Via Richard Prince
A well timed debate over what we have seen over the last few days after the disaster is slowly brewing.
I for one have been appalled at how the Western media has treated this whole disaster. Good that it is being covered, but the first few days were, in my opinion, a white wash; Western media covering Western (tourists) victims. I was aching for a local angle. It's not as if Western media couldn't find Enlgish/French/German speakers or local interpreters. NPR had a few audio clips of local relief agency workers and the BBC may have been, as an exception, the only network to truly “localize” the big story of 2004.
Seshu is an Avon, Connecticut based headshot photographer and family portrait photographer. He edits and publishes Tiffinbox and produces Tiffincast for photographers like you!
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Saheli says
I can’t say I agree with most of my fellow desi observers. I haven’t watched that much TV, of course. But the principle of the thing: all the humanity-stealing hand-wringing seems terribly academic to me. The fact is these images have helped raise stunningly huge record breaking amounts of relief donations, and that money will go to the living and will help them now. Long term presentation on this disaster will be the context in which to judge issues of post-colonial presentation theory.
Saheli says
I can’t say I agree with most of my fellow desi observers. I haven’t watched that much TV, of course. But the principle of the thing: all the humanity-stealing hand-wringing seems terribly academic to me. The fact is these images have helped raise stunningly huge record breaking amounts of relief donations, and that money will go to the living and will help them now. Long term presentation on this disaster will be the context in which to judge issues of post-colonial presentation theory.
Marie says
he first traditional news accounts that reached my cloistered part of the world (Appalchia, Boone, NC) accounted for 5-10,000 dead from a Tsunami, late in the day after Dec 25 EST. Each dayafter, the dead grew and the disaster became more known. In my experience covering hurricanes and horrific mudslides in my region, the extent of the damage takes time for those on the in the middle of it to report back. Yes, I did hear about the toll on Phuket and the numbers of tourists affected but I don’t believe this to be a sleight upon the natives as much as it is easier for foreign journalists to find and speak to foreign tourists first. Also in regards to ‘brown’ bodies being shown above ‘white’ bodies–my sources of news: CNN, Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC, BBC have mainly shown body bags rather than corpses. I can only speak for what is shown in my part of America though. I do know that most of my friends are horrified at the tragedy and have given money privately to organizations to help those in Thailand, Sumatra , Sri Lanka, the Maldives, etc…Despite our differences and oceans of separations, we understand human suffering and will gladly do anything to help out those in need.
Marie says
he first traditional news accounts that reached my cloistered part of the world (Appalchia, Boone, NC) accounted for 5-10,000 dead from a Tsunami, late in the day after Dec 25 EST. Each dayafter, the dead grew and the disaster became more known. In my experience covering hurricanes and horrific mudslides in my region, the extent of the damage takes time for those on the in the middle of it to report back. Yes, I did hear about the toll on Phuket and the numbers of tourists affected but I don’t believe this to be a sleight upon the natives as much as it is easier for foreign journalists to find and speak to foreign tourists first. Also in regards to ‘brown’ bodies being shown above ‘white’ bodies–my sources of news: CNN, Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC, BBC have mainly shown body bags rather than corpses. I can only speak for what is shown in my part of America though. I do know that most of my friends are horrified at the tragedy and have given money privately to organizations to help those in Thailand, Sumatra , Sri Lanka, the Maldives, etc…Despite our differences and oceans of separations, we understand human suffering and will gladly do anything to help out those in need.