Explain this

Most weeks I pick up a copy of The Bulletin and take it home to read. It is often on the kitchen table and occasionally I'll read it at breakfast and explain some articles (or ads!) to my kids.

This week the cover featured another horrific picture from Iraq - the one with the prisoner cowering in front of the guard dogs (see link above). I found that I couldn't take this copy of the Bulletin down to the kitchen table because I couldn't explain it. I don't really understand why this happened myself, so there is no way I can explain even a sanatised version to young kids.

Generally when I'm trying to explain things to them (like why you can't drive to the moon) it's because their experience of the world in quite narrow. In this case it seems my experience of the world is too narrow.

I applaud The Bulletin for using a confronting cover. There is no need for kids to see images like this - they'll be inundated with confronting images before long anyway - but it is probably a good idea that I see it. It means I can't pretend I never noticed and stay hidden in my comfortable notions of just who and what is good and bad.