Seek the truth in everything you see…
Bible, Matthew 5:6
You probably have seen that image on the internet or in the mass media, thought you might not have seen it with that caption: “
From Random Steer 103
This caption implies that the soldier on
this photo is on the ‘wrong side’ and he might be regretting that. I did
a little research and discovered the following story provided by Michael Yon - the photographer who took that photo:
“Major Mark Bieger found this little girl after the car bomb that
attacked our guys while kids were crowding around. The soldiers here
have been angry and sad for two days. They are angry because the
terrorists could just as easily have waited a block or two and attacked
the patrol away from the kids. Instead, the suicide bomber drove his car
and hit the Stryker when about twenty children were jumping up and down
and waving at the soldiers. Major Bieger, I had seen him help rescue
some of our guys a week earlier during another big attack, took some of
our soldiers and rushed this little girl to our hospital. He wanted her
to have American surgeons and not to go to the Iraqi hospital. She
didn’t make it. I snapped this picture when Major Bieger ran to take her
away. He kept stopping to talk with her and hug her.The soldiers went back to that neighborhood the next day to ask what they could do. The people were very warming and welcomed us into their homes, and many kids were actually running up to say hello and to ask soldiers to shake hands…
One thing seems certain; the people in that neighborhood share our feelings about the terrorists. We are going to go back there, and if any terrorists come out, the soldiers hope to find them. Everybody is still very angry that the insurgents attacked us when the kids were around.”
Do you think that the caption reflects the true story behind that image?
In another case, the following photo has been circulated in the social media with the caption: “Heartbreaking image by an Iraqi artist taken in an orphanage. This little girl has never seen her mother, so she drew a mom on the ground and fell asleep with her…”
From Info For U
You can find the true story behind this thought-provoking image at http://www.flickr.com/photos/khatt-khatti/7577505576/in/photostream
. Below are the words of the artist Bahareh Bisheh who created this
image: “This little girl is my cousin and she actually fell asleep on
the asphalt just outside my house. She must have played for some time
and just lied to rest and fell asleep. im used a chair to stand on in
order to take this shot. There is no orphanage involved and no tragic
story behind this. i took this opportunity to be creative. It is a style
of photography You can use my photos in your webblag If you mention my
name as the photographer of this photo. Thanks to all for the
consideration .”
Even though this caption is not true, it is
still a good reminder for all of us that there are lots of children on
this planet who live without mother’s and father’s love. Lets appreciate
what we have and take care of those, who are less fortunate in life
than us.
However if we want to use a real life image
to express our views, let’s not forget to check the story behind it,
mention the author’s name and provide the link to it’s source. If we
come across an image we like, let’s still remember to follow the same
steps before sharing it to avoid spreading false memes and viruses of the mind.
As H. L. Mencken once said, “Men become civilized, not in proportion to
their willingness to believe, but in their readiness to doubt.” Seek
the truth in everything you see…
Related posts:
No comments:
Post a Comment