Written by the Treeasure Guide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella |
The most difficult posts for me are not the ones when I have very little to say. The most difficult posts for me are when I have a lot I want to say and feel I need to say but have to keep it short. Today is one of those days when I feel like I could go on forever, but I must try to be brief. We'll see how that turns out.
Images are important. We sometimes study the distant past by looking at paintings, but we must remember that the paintings were made to present an image. I'm sure that Ferdinand and Isabella wanted to look a certain way and the painter was eager to please them. He did not picture them as they would look just getting out of bed or in the midst of their daily hygiene.
The picture was painted for a reason. It had a purpose. It was not made simply as a work of art. What decisions were made by the subjects and artist to give a particular impression? What impression does it present?
In more recent times we study photos and take them to be more realistic and accurate. But photographs are taken from a single point of view. They are focused to present the subject in a particular way, and sometimes they are edited to change the focus or impression. And a publisher will carefully select only those photos that gives the impression he wants.
What is not seen can be just as important as what is seen. That is just as true when you look at a beach or your finds. And in photos, what is not shown can be just as important as what is shown.
It amazes me to see young girls taking selfies these days. They are so practiced at it. They know which angle makes them look good. They've practiced the poses. They don't stand squarely in front of the camera. They most often have one arm doing something to direct attention, a slight angle to the head, face and body, a knee bent, and one foot off the ground. Older folks, on the other hand, stand flat footed looking straight at the camera with a forced smile that looks somewhat embarrassed to be the center of attention. Cameras have changed and so have the subjects.
There are images that stick out in history. Below is one powerful picture that might remind you of certain times and events.
The Branch Davidian compound was burned down after an FBI tear gas assault which resulted in the death of many innocent women and children. It was excused by the government at the time. Janice Reno said the Davidians were committing child abuse. I guess killing the children stopped that. Forgive me for wondering if there wasn't a better way.
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| Branch Davidian Compound Burning. |
Today is Martin Luther King day. That might remind you of images of people walking arm in arm, or it might remind you of violence. You might recall either the victorious uplifting moments or the violence. Both need to be recalled.
I am one that believes in seeing and hearing both sides of the story. I am more likely to present the side that is less often heard. I assume that you don't need to hear one more time what has already been said a million times. If you hear or see both sides of the story, you get a more complete picture and you can decide for yourself. Some people don't want you to do that and don't think you are bright enough to do that. That is not me.
Words and pictures can be used to create a particular impression. Pictures are carefully selected to give an impression and elicit certain emotions. But not everyone will have the same reaction to the same photo.
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| Not Afghanistan or Russia, But Our Own Capital Getting Ready For the Inauguration. |
21,000 National Guards are in Washington this week. Miles of new fencing and razor wire makes Washington DC look more like a South American dictatorship. The same people that wanted to defund the police and didn't like the border wall now have troops and fences and razor wire all around DC.
What is your reaction to that photo? Some people will have one reaction while others will have a very different reaction.
People pose for photos and photos are sometimes staged. Why was DC staged like a military camp this week. It was intentional and designed to give a particular impression, although not everybody will get the same thing from it.
It definitely suggests power and control. The purpose is to make it look so dangerous that drastic measures are warranted and justifying the censorship, gun control, lockdowns, and arresting of political opponents. The crack down is necessary isn't it? It certainly is if you think the other guy will do the kind of things you do.
One of the first historic images that came to my mind in response to the photos of DC looking like a militarized war zone is that of the Berlin Wall coming down.
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| Berlin Wall Being Torn Down. |
That was a historic moment that many of us saw on TV. The walls were to keep the population in.
Angela Merkel and other international leaders spoke out against the Twitter ban of Trump and other social media censorship. Merkel and Germany is well aware of what happens after censorship.
Here are some other historic images that you might remember.
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| Viet Nam Protests During the 1968 DNC Convention. |
You might remember when the National Guard shot students at Kent State, or the images of the Mei Lie massacre, or troops returning from Viet Nam being jeered. You might remember President Kennedy slumping over in the car in Dallas.
Maybe you aren't that old and you think of more recent things like the riots of 2020, burning buildings, the assault on the capitol and burning of the historic church near the White House.
I'm sure I will always remember the images of the fences topped with razor wire and a militarized Washington, DC.
Maybe you'll remember the throngs of Hondurans on the way to the US overwhelming troops at the Guatemalan border.
No social-distancing there.
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| Honduran Caravan Heading For U.S. Overwhelms Guatemalan Troops. |
And maybe you'll wonder if our border walls will ever be used to keep people in rather than out.
A picture might be worth a thousand words, but pictures do not tell the whole story either. In fact the story they tell always comes from a particular point of view.
Here is a link to a site with a few notes on interpreting historical images.
Interpreting Historical Images | History Grand Rapids
You can find much more on that topic, and I could write for another month on the topic, but I won't.
We don't have photos of more distant times, but we do have paintings to study. And we have statues, mosaics, coins and other things to study.
An image can tell you a lot. Look at it from the point of view of both the subject and the artist. Ask yourself a lot of questions. Look at the small details. Do some more research. An image can tell you more than you ever imagined. It can tell you more than was intended.
You might want to look up some sites on interpreting historical images. You will also gain much by studying advertising, propaganda and the social psychology of influence. Large volumes could be written on the subject.
Remember, only family groups should gather at Inauguration parties.
Happy Martin Luther King day.
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