Waiting for Peace to Arrive at the Syrian Bus Stop
Whatever the back story, the moral is the same: warfare demands exceptional resilience and inventiveness to survive, and people respond in kind. ...Which is why the scene is heartbreaking.
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The Problem With War is Not That it's Eternal, but That it's Persistent
There always has been war, there always will be war, and only fools think otherwise. Thus, the full honor due to those in battle today can be paid only by placing their memorial within the unbroken continuity and epic scale of myth.
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The Face of Battle in the Ukraine
War is far more than battle, from the extensive organization that is required to project power and hold territory, to the thousand ways that it disrupts, distorts, corrupts, and shatters entire worlds.
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Perhaps Our Images Provide Opportunities to Turn Terror Into Something Else
The central monument in a civic plaza, yet looking more like an idol demanding sacrifice, the image radiates a dark vibe across the urban space.
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Robert Hariman On ISIS and the Choice Not To Look
So look. Then turn away. If you don’t need to look, I’m with you. Whatever you do, realize that the stakes are higher than had been imagined.
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The Serenity of Networks
Instead of seeing only competition, friction, and another day’s work, we can see the deep sense of decoration: how the small ornament can mirror a cosmos.
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The Beatings Will Continue
If all we can do is watch, we should at least recognize that we have a responsibility to do so, all down the line.
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The Beauty of LA Burning
LA burning isn’t beautiful because LA deserves to burn. LA burning is beautiful because we can see it that way.
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The Day After Remembrance Day
Much ink has been spilled about whether photojournalism should expose the bodily horror of war. This photo, like many others in the archive, demonstrate that less can be more: there is little need to see the gore, because more than physical destruction is at stake.
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Why that NYT Liberia Photo, Reflecting an Ebola Treatment Unit in the Mirror, Was so Contagious
The media panic has involved massive injections of fear regarding viral replication, contagion, and the ultimate displacement of death, so perhaps an image of photographic doubling can contain some of the excess emotion.
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Somalia is Not Just a War Zone
The point here is not to celebrate the human spirit, but rather to understand that people don’t have to be asking for the moon when they ask for peace and stability. A normal life will do.
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Tank Man, Inc.
I have no doubt that China needs more democracy, but I would not offer the present mix of populism and neoliberalism that defines politics in the US today as a splendid model to which they should aspire.
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Bad Westerns: That Shot of the Bundy Posse Observing the Anthem
What may be a moment of reverent patriotism is also an image of the last cowboys mourning their own demise.
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A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats … and Other Modern Myths
If the National Geographic photos are aimed at social reform, they document something else as well: the shift in modernism from a utopian to a dystopian trajectory.
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Refugee World
So, what’s new about refugee camps? Well, perhaps it’s notable that they are being built in Las Vegas.
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Random Acts of Photography … and Public Good
Whatever else happened on February 25th, there was someone in Vancouver who wasn’t working on branding, who wasn’t worried about others free-riding, who was willing to spend time and money and effort to improve the commons.
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On the Russian Military Using Unmarked Uniforms
If soldiers are not wearing insignia, they are partially out of uniform; if they are partially out of uniform, they are that much closer to being private militias, gangs, or thugs.
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Murder as Damn(ed) Good Art: Robert Hariman on Organized Crime World Press Winner
The mob knew it wasn’t enough to kill its enemies; the killings had to be displayed to the viewing public. But the photographer isn’t a lackey of the mob.
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