Can
photographs change the world? Can an individual person change the world? Can
one speech, one event, one moment in time change the course of the future
forever? I believe that it can. As Jonathan Klein said during his speech in the
video clip of this module, while discussing the image of Earth from space, “ This image changed our view of the physical world; many people credit this image as responsible for the birth of the environmental movement”. Though it is only one
photograph, it sparked a drive in people, tapped into their emotions, and
caused them to consider things they had never thought of as significant in the
past. In the article from digitaljournalist.org by Patrick Cox, he mentions
that, “It is, in the end, a personal relationship between
viewer and image. The power of a picture is in the eye of the beholder”. An image may seem irrelevant or unimportant to one person, but for
another it could change their life.
Throughout the article as Cox explained how images were debated upon and
chosen for the collection he mentioned that it was often that people disagreed
about which were the “best” or the “most influential”. Some images immediately
touched people, while others felt the connection was spark-less. Just as people
are individuals in their own way, a picture may represent a myriad of things,
different for each viewer.
Also
in the video clip of Klein he says, “Images have provoked reactions in people,and those reactions have caused changes to happen”. Even if one does not feel
that a picture itself prompts a change in the world, the reaction that people
will undoubtedly have to the image, will cause discussion, attention, and
eventually an effect. Throughout my life I have always been very interested in
the Special Olympics foundation. Their premise of striving to let any
individual compete and feel the joy that comes from achieving a goal mirrors
closely the goals that I hope to achieve in my career as an Occupational
Therapist. Through volunteer work with
the Special Olympics I have learned a great deal about the value of sports on a
person’s self-esteem and morale. The Special Olympics has been quoted as
saying, “At Special Olympics, we believe that sports canteach us all important lessons. When we train and strive for a goal, it teachesus to dream. When we struggle, it teaches us determination. When we win, wefind joy. And if we lose, we can find the strength to try again”. Though
there are many remarkable pictures of athletes competing in various events from
all over the world, Special Olympics Massachusetts recently posted a photo on
their Facebook page of a young man who has just won a silver medal in a track
and field event celebrating his victory. Despite the fact that you cannot see
the individuals’ face, the emotion pouring from the page is evident. What
prompted me to choose this picture is the pure joy that the woman behind the
boy shows for him. Though she is probably unrelated, and likely doesn't even
know the child, she looks to celebrate with him. The picture inspires others to
treat people with disabilities as they should be. It shows that they don’t have
to be able to do everything in the same way as a non-disabled individual does,
but their accomplishments may be just as significant. In a world where the
disabled are still considered by many to be second class citizens, this picture
may inspire change in that thinking to happen.
While
certain images prompt a change to occur very quickly, other times the image may
prompt a discussion, but the change will not occur for years to come. I believe
that a great example of an image that has changed the world is the picture
captured by journalist Will Counts as he photographed Elizabeth Eckford as she
became the first black student to attend a white school in Little Rock Alabama
in 1957. The racial equality movement in the United States was not an instance
which occurred quickly by any means, but this image prompted much action on the
topic. Supporters of racial integration were inspired and reinforced, while those who discouraged were reminded that they were failing. This image and this event,
showed that despite all odds, and everyone working against you, it is possible
to accomplish what you set out to do. It gave hope and insurance to others who
may have been too scared to act, and a sense of fame as an idea that was
previously all talk, was brought into action.
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