sigh

[xyz]

http://buzz.yahoo.com/yearinreview2008/

Top Searches for the entire 2008 year.

Why does this depress me yet not surprise me at the same time?

For a more interesting little summary, though, try ArsTechnica's treatment:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...ey-spears.html

[xyz]

Comment:

Dunlavy
I am assured that the unintelligent masses ruin the planet for the rest of us. How many would stand behind a holocaust of the feeble-minded? The world would be a better place with the shedding of our imbecilic shackles.

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/...r=259007206931

[tiny_dancer]

Well, I can proudly say I've never once actually searched the internet for Britney Spears.

[UDP]

Yeah. I know what you mean.

I actually, for some reason (maybe it's my avatar), have an urge to play halo with my friends when I get home.

[UDP]

It's kind of like

"....so, this is America".

[Not A Communist Shill]

It's kind of like

"....so, this is America".

It's kind of like, you know, like, er, like whatever. You know what I mean?

[xyz]

Is this why I hate most people?

[Ritella]

Why does this depress me yet not surprise me at the same time?

Things can't depress you if you expect it.

[Ritella]

oh my god. that picture is seriously disturbing.

[jessica129]

I really, really hate seeing that picture. Ugh.

[xyz]

Kind of.

Why would I hate that? It's the vulture's own fault for hanging around a place that's lacking in good food.

[UDP]

You have to dumb yourself down as a means of survival. Cognitive dissonance would destroy you otherwise. It's one of the interesting things about life.

[UDP]

[jessica129]

I remember reading about that photo. The photographer committed suicide a little while after he became famous for it. Apparently that child was alive and crawling towards some sort of center (?) for food or something. When the photographer saw the vulture he waited for about twenty minutes to take the picture, hoping the vulture would spread its wings. It never did. He sat by a tree, smoked a cigarette, and cried for a while after taking the photo, if I remember correctly. I do know that he never helped the child get to shelter. He doesn't know what happened to it.

He should have a) stopped crying b) picked the kid up and gave him some damn food. wtf. It's like those nature documentaries when you know the baby seal is going to get eaten but people don't so anything because "that's life". No. I would have launched right in the middle in attempts to stop the inevitable. Throw the kid a sandwich or something, come on.

[jessica129]

Yeah. But I mean, if I were ever put in that situation where I had directly seen that right in front of me, i wouldn't snap pictures and do nothing while a vulture waits in the shadows. I don't think anyone with an ounce of compassion would. I don't donate to charities, no, as I'm poor myself...but to see this right in front of you and walk away? I'm sure his one meal may not have helped, but come on now...it's sickening to me. I'm not bashing you allie, just that picture disturbs me a lot.

[somavision]

Yeah. But I mean, if I were ever put in that situation where I had directly seen that right in front of me, i wouldn't snap pictures and do nothing while a vulture waits in the shadows. I don't think anyone with an ounce of compassion would. I don't donate to charities, no, as I'm poor myself...but to see this right in front of you and walk away? I'm sure his one meal may not have helped, but come on now...it's sickening to me. I'm not bashing you allie, just that picture disturbs me a lot.

You fail to realise that in the nearest village there could be a hundred further starving children, in the surrounding villages perhaps thousands.
Taking a photo can have a far more positive influence than giving some kid a sandwich.
By taking this photo, the photographer has given a harrowing image of what it truly means to be "poor".
And if that can inspire people, even so called poor people, to give their time or money to prevent this kind of thing happening in the future or helping to aid those suffering now, surely this is a good thing.
I assume that you have never seen true poverty before, or have experienced the terrible guilt of knowing that you can't possibly help everyone, all you can do is show others, as many people as possible and hope that you can make a difference.

[UDP]

Things can't depress you if you expect it.

On the other hand, some of the most demoralizing things are that which are inevitable and able to be expected - but there's just nothing you can do about it.

Think about a great offensive team in football, and how the defense gets "depressed" because they cannot stop them.

[xyz]

I don't get it.

Starving babies aren't meaty enough.

You have to dumb yourself down as a means of survival. Cognitive dissonance would destroy you otherwise. It's one of the interesting things about life.

...NO!!....NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I refuse to become stupid!

