I guess that the photos of the Hindenburg bursting into flame should likewise never have been published.
Regards,
Posted on 09/13/2026 10:42:46 PM PDT by nickcarraway
"The Falling Man" is the most controversial photograph to have emerged from the September 11, 2001 attack on New York City's World Trade Center.
Taken by Richard Drew of the Associated Press - and visible at this link - the photo shows a man falling headfirst along the side of the soon-to-be-demolished 110-floor North Tower, momentarily captured in an incongruously serene pose that belies the utter surrounding chaos and his imminent demise.
When the photo ran in the New York Times and other papers across the country the following day, many readers complained and accused the publications of exploiting the unknown man's death.
Read More: How Classic Rock Responded to the 9/11 Terror Attacks
Many photographs were taken of the estimated 200 or more people who died after jumping or falling from the inescapable flame and smoke-filled upper floors of the Twin Towers during the attack.
However, after the angry response to the publication of "The Falling Man," newspapers stopped sharing these images.
"Photographs of the so-called jumpers have been rendered taboo," noted Susie Linfield of New York magazine, "vilified as an insult to the dead and an unbearably brutal shock to the living."
Elton John saw things differently. He spent two years working to acquire a print of "The Falling Man" for his collection of famous photographs, which numbered nearly 8,000 as of 2016.
“It’s the most beautiful image of something so tragic,” John told CBS News at that time. “It’s probably one of the most perfect photographs ever taken. It’s not a shot that a lot of people probably would want to hang on their wall. And we’ve never hung it on our wall.”
During the interview, John was clear that he had no reservations about collecting photographs of such tragic moments.
“No, because this is an historical event. It’s as important as the naked girl running down the road [in] Vietnam [1972's "The Napalm Girl"], and I have that. The little boy in Syria recently, just sitting there on the chair? I desperately want that photograph. And we’re trying to get it. It’s just important to have them.”
Who Was the Falling Man?
After a 2001 story in the Globe and Mail suggested that the falling man might be Noberto Hernandez, a pastry chef at the Windows on the World restaurant on the 106th floor of the North Tower, Esquire journalist Tom Junod was able to obtain several other photographs of the moment from Drew.
In a story originally published in 2003, the falling man's darker complexion and orange t-shirt led Junod to counter - but not definitively determine - that the falling man might instead be Jonathan Briley, a sound engineer employed at the same restaurant and the brother of the Village People's original "G.I.," Alex Briley.
In his own 2021 Associated Press article, "The Falling Man" photographer Drew downplayed the importance of a specific identification.
"Though his quest proved fruitless, Junod eventually concluded, as I did, that the point was moot. For we already knew the identity of the man in the picture. He was you and me."
Sicko faggot.
Some pervert snuff thrill thing?
The photo is heartbreaking.
Sir Elton is a collector of classic photography.
Very.
Most likely.
I guess that the photos of the Hindenburg bursting into flame should likewise never have been published.
Regards,
What about the Zapruder Film, a video of a POTUS’s head exploding from a gunshot.
I don’t it’s twisted or perverted to want this type of photograph for a personal collection, we’ve all seen the photograph in question, I’ve often wondered who that person was and how awful the situation must have been for him and the others to make the decision to jump to a certain death versus burning up where they were.
“He spent two years working to acquire a print of “The Falling Man” for his collection”
Took me 2 minutes on Google.
Sorry, I don't follow you.
Are you saying that you don't believe that it's twisted or perverted?
Regards,
A few days ago, I saw a photo taken from a high angle looking down on where the jumpers landed. It was about what you would expect - large puddles of blood and remains where the jumpers landed in the plaza that surrounded the buildings and just exploded. Just sickening. I had not been looking; perhaps people had good taste not to publish it for 25 years.
I pondered that same question after 9/11, and it featured in a number of dreams (no, nightmares) for a while afterward.
My own position is that if one's death is imminent and unavoidable, one has to make a terrifying choice, but to me it is a clear one.
Burning to death is horribly painful and takes time, during which the suffering is immense. By contrast, jumping out of a skyscraper means about 5 seconds of falling (which is scary but not physically painful) and then a more or less instantaneous death, certainly if one lands flat or head-first. In my dreams I always chose to fly, and woke up before I hit the ground.
The Falling Man photo presents this scenario and compels the viewer to confront that terrifying choice, both for the man, and for themself. I believe the resulting discomfort is what makes people want to censor the photo.
To me it’s just a normal curiosity, not perverted or twisted to want these things.
I suppose you’re right, the Falling Man picture is something to uncomfortable for a lot of people to deal with, for me personally, I want to see the picture, not dwell on it but see and wonder what thoughts were running through his mind and praying I’m never in that situation.
In police work, scenes of death are MUCH worse...
I’m sure it is, to me it’s not about how terrible the death scene is, it’s about someone being in a position of either burning to death or certain death by jumping from a 100-story building.
Yes, precisely so. Great art, including photography, offers an opportunity for introspection. Falling Man is especially successful at drawing the viewer into his decision. I consider it a great photo of a profoundly difficult circumstance.
I remember the Naked Gun movie where the walls of the blues club are adorned with great disasters - the Titanic, the Hindenberg, the shooting of MLK... and, then, the photo of Michael Dukakis in a tank. Just hilarious. Certainly, liberals saw that as the biggest disaster.
Agreed. Sicko faggot indeed. Probably also has lamps made of the skin of Jews from Auswitz
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