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A picture’s worth

Posted By Jeff McDonald On In politics & government,trusted media & news | No Comments

You know the old saying that ‘a picture is worth a thousand words?’ There’s an interesting discussion of the adage and its origin, and I’m sure many of us can cite at least one occasion from our own, first-hand experience where it has been put to the test, and passed that test with ease.

There are occasions when a picture’s worth might be calculated by other units of measure. For example, might a picture’s worth be measured in terms of how many people are moved to change their hearts and their minds after viewing said picture?

[1]Something like this happened to me earlier today, when I viewed a photo by Getty Images’ John Moore, prominently displayed ‘above the fold,’ on the home page of msnbc.com [2] , with the caption, “Occupy protesters dance on an American flag, November 5, 2011 in Denver, Colorado.” I don’t know how long the image will be featured in that prime piece of layout real estate (I suspect it might be bumped by LSU v ‘Bama), but you can also see it in this post to msnbc.com’s Photoblog [3].

The photo left me deeply conflicted, to say the least. Whatever else I might think of OWS (frankly, I still don’t think I have a clear sense of their fundamental purpose, or their ultimate goal), I believed that there was about them a love for this country, and a fear of the direction that country was taking.

Now? After seeing that photo? I’m not so sure. When I look at the exuberance suggested by that image – the bodies in motion, the smiling faces – I wonder if this particular group of OWS protesters in Denver is representative of the movement as a whole. And I wonder if there is, at least in the hearts of those shown in the photo, any love for this country … and all that is good about it … and the freedom to protest and change what is not.

Jeff McDonald [6]

There's a saying around here, something like, "I wasn't born in Texas, but I got here as fast as I could!" That's me. I'm a 'dang Yankee from back-east' who settled in the Lone Star State after some extended stays in the eastern U.S., and New Mexico. I worked as an archaeologist for a few years before dusting off my second major in English, and embarking on a 25-year career in journalism. Since then, I've embraced the dark side of the force, and now work in PR for a community college in Midland, Texas.

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