Author: ISIS
Date of Publication: Unknown, republished June 23, 2014
Published on: ISIS social media, republished on The Guardian
Denotative Examination:
This advertisement/recruitment photo is fairly straightforward in its appearance. The centerpiece of the photo is a single handgun sitting on what appears to be a leather surface. The handgun appears to be a variation of the Glock company weaponry, and has blood on it. The text is prominent and contains an acronym of the phrase "you only die once." The text is entirely capitalized and also asks a question about why the viewer is not going to become a martyr. The image was created by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a jihadist group fighting for control of Iraq and Syria.
Connotative Examination:
Upon closer examination, this ad has much more to reveal The acronym "YODO" is a play on the expression "YOLO" which is short for "you only live once." This was a popular expression in American pop culture, and was popularized by the hip-hop industry. The use of blood to cover the handgun implies that the previous user died, and may be implying that they became a martyr. The casualness of the final piece of text is surprising, as it is dealing with a heavy topic for many people. The ad asks "Why not make it martyrdom" as though that is something without any sort of significance, when in reality it is asking someone to lay down their life for their religion. This is showing the deadly sin of wrath, as fighting for ISIS is usually fueled by anger and resentment towards "the West." The ad also shows a weapon covered in blood, symbolizing the anger of someone who joins the jihadist group.
Intended Audience:
The intended audience for this is young, English-speaking, Muslims. This is evidenced by both the content and placement of the image. It was distributed through an ISIS owned social media account, which caters towards young people. ISIS's strategy is to entice young Muslim people who are searching for a purpose, and give them a reason to fight. The content in the image is in English, making it appeal to English speakers who are also Muslim and may be looking to join ISIS.
Zack,
ReplyDeleteGood analysis! I especially agree with you on the fact that this ad is targeting a younger group of people. The reason I think that is because it uses the term "YODO" which is a direct spin-off from "YOLO". The fact that they referenced an American song makes me feel like this ad was not only targeting Muslims, but it was also targeting Americans. By making an almost "humorous" ad, young troubled Americans may be inspired to join ISIS. The ad downplays the severity of the situation and almost encourages children to join a war that is terrible. Do you think that it is morally wrong to be targeting a young/confused group of people with this ad?
Zack, my fellow NRA libertarian enthusiast, fantastic analysis!! Two thumbs up! I like how you acknowledged that this advertisement would target a younger, more up to date audience as it plays on the popular saying "Yolo". I think you nailed the audience, even though I feel like "muslim" is a little broad. It was a decent attempt. Do you think it might be intended for people outside the muslim world? troubled teens? Or yung local extremists?
ReplyDeleteTake care, and remember VOTE SEAN HAUGH 2014
Zechariah, this ad is interesting, as it is advertising an idea that is a hard sell — death. Because of this, and because of the group that is behind the ad, I agree with you that it is a wrathful ad. A simple way to look at it is that ISIL is wanting the viewer to lay down their life now in a violent manner instead of being patient and dying of natural causes. I agree that the ad is focused towards the youth and that the blood on the gun could represent the user's death, but I also have another thought. Is it possible that the blood represents the bloodshed of ISIL in general and could represent the user killing as well as being killed? The ad says die as a martyr, but be a martyr with a gun in hand fighting for the cause. This is in contrast to the holy Jesus and his followers, whom died as martyrs without a fight.
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