Not really - just working out of a different context - and trying
very hard to understand yours.
I am very hungry for experience of other lives and ideas.
The majority of any nation's TV is crap - it's just that US TV is
very culturally dominant outside the US and presents such a distorted
view. The thing that worries me is that some of my students assume
that it's a true depiction and then try and emulate it or reject it.
Those who visit the US usually love it, especially if they've stayed
'in community.'
And as for all the comments that 'they're only giving people what
they want".. I used to work in advertising. People can be trained to
want anything, if you go about it in the right way. I've got this
great campaign for gift-wrapped dog turds stored away...
AndrewF
Andrew has a way of seeing and describing things a little differently than
others. As photographers we deal with images and so we should be conscious
of their impact. Andrew mentioned some photo essay work that affected him
then had the audacity to criticize US television programming. At a party one
night we were talking about what a warped image people would have of the
good old USA if their only contact was through our television programming.
There are some very good educational and entertainment programs but the
majority of the stuff is pure crap. I have never had the opportunity to
compare our programming with that of other countries but it most likely
could not be worse. Andrew is the first non-US person I ever remember
mentioning this, although I'm sure others have. As to his challenge to show
the real America....it's just not sensational enough to draw network
sponsorship. That kind of programming mostly exists on Public Television but
I don't know how accessible that is outside the country. There is no single
Real America because we are a melting pot of cultures that varies with time
and location. Presenting the Real America then becomes an ongoing set of
transient images. If television can't do it maybe armature photographers
can. /jim
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