Administrations fears images

[mburbank]

Why include photographs in journalism at all? We could replace all unpleasant photos of things that actually happen like war, famine, disease and violence with Huge Eyed Sad Faced Kitties. That would be symbollic of tragedy, but far less depressing.

It wouldn't make us forget bad things because we already know all about them, but it might take the sting out of them and let us get on with our lives the way a fresh coat of paint makes a junky used car seem brand new or blinders make a cart horse more focused on the task at hand.

The bodies in the streets are the cost of the ever deepening rift between the rich and poor in this country. It's unpleasant and shameful and horrible and our national attention span is short. We need our damn noses rubbed in the ugliness of it until we understand that the whole point of government in a civilized society is to take care of each other. We need it the way we needed pictures of Auschwitz and Black kids getting attacked by police with dogs and fire hoses. We need it because it's a National shame and if we don't drink it deep we'll forget about it soon enough and let it get swept under the rug by a bunch pof greed heads who's idea of a national priority is getting rid of inheritance taxes.