The Spectacle of the Tortured Body and the Torturer

In traditional images of tortured bodies in the U.S., the focus of the image is the person or group of people being abused. In her article “A Strange and Bitter Crop: the Spectacle of Torture”, Hazel Carby talks about the spectacle, or event, that is often created surround the torturing of certain bodies in the U.S. history. Specifically, bodies of color such as the lynched African Americans and Iraqi’s in the Abu Ghraib scandal were photographed and served several purposes as a spectacle for the nation. Perhaps most importantly, Carby talks about America’s “two faces”. One face wants to portray our country and its citizens as wholesome and caring, while the other face is carrying on these torturous practices over and over again throughout history.

Along the same lines as the lynching of African Americans in the early 20th century, the Ku Klux Klan was a powerful group of white supremacists with a deep history and even a current-day presence. In the 1920’s, the KKK was allied with many members of the U.S. government. Governors and policemen in the South gave KKK members permission and special allowances to taunt, beat, and kill African Americans. Because of the legacy of African Americans being seen as “foreign” bodies, the local government found it normal to go along with these practices. As the KKK re-emerged in the 1960’s, the U.S. government had a much different view of their activities. They regarded their practices as cruelty and punished those breaking laws with their actions against African Americans. This fits how Carby describes our country’s “historical amnesia” – forgetting past importance and treatment of African Americans in building our country.

Another important aspect of the visual culture of the KKK is the construction of their identity through their Klansmen outfits. As pictured below, the Klansmen wear an oversized gown with a large hood that covers their entire face with small eye holes. This simple outfit speaks volumes about bodies, power, and spectacle. The robe is large and ambiguous enough to take away most of the shape of the body wearing it. The person underneath could be of any gender, race, or class. We know from history that this was not the case, but it is interesting to note that these people who were torturing based on appearances and hiding their own. As apparent in the picture below of the child, the KKK mentality was started early on and was passed down through generations. This is just one of the many ridiculous “traditions” within U.S. culture.

One of the most defining and identifying parts of the KKK outfit is the hood. The hood covers so much of the face that it hides any kind of emotions the member might be displaying. In class we discussed that one way of defining humanity is through the face. We regard people with a human face as humans because of the emotions that are shown using facial expressions and movements. The Klansmen suppress these emotions and cover their faces as a way of removing themselves from the act. While the pictures of the prisoners at Abu Ghraib showed them with bags over their heads to dehumanize them as a degrading technique, the KKK members dehumanize themselves and stand as an institution rather than individuals. The costume acts as a way of making the attackers seem to be un-human without a face and without a body. This lack of a body was a tactic used to make it seem like an organization larger than the sum of its parts was against anyone who is not the “ideal” white body.