Thomas Hoepker took this picture on September 11, 2001 in Brooklyn, New York after the Twin Towers were hit. It's been a controversial picture and many people believe that it's disrespectful to have taken it. I honestly don't believe that there is anything wrong with it. This was a captured moment that shows reality. If anyone should be offended it should be because this group of people are leisurely relaxing while chaos ensues nearby. However, we don't know what they're talking about or if this was just a shock response the the event.

But let's get back to the questions of whether it is tasteful or tactless. It isn't. I think tragedy is a part of life and it's something that artist's should capture in order to help process. I think making light of the situation would be tasteless. But that isn't what's happening here. It's a simple moment. Humans have many sides to them and they deal with tragedy in different ways. Some people may be sociopaths, and if this is the case with this picture then there isn't much that can be done. It's not an insult to people who lost family and friends because it's showing reality. 

On the flip side, I can see why people are offended as well. I remember that after my grandmother died, everyone was on their phone taking pictures and video of the people from the morgue carrying her away at 4 in the morning. I remember being really angry and telling everyone to stop and that it was disrespectful. So don't I feel the same way about this picture? They were documenting a moment in time too. It was sad, but it was real. Yet, I still think that that is more disrespectful than Hoepker's picture. It's hard to distinguish the difference between the two events, but there is a difference. And I think it has to do with intent. I don't think Hoepker took the picture for fame, glory or controversy or anything else. My family was taking those pictures for social media to an extent and to share with each other on Whatsapp. Then again, there is still little difference between the two. In reality, if I say one is okay and the other isn't then I'm being a hypocrite. 

So, I think there is not answer to this question. Either it's tasteless or not. It is up to the individual to determine. Maybe it was my closeness to the situation with my grandmother that made me feel like it was offensive, but then again she was their family too and they didn't mind. It was weird though, when my mom told me to take a picture of my dead grandmother to send to my sister (I didn't if anyone is wondering). Other than intent, art needs to say something and I don't think that taking a picture of my grandmother says anything. Whereas, I could have taken a picture of everyone else and it would have been some sort of statement on how human beings handle grief. Because everyone was fine and even happy that my grandmother wasn't suffering anymore until they took her away and then all hell broke loose. 

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 22, 2018 at 9:46 AM

    Wow, Dharmik! That picture is so striking! It brings up so many questions. Did the people in the photograph realize the severity of what was unfolding? Was this snapped right before they turned to look at what had just happened? I'm not surprised by the photographer's impulse to snap a picture. I think humans are curious by nature and the desire to capture an image (to inspect later or because it might be important) fits into that curiosity. It is certainly not for me to label the artist's work as tasteful or tasteless-- but I am saying that I understand the basic impetus behind their work. Ask a Mortician has an excellent and thought provoking video about "disaster tourism": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aocfmfRbZ_I

    I'm under the impression that the distinction you are looking for might lie in how up-close-and-personal the situation with your grandmother was. The tragedy of 9/11 was massive and personal to many people but we aren't looking at loved ones up close in this image like we would if we were looking at snapshots from a morgue or ground zero, for instance. The tricky thing when it comes to something like recording someone's passing is that everyone processes grief, death, and dying differently. What is disrespectful to one person can be the highest form of respect to another. Regardless, I'm sorry for your loss and am honored that you chose to share this with us.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dark Matter

Image
The first film that comes to mind when talking about dark matter is The Blair Witch Project.  The witch is never actually shown. As a device, dark matter, in stories create a lot of suspense. It works especially well in the horror/thriller genre. And you can see that it works. Think about any really good scary movie. They almost always wait before revealing the monster/killer. They may show killings, but the face is always hidden to build anticipation and suspense. Subsequently, the reveal should be scarier. Though the flip side may be true as well. The anticipation may build to the point that the reveal is quite lackluster. I know for me, when I'd see a scary movie as a kid, I stopped being afraid after I saw the killer/monster. But the parts leading up to it were scarier. I think that plays can use dark matter to just generate more interest and excitement. There is a lot you can do on film that you can't recreate on stage. So, using dark matter as a device seems appropria...
Read more

Theatre That Doesn't Give a Shit

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime ! I remember reading the book during my Freshman year of high school. Soon afterward it became a Broadway show. I wasn't at all familiar with the show and had always assumed that the lead was actually autistic or had Asperger's syndrome. That is until Andrea pointed out to me this morning that a "normie" was cast as the lead.  This morning, we were discussing how the lead in our version of the play should cast someone who is on the spectrum and Andrea pointed out that it was actually another company that set that precedent. She also noted that the real question is whether we will stick with the precedent or go back. So to answer Austin's question; Swine Palace.  In all honesty though, Indiana Rep is the first to cast a person on the spectrum for the lead in TCIOTDITN. Shockingly, this show opened LAST YEAR, while my naive ass was thinking - "yeah, they totally cast an autistic dude on Broadway." ...
Read more

When I Felt Disabled

I have a cousin who is deaf. I've only ever known her as deaf and when I was a younger I actually understood ASL. I've since forgot because I'm completely out of practice and only know a few signs. But this one time when she had a party at her home. I think it was around the time she got married, but my memories are blurry. My cousin wasn't born deaf. From what I was told, it was an accident during a surgery years before I was born - tonsil removal (I'll let you figure out what happened).  Her husband, though, was born deaf as is most of his family (some are not deaf). I remember being around them and not being able to tell what they were saying. I knew ASL, but since I didn't "need" it I was a bit slow. So it was exactly like speaking a foreign language that you're not quite comfortable with yet. Some of the kids tried signing to me and it was so fast that I couldn't understand so I felt stupid. In a way my ability to speak and hear made i...
Read more