More on the soul, from mimi:

[quote]
-- In the Punk Planet following the issue in which I wrote a column about Without Sanctuary, Joe Lockard writes a review of the monograph, saying, "The book's graphic and unutterable images move a soul to both despair and wonderment at human monstrosity. It is pornography in a true and most evil sense, yet the despicable images are the purest education against racism."

Wow, do I need to say this again? Here's the summary: 1) "A soul" is an abstract identification that blurs the differential social locations of potential viewers, and their relationship to the photographs. 2) "Human monstrosity" is similarly abstract, and does not speak to the historical and ideological specificity of lynching as racial terror. 3) "The purest education against racism" assumes two things. First, that simply viewing images of atrocities will necessarily inspire compassion or empathy. Not at all -- images of violence are often produced by perpetrators to document the act, inspire patriotic feelings (in the "right" population) or fear (in the "wrong" one). They also become aestheticized in Woody Allen films or punk rock record covers. Second, that racism is simply a matter of physical violence. It's not. I mean really.
[/quote]