Discussion starter: February 22nd, 2018.
Key Claim for Susan Sontag, Regarding the Pain of Others; (Ch. 2)
1. Conscientiousness to global struggles is merely a fad; it swells briefly but its impact ripples and often dissipates from the forefront of the audience’s minds. (pp 19-20)
2. Due to the relentless imagery that permeates our lives, the power to readily and better capture our attention lies in the ‘shock factor’. A photograph’s ability to still a moment and stimulate our senses is its strength. (pp 21-23)
3. Although photographs visually appear without bias, their perspective is a form of subjectivity. The point of view of the photograph conveys in itself a personal intention of the photographer. (pp 24-25)
4. The strength of photography …show more content…
I, however, disagree with the claim. The shame and discomfort that arise from observing a gruesome and “unspeakably awful” moment is the sole reason why people should be able to view such photography; the transformation into voyeurs does not lie in simply viewing the photography, but the complacency that will surface if the viewer remains passive in their newfound knowledge. Surely, not everyone has the ability to directly alleviate the suffering through nursing those affected or persecuting those that committed the atrocity, but everyone is able to morph their observation from simple acknowledgement to actively protesting. By claiming atrocities are something to be isolated, it completely ruins the route for change and growth. How is one to ‘actively protest’ if they are unaware of what should be protested against? The shame of seeing a photograph of a tragedy from the safety and security of your home or through the illuminated screen of your phone is inevitable, but that shame is unavoidable and should be a method of countering it. Even if one does not initially learn or alleviate the issue, but experience a sense of discomfort – then, they should be able to see it. It is meant to provoke discomfort, otherwise – how will we ever realize our own wrongs and seek to fix
Key Claim for Susan Sontag, Regarding the Pain of Others; (Ch. 2)
1. Conscientiousness to global struggles is merely a fad; it swells briefly but its impact ripples and often dissipates from the forefront of the audience’s minds. (pp 19-20)
2. Due to the relentless imagery that permeates our lives, the power to readily and better capture our attention lies in the ‘shock factor’. A photograph’s ability to still a moment and stimulate our senses is its strength. (pp 21-23)
3. Although photographs visually appear without bias, their perspective is a form of subjectivity. The point of view of the photograph conveys in itself a personal intention of the photographer. (pp 24-25)
4. The strength of photography …show more content…
I, however, disagree with the claim. The shame and discomfort that arise from observing a gruesome and “unspeakably awful” moment is the sole reason why people should be able to view such photography; the transformation into voyeurs does not lie in simply viewing the photography, but the complacency that will surface if the viewer remains passive in their newfound knowledge. Surely, not everyone has the ability to directly alleviate the suffering through nursing those affected or persecuting those that committed the atrocity, but everyone is able to morph their observation from simple acknowledgement to actively protesting. By claiming atrocities are something to be isolated, it completely ruins the route for change and growth. How is one to ‘actively protest’ if they are unaware of what should be protested against? The shame of seeing a photograph of a tragedy from the safety and security of your home or through the illuminated screen of your phone is inevitable, but that shame is unavoidable and should be a method of countering it. Even if one does not initially learn or alleviate the issue, but experience a sense of discomfort – then, they should be able to see it. It is meant to provoke discomfort, otherwise – how will we ever realize our own wrongs and seek to fix