Last month, on Sunday, November 11, Baraboo students posted the infamous picture with the caption, “We even got the black kid to throw it up #BarabooProud” on a parody Twitter account named “Welcome to Baraboo.” Many boys in the photo have denied that they were giving the Nazi salute and the photographer jumped to defend the boys in an interview. However, convincing as some of their interviews may be, there are a few aspects of the photo that can’t be excused as a “waving goodbye” pose gone wrong.
“The internet can be a wonderful tool but for some there is an overwhelming urge to destroy. The destruction may not be physical but instead it can be bullying that is intellectual or emotional,” photographer Pete Gust stated on his website after the photo went viral, reffering to the way social media, especially Twitter, “misinterpreted” the photo.
On an in-home interview with NBC, Gust explained how he had told the students to wave goodbye to their parents as it was the last photo before heading off to prom. Instead of catching the picture at its apex, he captured a photo of their arms on the way up, making it appear like they were giving the Nazi salute.
At first, his explanation seemed possible — until I saw the student in front making the OK symbol adopted by white supremacist groups. Additionally, there is no way the media could’ve misinterpreted the tweet’s caption; its message was very clear.
There were several boys in the photo who did not participate, including Jordan Blue who spoke on the issue openly.
“I saw what was happening and I felt so upset,” he told CNN. “I was very scared for the future. It was wrong. It shouldn’t be okay, and it’s not okay.”
According to Blue’s statement, Gust did not explicitly tell the students to raise their arm in any specific way, and the students chose to raise their arms in that “hurtful way.” Like Gust, Blue made sure to mention that this picture is not representative of the Baraboo school district.
It is evident in the picture and the post’s caption that there was an intention in the way the boys raised their arms. Of course, not all of the students participated in the photo or the tweet, but whoever did should be held responsible rather than claiming that the whole controversy is a media interpretation. But now, it’s almost a month later, and the story has died down completely. What happened to these boys? Were they held accountable for their actions?
The answer is no. In fact, after an investigation, the Baraboo School District said it couldn’t — and wouldn’t — punish the boys due to the First Amendment. The boys suffered no consequences.
Although the gesture may have been just a joke at the moment, it was a joke that shouldn’t have been made. Especially when the country is on red-alert after the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting in October. It is very clear that our battle with anti-semitism in America is not over. Although there are many negative aspects to social media, this “misinterpretation” is not one of them; justifying this photo as an accident would mean another compliance with anti-Semitism.
In response to the picture, other community members gathered at the same building to recreate the photo using hearts to promote love rather than hate, trying to represent a different side of Baraboo than the rest of the world was exposed to last November.