Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Steve, Ok, I read a trace of smugness in this line: Steve Unsworth wrote: > Praise be to the USA where a homeless person can be sued for $1 million > > Steve Forgive me for reading tone of voice into email messages, always a dangerous thing. Anyway, I've traveled to Europe many times and I have seen the problems of poverty and homelessness there as well. Sure, you're right, they do react in the same way but maybe their safety net is stronger and holds more people up than we do in the US. On the other hand, many of these same Europeans and Canadians flock to the US to work for higher wages because they don't want to pay the higher taxes that come with more social services. A Dutch guy I know at work basically said that he wanted it all, high wages in the US, and retirement in Amsterdam with all of the social benefits. Many people want to eat their cake and have it too... From an article in the Time today on Martin Munkacsi, Bresson's inspiration for his work: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/19/arts/design/19munk.html "The Nazis were already identifying Jewish photographers and Jewish-run publishers like Ullstein when Munkacsi did a spread on Hitler and Goebbels in Potsdam, showing an immaculate column of Nazi soldiers on the march. He clearly wasn?t political, or especially clairvoyant, and an argument in the catalog that these pictures slyly criticized Hitler ignores plain sight." The banality of evil. At least the Nazis had such nice uniforms, always pressed and clean... Larry --------- smug ? why smug Larry ? They have the same problems and dilemmas as we, here in the US... very visible, heart rending, common... and they deal with these as we often do... uncertainty, compassion, avoidance, confusion... Steve