The Language of Jena

The demonstration supporting the six black high school students in Jena, La., accused of assaulting a white schoolmate after nooses were hung in a tree on the campus grounds has reintroduced this symbol into public discourse.

In fact, one of the organizers of the protest said this about Web site postings and other messages that threatened the black students and their families: "Now when you turn on the TV, you see nooses hanging everywhere. And it all started in Jena."

Reflect on the above statement in light of Lippmann's proposal: "Pictures have always been the surest way of conveying an idea .... But the idea conveyed is not fully our own until we have identified ourselves with some aspect of the picture."