Could this possibly be true? I can't believe this is true, I really can't, but blogalistic integrity be damned - I'm passing it along. In a moment of mind blowing, historical, pop cultural surreality, it appears that the guy who took the soon to be famous pictures of Paris Hilton being sent back to jail (after her bullshit early release on grounds of mental fragility and potential impending nervous breakdown) in tears, is the same man who took the iconic photo of the girl in Vietnam - Nick Ut. I mean, this couldn't be true, could it? Sourced from
Gawker.com who got it from
Jezebel.com who got it from
andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com, as in The Atlantic Magazine. Gawker and Jezebel, eh? But the Atlantic? That's kind of a legit source, no? How about the
Associated Press? "AP photo/Nick Ut"
As I've said before, I shy away from posting about the celebutante phenomenon here on VTK, not wanting to propagate it, but hey, it exists. It's hold on the culture of the world's dominant empire is undeniable. I'm not even ready to explore the metaphorical ramifications of this. I'm just going to let it settle in for a bit.
update from Gawker: "For those interested in coincidences, the pictures were taken one day shy of 35 years apart."
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5 comments:
Wow. The same guy takes two photos of people crying 35 years apart, putting Paris's crying in complete perspective while showing the rest of us how far we (haven't) come.
Two images of pain capture the imagination of the world, reflecting the values of the nation that was the direct impetus of the pain? militarism and celebrity? One pain legitimate, one illegitimate? One did nothing to deserve that which made her cry; the other is universally considered to be at blame and if anything is getting off easy. One invokes pity, the other invokes sadistic, self-righteous glee. One brought it on herself, the other didn't. One is real pain, the other isn't? Both images reflecting what an AP photographer is covering, because it's what the nation is captivated by, during an illegitimate, inexcusable war. What will he be covering 35 years from now in the nation's murderous rampage du jour? What will be our fascination then?
Maybe coverage of government depopulation robots clearing savages/terrorists from atop newly discovered oil reserves?
my mind was totally just blown. i might have to move to canada.
I hear Toronto is nice this time of year.
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