tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post4135115237145344657..comments2024-02-17T04:06:00.805-05:00Comments on Just Not Said: The National Geographic perspectiveJohn Craighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-65616487931129691972017-06-26T22:39:48.641-04:002017-06-26T22:39:48.641-04:00We've got it worse in Europe. I wouldn't m...We've got it worse in Europe. I wouldn't mind a Mexican immigration problem.Stevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15276736643046430370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-79537126877128157452017-06-22T09:18:28.679-04:002017-06-22T09:18:28.679-04:00Susan --
Yes, it's possible he didn't, tho...Susan --<br />Yes, it's possible he didn't, though none of the other people on his tour were detained. And, of course, even if he did, the idea of a 15 year sentence for stealing a poster is ridiculous. <br /><br />No question that NK killed him.John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-30799352227730347582017-06-22T09:10:59.338-04:002017-06-22T09:10:59.338-04:00Regarding Otto, I'm skeptical that he stole an...Regarding Otto, I'm skeptical that he stole any poster. Psychopathic regimes would have no problem charging you with bogus crimes. North Korea killed him.<br /><br />- Susan Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-45449223933164999752017-06-21T23:10:39.964-04:002017-06-21T23:10:39.964-04:00Anon --
Yes, exactly; and Otto Warmbier is, unfort...Anon --<br />Yes, exactly; and Otto Warmbier is, unfortunately, a cautionary tale to that effect. John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-8893347467527858252017-06-21T23:00:32.416-04:002017-06-21T23:00:32.416-04:00And the tragic flip side to that coin would be...i...And the tragic flip side to that coin would be...it doesn't matter how adventurous one may be...there are exotic, foreign and even beautiful countries in which Americans should not travel. If the leaders of a foreign country have made it clear that America and Americans are evil or bad...it would not be wise, as an American, to tour that particular country. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-35691593540139453682017-06-21T22:51:24.448-04:002017-06-21T22:51:24.448-04:00Mark --
Ha, not so novel, but thank you. We think ...Mark --<br />Ha, not so novel, but thank you. We think of ourselves as a superpower, not as fragile and vulnerable, but unfortunately our political correctness has made us so.John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-84435178352207552132017-06-21T22:33:51.401-04:002017-06-21T22:33:51.401-04:00That's a novel insight, that today it's We...That's a novel insight, that today it's Westerners, not isolated Stone Age tribes, whose fragile and sheltered way of life is being shattered by the outside world.Mark Caplanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15157338755022593966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-6801434624494080032017-06-21T14:56:44.228-04:002017-06-21T14:56:44.228-04:00Rifleman --
You're absolutely right, although ...Rifleman --<br />You're absolutely right, although most pre-20th century painters tried to prettify whatever it is that they were portraying, just to make their art more appealing. <br /><br />And yes, the National Geographic also tried to make their photos appealing, often going to the extent of choosing a particularly pretty female to take a picture of. Heck, I was even guilty of that with this post; for the sacred cow shot, there were a number of them that showed emaciated-looking cows in the middle of what looked like a garbage dump, or a particularly sordid-looking street, but I chose the shot I did just because it was less squalid-looking. <br /><br />I think it's just human nature to want to make pictures of the places we've been look more like tourist brochures, and less like reality.<br /><br />As far as what Said held, I think that's ridiculous. Back in the old days places were rendered more appealing by virtue of their foreignness, as I alluded to in this post. <br /><br /> John Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08729625146043379286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5794535954827182754.post-61676202048219671092017-06-21T14:44:46.582-04:002017-06-21T14:44:46.582-04:00And yet look how clean and colorful it all is.
It...And yet look how clean and colorful it all is.<br /><br />It's interesting that the anti-Orientalist like Edward Said claimed the Orientalist painters were trying to "other" the middle east to make it ripe for colonialism<br /><br />Yet the Orientalist painters made it absurdly clean and colorful and not the disgustingly dirty, grey-brown unhygienic world it really was.<br /><br />When did the middle east EVER look like those late 19th century orientalist paintings. Google search images to see.<br /><br />Those old National Geographic photo spreads were somewhat idealized even though they were photos and not paintings.<br /><br />In reality it was a much dirtier, uglier, less clean and colorful world.Riflemannoreply@blogger.com