Re: [Leica] depths of reverberation

[Dave Richards <dprichards@uswest.net>]

If a child is living on a trash heap, scrounging to survive, I doubt their
primary concern is learning to express themselves photographically.  They
would probably appreciate a hot meal or a warm, dry, safe place to sleep,
and they would be better off being examined and treated by a doctor.

When you are hungry, dirty, living in fear and facing death every day,
aesthetics and the beauty of life take a back seat.  Way back.

This strikes me as the kind of "feel good" project that benefits the
benefactor more than the recipient.  If the LUG wants to do some good for
these kids, how about a contribution, made to a recognized and reputable
charity, designated specifically for their benefit, and with no skimming.


>> but do I think for a second that
>> sending 55 cameras to these kids is going 
>> to amount to anything resembling
>> substantial change or improvement?  Sorry, no.  I suspect that
>> ultimately -- and probably within the not too distant future -- they'll
>> simply become part
>> of the trash heap that these kids have to live in.
>>
    
>i must say, martin, i disagree completely. at some point during our lives
>(well, most of our lives) we all made the decision not to be passive
>participants in life. rather active doccumenters of the world around us.
>photography made us aware of our surroundings and
>gave us a creative outlet that has, for me at least, made all the
>difference. not only are these kids learning to express themselves through
>photography, but they write as well, this is the first, and i think
>biggest, step towards actually believing "i am better than my
>surroundings." they're getting international exposure. i don't think nancy
>would have been doing it this long if she didn't believe she was getting
>real results.
>
>besides, no one would ever throw a leica-h into a dump! they keep them
>boxed on shelves and carefully dusted.
>
>kyle
>
>
>