There’s been a lot of over-the-top rhetoric about the use of crosshair (gun sight) imagery in last year’s campaign and what that might have to do with the shootings that took place in Arizona over the weekend. Here are three commentaries worth looking at on how the press and politicians have responded:
- Ezra Klein – Sarah Palin’s missed opportunity
Klein is a news commentator for the Washington Post who works hard at having well-supported arguments. - Jonathan Chait – Lord Help Me, I’m Defending Palin
Chait writes for the liberal political magazine The New Republic . This is interesting because it comes from a writer who generally does not defend Sarah Palin. - MediaBob – What does a crosshairs mean?
Bob is a visual comm professor at West Virginia University. He asked his student to tell him what they thought the crosshairs from Sarah Palin’s “targeting” graphic meant. Dealing with meaning and actual evidence. What a concept. HINT: The responses are necessarily what you are expecting.