The photographer and the murderer (Berry)
June 22nd, 2007 | Published in Community, Culture, Morality, Photography, Quotes | 2 Comments
The perennial act of cutting-edge enterprise in reporting is to shove a camera or a microphone into the face of a grieving woman. But what is the qualitative difference between the man who cold-heartedly shoots another and the photographer who cold-heartedly photographs the corpse or grieving widow? Are they not simply two parts of the same epidemic failure of imagination, which is to say a failure of compassion and of community life?
Such exposures do not make us free, and the do not increase our knowledge. They only compound human cruelty by a self-induced numbness to the suffering of others and to our common suffering.
–Wendell Berry, Life is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition (2000), p. 87
June 24th, 2007 at 12:12 am (#)
Thanks for all these recent quotes from Life is a Miracle. Two wise friends recommended it to me not long ago; I have now ordered it and look forward to sharing their, and your, and of course Wendell Berry’s, wisdom.
June 25th, 2007 at 8:37 am (#)
My pleasure, George — glad you’re enjoying the quotes!