While browsing through one of my favourite weeklies, the German "Der Spiegel", I came across an article about this year's World Press Photo Award. The winning picture, taken by the US-American Spencer Platt of Getty Images
©, shows a group of young Lebanese cruising in a fancy red Mini Convertable through the southern part of the Lebanese city of Beirut on the first day of the truce , on 15 August 2006. Instantly, the pic caught my attention and I started to wonder what it actually shows and what it actually is that we see. What is the message it conveys? At first glance, I felt somewhat disgusted by the image and the notion that people may find joy by watching the misery of others. Yet, it occurred to me almost the same second that this would be a premature judgement as it is impossible for the reader to know the entire context of the photo and the reason why these five youngsters drove through that part of the city. And also: can we blame them for looking? Can we accuse them of what appears to us as a bizarre form of spectatorship? Is that the only thing we see on this picture? I believe not! And the reason is simply because if we were honest to ourselves, the vast majority of us has been exactly in the same position and has been doing the same thing over and over again. The only difference is that most of us do it from a comfy sofa, one hand at the remote control and the other grabbing some crisps....The closer one looks, the more one can realise that the people in the background do not seem to have paid very much attention to the youngsters, which might indicate that for them there is nothing offensive in having these youngsters pass by in their fancy Mini. Yet, it could also mean that the experience of week-long Israeli bombings, personal tragedies and losses outweighs a scene that in other circumstances would never have caused anybody to even raise an eyebrowe. And yet another interpretation could be that the mini with all its load was even welcomed as it represents a symbol of normalisation and peace. What is it that we see?
While browsing through one of my favourite weeklies, the German "Der Spiegel", I came across an article about this year's World Press Photo Award. The winning picture, taken by the US-American Spencer Platt of Getty Images ©, shows a group of young Lebanese cruising in a fancy red Mini Convertable through the southern part of the Lebanese city of Beirut on the first day of the truce , on 15 August 2006. Instantly, the pic caught my attention and I started to wonder what it actually shows and what it actually is that we see. What is the message it conveys? At first glance, I felt somewhat disgusted by the image and the notion that people may find joy by watching the misery of others. Yet, it occurred to me almost the same second that this would be a premature judgement as it is impossible for the reader to know the entire context of the photo and the reason why these five youngsters drove through that part of the city. And also: can we blame them for looking? Can we accuse them of what appears to us as a bizarre form of spectatorship? Is that the only thing we see on this picture? I believe not! And the reason is simply because if we were honest to ourselves, the vast majority of us has been exactly in the same position and has been doing the same thing over and over again. The only difference is that most of us do it from a comfy sofa, one hand at the remote control and the other grabbing some crisps....The closer one looks, the more one can realise that the people in the background do not seem to have paid very much attention to the youngsters, which might indicate that for them there is nothing offensive in having these youngsters pass by in their fancy Mini. Yet, it could also mean that the experience of week-long Israeli bombings, personal tragedies and losses outweighs a scene that in other circumstances would never have caused anybody to even raise an eyebrowe. And yet another interpretation could be that the mini with all its load was even welcomed as it represents a symbol of normalisation and peace. What is it that we see?
No comments:
Post a Comment