I love this picture from the New York Times' "Pictures of the Day", mostly because the tightened forehead of the boy reminds me exactly of my school picture from preschool when I was three in which I similarly clenched every single muscle in my face. What made us (me at age 3 and this kid) so nervous? Maybe that's how children react at big ass camera's in their faces, or maybe it's just that they have yet to figure out how to appear happy/normal/well-adjusted and still can't hide discomfort. That's probably what makes photos of happy children all the more heartwarming.
And yeah, I know it's possible that he's freaking out cuz his whole half of town BURNED DOWN and his (maybe) dad is wading through garbage water to find their things; but that doesn't explain my shocked eyes and steadfastly clamped hands (it was a full body shot of me leaning against a tree in front of the school). I feel seriously connected to this picture because everytime I walked past my old fireplace and saw that frightful pic of myself I shuddered, at once wondering what I was so worried about and how the shadow of my leg could fall against the tree so perfectly as to look like a distinct third leg under my plaid frock, woolen tights and red maryjanes (fashionista since birth).
While looking at him now, along with his "American" shirt with the flashy zipper, zipped to the very top so his collar can classily frame his face, hair neatly combed, I'm shuddering again. Whenever I see pics of tragedies from abroad, it's never the downtrodden, seemingly immobile people from those pics you remember from the Depression; it's always just people doing what they have to do: which juxtaposes uncomfortably with the pic of a serially bullied kid from a good school district whose problem has neither any apparent reason for existing or any viable solution. 
Again, the subject is not the point; his mom, who's expression is possibly the exact opposite of the little boy above is staring unpretentiously as her boy, like the grown man above, goes about his business. While the man above may be in his worst moment though still strong, Billy savors a rare moment of youthful half-grinning peace; and while the little boy above grows frantic in a moment of unease, the mom is somehow clearly in the same broken down expression she always has. The little boy can only be described as youthfully worried, but the mom is jaded, but you can tell she has vainly attempted a smile on her left side, but failed as her pain has unlearned one of those childhood lessons of looking the way you're supposed to look for a camera.
1 Comment:
that is true i always just remember the people doing what they have to do in the tragedy pics. i always wondered why they even put people looking sad its definitely just to get people to feel bad an donate which they should, but it is unrealistic. i don't think anyone would just stand around looking sad after a tragedy.
btw: you had to throw in the fashionista comment.............
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