Brooklyn

Last night I went to an amazing and moving tribute to the late Philips Jones Griffiths, perhaps the greatest anti-war photographer of his generation. His images, and they are too many to even try to pick a favorite, changed the way we look at war. His seminal book Vietnam, Inc. showed war and the totally of its terrible impact on all sides. So many people, from legendary photographers to ordinary people who were moved by his images came out. It was amazing to hear the stories his friends told and to see the moving film his family put together as he was dying.

We should all be so loved.

His work continues to inspire us all to speak truth to power.


Freedom from Fear. Berlin, 2007. © Damaso Reyes

Brooklyn

Looking through my images of Germany I sure do have a lot of graphically inspired images. I don’t know if it has something to do with the country’s Bauhaus tradition or my own roving eye but I wanted to keep going with yesterday’s theme and post another interesting image, this time in color (I know, it’s shocking).


Dancing in Stuttgart, 2007. © Damaso Reyes

I still haven’t shaved yet but I do have a razor so watch out!

Brooklyn

So when I was younger, much younger, I wanted to be an illustrator. More specifically I just wanted to be able to draw accurately. Sadly this was a skill that I never developed but fortunately I discovered photography which we all know is drawing with light. While I left behind my ambitions to draw, I am still interested in graphic representations of the world around me. Because I am a photojournalist I don’t have as many opportunities to indulge this proclivity as I would like but every once in a while I can.


Sign of the times. Berlin, 2007 © Damaso Reyes

Brooklyn

I came across an interesting article in the IHT this weekend about Kosovo. As you know the former province of Serbia (Serbia along with many other nations most notably Russia has not recognized it) declared independence some months ago after years of being administered by the United Nations. On Sunday its constitution went into effect moving the process of independence further along. The constitution calls for the European Union to take a leading role but not all of its members have recognized Kosovo. How the E.U. deals with Kosovo over the coming years will be a test of how mature an institution it is. Clearly there is a need for a common foreign policy but the member states are still clinging dearly to the idea of charting their own courses, sometimes with disastrous effects. Will Kosovo become one of the E.U.’s casualties?


What is the future of Kosovo? Pristina, 2005.© Damaso Reyes

In other news the results of my internet poll are in! And it’s a tie! Five votes for, five against and two people just don’t care. You have to love democracy in action! So where does this leave us? I have no idea but I think it is pretty funny…

Brooklyn

Who knew posting a picture a day could be so much fun, or so topical? I took this image in Paris last fall back when you could smoke indoors. Well no more! France, like Ireland, Germany, Italy and numerous other nations have mostly banned smoking in cafes, bars and restaurants. I remember coming back to NYC from Indonesia in 2003 and being amazed that there was no longer a cloud of smoke in every bar I went into. Some people may not like it but the health benefits for smokers and non smokers alike are clear. Now Amsterdam is getting into the act according to this article. You can have a joint as long as it is tobacco free. Amazing, isn’t it?


Puff, Puff… © Damaso Reyes

In other news you have just two more days to vote in my online poll. Should Damaso shave? That is the question. So far eight people have voted and the Yes voters hold a slim, one vote margin. So make sure you voice gets heard. Results will be announced on Monday…

Brooklyn

It’s good when I can use a photograph to talk about a larger issue, something I hope to do more of with this blog and the future website. There was an interesting article in the International Herald Tribune about free speech vs. hate speech and the different approaches that America and most of the rest of the developed world has.

“Canada, Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia and India all have laws or have signed international conventions banning hate speech. Israel and France forbid the sale of Nazi items like swastikas and flags. It is a crime to deny the Holocaust in Canada, Germany and France.

Last week, the actress Brigitte Bardot, an animal rights activist, was fined €15,000, or $23,000, in France for provoking racial hatred by criticizing a Muslim ceremony involving the slaughter of sheep.”

By contrast, U.S. courts would not stop the American Nazi Party from marching in Skokie, Illinois, in 1977, though the march was deeply distressing to the many Holocaust survivors there,” Adam Liptak writes.


The Wall. Vienna, Austria 2008 © Damaso Reyes

This is an issue I thought a lot about when I lived in Germany last year. I have to say that I am much more in favor of the American point of view here. Of course I don’t think that we should promote or endorse hate speech. I believe that once we begin to outlaw speech then the slope becomes very slippery very quickly. It’s an old argument but once you ban some speech that is very hateful what is to stop you from banning other speech which is somewhat offensive? More importantly who gets to decide?

In Germany the way they often deal with parties and groups that are offensive is to ban them. Of course this does not mean that these ideas go away as we have seen in the racist and anti-immigrant violence that still happens there, especially in the east. These ideas and their supporters are pushed underground rather than debated and refuted in the light of day. That is what by and large happens here in America. There are people who espouse neo-Nazi points of view but whenever they plan and march usually ten times as many people turn out to oppose them. They are shown as the racist and marginal figures that they are and society is strengthened without ever having to ban a book or idea.

To me this is a much more healthy and modern way of dealing with this issue. If we believe in the “marketplace of ideas” then we have to accept that there are some bad ideas out there and as progressive people we have to work as hard as we can to oppose them. But as we have seen simply outlawing an idea doesn’t make it go away.

What do you think?

Brooklyn

If you don't already know I have started a Facebook group for The Europeans. So even if you don't want to be my friend (I know it is hard to even imagine) you can still join the group and engage in the conversation!


One more monument. Berlin, 2007 © Damaso Reyes

So I have decided to add another category to the blog: Photo of the Day. It struck me a few days ago as I was going through some images while looking for one in particular that I have a whole lot of photos. So why not share them? It is part of my goal of posting on a near daily basis and it give you the chance to post your thoughts and comments!