World Press Photo Winner Shows Rich Touring Beirut Rubble - or Does It?

Prizewinning Photo is Full of Complexity and Chaos of War

The picture is striking. It's a snapshot-like photo of an orange Mini Cooper, cruising through the rubble after an Israeli attack, occupants women dressed in black and white attire, formal in appearance. One is holding a handkerchief over her face, as if offended by the odor of the area. Spencer Platt's picture has been published in media worldwide, and won first prize in the prestigious World Press Photo awards. Rather than just representing the struggle of war, however, it has caused controversy wherever it has been shown.

There is a lot more to the story of the photo than the reaction it first gives. That may be one of the reasons that it won, because it reveals that there is a lot more to a war story than impressions can give. Spencer Platt has won numerous awards for his war photography, and it may be that his insight led him to take this incongruous picture.

Looking at the photo on the BBC website, the impression is simple, rich vs. poor. Victim versus worldly wealth. But, it turns out, the people in the car are mostly residents of the bombed-out area. It's not even their car, and the car is no rich person's toy - it has been running medication and supplies to refugees. The photograph draws you in to be further informed about the nature of war in Lebanon.

Beirut is sometimes known as "The Paris of the Middle East," and even in wartime people are style conscious, as these women show. After the civil war, the city was rebuilding, recreating a center of style and fashion, of shopping and nightlife, as discussed on planetizen.com. Now, it is silent again, and rubble spreads.

The people of Lebanon are nothing if not resilient, and that is one thing the photograph portrays clearly. Even those in the neighborhood who saw the car drive by are heard in a video taken by the women shouting comments, and the women felt compelled to reply "we live here."