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Public executions are unfortunately not very medieval.

Reporting by Dagens Nyheter (SE)Read the original at dn.se

Executive Summary

The discussion revolves around the proposal for state executions during prime time, framed by Kristina Lindquist as not being uniquely medieval but reflecting a contemporary shift in how the "war on terrorism" has internalized domestic practices. The article contrasts the shock value of live broadcasting executions with historical precedents concerning the depiction and exposure of suffering, drawing parallels to the iconography of violence from the era of lynchings and the Vietnam War photo of Eddie Adams. The text suggests that the mediatization of suffering is not new, referencing the Abu Ghraib images as a contemporary example of staged brutality shared digitally. Furthermore, it posits that the brutal realities of Trumpism—including live executions and migrant camps—share a logic with historical patterns of dehumanization, such as those seen in Guantanamo, suggesting these patterns are emerging at home.

Facts Only

* The US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared that Nidal Hasan should be executed by firing squad and the event live broadcast.
* Donald Trump backed down from the live broadcast due to reactions from many individuals.
* Jurists and academics focused on the radically deviant aspect of live-broadcasting an execution as making the legal system "ridiculous" and belonging in the "Middle Ages."
* Susan Sontag discusses the ancient roots of depicting brutality, referencing "iconography of suffering."
* The public desire for images showing physical pain is described as almost as strong as the desire for images of naked bodies.
* Photographs of burned and hanged bodies served as souvenirs and postcards in the past.
* Eddie Adams' photo from the Vietnam War involved a general leading out a prisoner for journalists.
* Images from Abu Ghraib involved soldiers posing next to dead bodies, showing "Naked men in shackles."

Full Take

The narrative attempts to position contemporary state violence within an ancient framework of spectacle, using historical and photographic examples to establish a continuum of dehumanization. The core tension lies in the gap between acknowledging historical patterns of suffering and accepting the new, hyper-mediated brutality of the present. The argument suggests that framing executions as merely "another raid in the morbid circus Trump" relies on a deflection, using shock value rather than substantive legal or ethical critique. The implicit implication is that by viewing contemporary acts through an ancient lens—as relics of a medieval spectacle—the gravity of the modern context is diminished. This structure invites examination into how digital sharing patterns influence our perception and acceptance of extreme violence, particularly when exposed via live media. What specific mechanisms allow a society to reframe systemic brutality as mere entertainment or historical recurrence? If the pattern of staging suffering has always existed, what specific safeguards can be erected against the contemporary trend where spectacle supersedes due process?

From the original · Dagens Nyheter (SE)

State executions during prime time are yet another raid in the morbid circus Trump. But the proposal is not as medieval as it appears – rather, it is as if America's "war on terrorism" has moved home, writes Kristina Lindquist.

Read the full story at dn.se

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