it of context.

Or maybe, just maybe, this woman’s image says something entirely different.

Perhaps she was distressed, as the hand on her face and troubled expression would suggest.

Perhaps she felt intense fear being a woman in a headscarf, and walking through the trauma of a terrorist attack.

Perhaps she was hurriedly texting on her phone to see if her colleagues, her friends, her siblings, her parents, her partner, her children, were safe.

But did Texas Lone Star and his “American patriot”, “pro life” Twitter friends think to ask the same question of this man, with white skin, exposed hair, and a side satchel?

I think you all know the answer.