I remember reading about that photo. The photographer committed suicide three months after taking the shot. Apparently that child was alive and crawling towards a United Nations food camp. When the photographer saw the vulture he waited for about twenty minutes to take the picture, hoping the vulture would spread its wings. It never did. He sat by a tree, smoked a cigarette, and cried for a while after taking the photo, if I remember correctly. I do know that he never helped the child get to shelter. He doesn't know what happened to it.



edit: found where I read about it:

http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/od..._in_unfair.htm

Makes sense, seeing as how in documentaries you normally cannot interfere with what's going on in front of the camera.

[jewels]

Yeah. But I mean, if I were ever put in that situation where I had directly seen that right in front of me, i wouldn't snap pictures and do nothing while a vulture waits in the shadows. I don't think anyone with an ounce of compassion would. I don't donate to charities, no, as I'm poor myself...but to see this right in front of you and walk away? I'm sure his one meal may not have helped, but come on now...it's sickening to me. I'm not bashing you allie, just that picture disturbs me a lot.

I'm glad you said that Jessica, and I completely agree. This is about more than how much we donate to charity, or the global influence of taking a picture or not. If a kid is dying in front of you, try to help. Maybe it wouldn't matter to the hundreds of other kids the photographer couldn't help, but it sure would've mattered to that child. Maybe if that photographer had the strength to at least try to help, instead of giving up and assuming the kid was too fragile or heavy or it was too hard, maybe if instead, they'd carried that kid and tried, they wouldn't have felt it was hopelss and given up not only on that child, but on themselves. As sad as these things are, the giving up is the worst part, because then there is no chance for improvement.

[Khola aka Bee]

Is this why I hate most people?

Hahahaha. Oh shit yes. Excuse me while I cut myself.

[sexylexy]

Dolphin,

You are sick.

Love
Katrina

[sexylexy]

Sick because I want to turn mcnew into jerky for the reindeers or sick because I think Britney Spears is the meatier, higher protein way to go?

Sick because you post dirty pictures of children.

[cracka]

About that picture... It's part of the nature of being a photographer in that situation. While it doesn't make sense to most people, it's the person taking the picture's job to take the picture and not really "make the world a better place" himself. Pictures like that one are the type that will send a message like, "something is going on here, it needs to be fixed." When it comes down to it, he did his part. Though, I admit I'd have helped the kid out myself in that situation I'm sure, that's why I keep to taking pics of stuff I know and don't go looking for stuff like this...lol.

You can kinda look at it like photographers in places like Iraq and Afghanistan right now... Or any other place in the world where people are fighting. Here's a vid that was made about a couple for some new series on TV:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/40037/in-h...-photographers

What you have to understand here, these people go in there unarmed to take pics of shit to show the rest of the world... and make money for themselves of course. The reason they can go into places like this and not get shot by whomever they are photographing, is because it's known that the photographer is there to do his job, not win the war by fighting or taking sides.

If a photographer picked up the little girl in the photo, it's almost the same thing as pulling out a gun and opening fire on the people you are photographing in a warzone. (metaphorically speaking of course, I'd rather not get lectured that it's very far from the same thing, I know that already.)

It's not your place to fight as much as it's your place to take pics and survive, let someone else do the job they're supposed to do, even if it's such a sad thing to do.

[jewels]

you make a very good point. So sad though...

About that picture... It's part of the nature of being a photographer in that situation. While it doesn't make sense to most people, it's the person taking the picture's job to take the picture and not really "make the world a better place" himself. Pictures like that one are the type that will send a message like, "something is going on here, it needs to be fixed." When it comes down to it, he did his part. Though, I admit I'd have helped the kid out myself in that situation I'm sure, that's why I keep to taking pics of stuff I know and don't go looking for stuff like this...lol.

You can kinda look at it like photographers in places like Iraq and Afghanistan right now... Or any other place in the world where people are fighting. Here's a vid that was made about a couple for some new series on TV:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/40037/in-h...-photographers

What you have to understand here, these people go in there unarmed to take pics of shit to show the rest of the world... and make money for themselves of course. The reason they can go into places like this and not get shot by whomever they are photographing, is because it's known that the photographer is there to do his job, not win the war by fighting or taking sides.

If a photographer picked up the little girl in the photo, it's almost the same thing as pulling out a gun and opening fire on the people you are photographing in a warzone. (metaphorically speaking of course, I'd rather not get lectured that it's very far from the same thing, I know that already.)

It's not your place to fight as much as it's your place to take pics and survive, let someone else do the job they're supposed to do, even if it's such a sad thing to do.