Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/09/02
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> There are good human beings, good causes, good movements...But that doesn't
> stop the Family of Man being naive propaganda
Undeniably
> suggesting that we are all the
> same in all respects
'all respects'? We are all human beings - the idea behind FoM is to show
the smallest common things that are universal. This doesn't mean that
FoM shows that we are identical..
There are some basic things all people share - and FoM shows that these
are _universal_ things. Nothing more than that.
> -- just take a look at the photos of people voting...in
> the U.S., China, and the USSR, implying that in each of those nations we all
> have an equal say in choosing our governments and leaders....
Thats why I said FoM is naive. But please, look at other photos too -
for example photo of man drinking water, spilling it on his face -
shows the universality of hard work everywhere. And FoM succeeds in
showing that. And thats what counts :)
> There are some really fantastic photos in that collection, but there is a
> reason that it was the most successful photo exhibit in history...and that
> is that it wasn't a photo show, it was a political show....
Political? Made by who? Reds, Anarchists, India National Congress? :)
One of Steichen's close cooperators, Wayne Miller, made also a very similar
in idea album - 'The World is Young'. It does also show universality
of some things - happiness, anger, friendship.. And FoM is very similar
to it. I used to think that Steichen was just a hopelessly
idealistic humanist :)
- --
St.
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