Wow var du dær?

Ja, jobbet i NY på den tiden.
mvh
ThomasA

Even as a tough guy - it is not an easy path to walk, when starting to realize within all this inferno people had to face their last moments.
Power of images - there are few images which had an deep impact on us, the modern world, our opinions and reactions - the Kennedy assignation, the girl in Vietnam running away from the Napalm bombardment of her village, the shot soldier in the Spanish Civil war - Soldiers with cigarettes in their mouth carrying kids out of the school of Beslan - everyone has a list like this in his head.
The ranking of these images is not connected to the terrifying horror they show, nor to the scale of devastation pictured – the list isn’t fair in terms of needed attention, nor it is simplified explained with most availability to gather attention – as we all know, there is lot of terror going on – cpl. ignored by us, by images – by publicity.
It is indeed interesting to question why some images, some conflicts do get this attention, do get this close to immortal status, based on stories about the opposite.
Images, disturbing our believe in some kind of security, normality, humanity – breaking into our construction of what we are able to absorb in daily destruction – images we can push away since the pictured scenes are too known, too much inflicting with our perception.
Shortly after the end of WWII – war photographer, and others came to the sites of mass murdering in the in former concentration-camps – and often the reaction of people looking at these images were simple disbelieve – they were not able to relate, to recognize – and the same moment – they did not want to – too much of distraction was already to carry – the amount of horror to face simply too much.
The impression such images can make is therefore also related to the status of possible acceptance – as a statement they are depending from the perception the viewer is able to, willing to react on.
This willingness again is depending on the situation of the person in question – and even more of the group of people this person is embedded in.
Images – which we even don’t know, about a bombardment of a village somewhere in Pakistan, leaving probably 17 people dead – because the meeting of AlQuaida terrorists was the declared target of the operation, would hardly move a soul here – but is enough to inflame thousands of people in the region – while images about an image about rowdies who beat a handicapped person half-dead in Holmia will not get any attention outside of even Norway – Terror seems very much a question of perception – while in reality it is just what the name already says – Terror – unlimited brutality against not directly involved people.
Nevertheless are these images important – but they have only one message – reminding to the sufferings of those who came accidentally into the crossfire.
The view this image is showing is known – all to known, all to known and used also as propaganda – but suddenly it is not a anonymous image anymore – it is suddenly the image of someone with a name, with a history – with other images shown, telling something about him – and it is suddenly a new image – something what brings the viewer again very close to this site of thousand times death – and in this way it does get an important image – despite photographic, technical issues.
It is not the sensation – it is the diminished distance to this terrifying event – and in this way also images about the sufferings of people, suffering from all kind of terror – all over in the world would have an impact – when they are able to bridge the distance between us – and them.

Georg, that was a great piece of writing. Seems like you had a moment there.

Thomas, voldsomt bilde, komposisjonen er veldig bra.