The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) is an independent Baptist Church based out of Topeka, Kansas. They were incorporated in 1967 as a non-profit organization, but they were originally founded in 1955 by Fred Phelps. Phelps still leads the church today and the church’s congregation is mostly made up of his family (“Extremism in America”).
WBC is known for picketing various events across the country, but this particular picture was taken in Cupertino, CA in front of Apple Inc. to picket the celebration of Steve Job’s life. They claimed their reason for doing so was that:
This new reality for Steve Jobs is the only reality that you should be considering. He was on this earth for a very short time. God game him incredible gifts. It was his proving ground, and he failed! He should have used those gifts to serve God and help God’s people to serve God. He should have given the glory of those gifts to God. Jobs had a HUGE megaphone; every time he called for the press, they came running. He didn’t once use that megaphone to tell the truth of God - instead, Jobs taught rebellion against Him.
Essentially, they were angry with Jobs for not preaching what they believed to be the truth of God.
If you look at this picture above, found on WBC’s website, under their “Photos” tab, you see a woman dressed in a t-shirt and a windbreaker, she is grinning from ear-to-ear, if you took out the signs and flags tied around her waist, it would almost be a normal picture. But that’s not the reality of the picture. The reality is, is that she is picketing a man’s death. She is standing outside of an Apple building while people behind her mourn the loss of the great mind. She is holding not one or two signs, but four. These signs are symbolic, and as Foss says, visual rhetoric must be symbolic of something else. By using these signs WBC is participating in visual rhetoric, they are communicating through a system of signs.
The first sign says “Thank God for Breast Cancer”. The colors of the sign are pink and black; colors that are normally used in ads to promote breast cancer awareness and to raise money, hope and support for those fighting against breast cancer. But this sign took those colors and put them in a negative light.
The second sign does something similar; they took the “No H8” (No Hate) from an anti-Proposition 8 campaign. Proposition 8 was proposition passed in 2008 in California, the state where this picket is taking place, that only recognized marriages as valid if they were between a man and a woman. Although the proposition was passed, people still speak out against the proposition. This sign seems to mean that if you are involved in the “No H8” campaign, then you hate Jesus. On this same sign, there is also the image of the iconic “Uncle Sam”. Although the “No H8” campaign took place in California, it reached across the United States, so I believe that the iconic Uncle Sam image is also meant to represent the United States as a whole, stating that WBC believes that America hates Jesus.
The third sign reads “Fag O’lantern.” This protest took place on October 19, 2011, perhaps WBC was trying to implement the use of kairos, a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of an action (Merriam-Webster), by using a jack o’lantern because of the upcoming Halloween holiday.
The final sign the woman is holding is a sign that has made appearances when the church protests fallen soldier's funerals. It reads “Soldiers Die God Laughs.” Like the previous sign, I’m not quite sure how this relates to Steve Jobs. I only see this sign being “beneficial” to WBC’s message by getting people angry and bringing up strong emotions.
This woman also has what appears to be three flags tied to her waist, one is the American flag and the other two look to be the Rainbow flag and the Flag of Israel. She is showing and a complete defiance and hatred towards very specific groups of people by doing this. First of all, by having the flags tied around her waste, she is not only stepping on them, but when she walks, she is dragging them through the dirt. The abuse of a flag is not illegal or unconstitutional in the United States due to the First Amendment, however, this action is still considered to be flag desecration and is considered very disrespectful.
Kenneth Burke explains that “symbols are the essence of existence, the mechanisms by which we understand ourselves and our world, and the means by which we affect change...The linguistic choices we make as we speak shape our perception and reveal our intentions” (Herrick 227). Burke, believed that the most action and the most change came from people’s words, and this may be true, but I believe that when looking at the picture above, people are called into some type of action; whether it is to join in the WBC movement, or if it is as simple as looking up a Bible verse that is on one of their signs and deciding for yourself if that Bible verse backs up what they are claiming.
These signs are symbols that affect change, there is no denying that. The recent Supreme Court ruling on Snyder v. Phelps proves that. OMarch 8, 2010, Snyder v. Phelps came before the Supreme Court for a final ruling to the question "Is WBC in their right to protest at a fallen soldier's funeral?"
In the majority opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote
Westboro believes that America is morally flawed; many Americans might feel the same about Westboro. Westboro’s funeral picketing is certainly hurtful and its contribution to public discourse may be negligible. But Westboro addressed matters of public import on public property, in a peaceful manner, in full compliance with the guidance of local officials...Speech is powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and—as it did here— inflict great pain. On the facts before us, we cannot react to that pain by punishing the speaker. As a Nation we have chosen a different course—to protect even hurtful speech on public issues to ensure that we do not stifle public debate. That choice requires that we shield Westboro from tort liability for its picketing in this case (Snyder v. Phelps et al).
Now, change did not necessarily come from this court case, but a vital question was answered and the ruling made our first amendment stronger in a sense. WBC's signs, as much as we may hate to admit it, are bringing about some type of change, though it may not be a change everyone hopes for.
