I like your idea. You said what I wanted to say several times but really
don't have numbers to back. I heard last night on the news that police are
asking folks to take their keys out of their BMWs and Lexuses because
thieves are starting to take more of them recently. Most, it seems still
had the keys in the ignition. Who would have guessed that in a city in the
Southeast, many individuals still leave keys in their cars, and leave the
doors of their houses unlocked. :-)
Much of what we see on TV or at the movies is entertaining to us (US ;-o )
because it isn't anything like what we see or do in our lifetime. I have
always felt that this portrayal in the media must send the message we all
are like that. But no one would watch if it were "normal" I guess. Maybe
that isn't true, because we can't seem to get enough of Trading Spaces in
the US and (Trading Rooms from Great Britian, I think, but my mind is gone
by Friday).
Maybe we could do another "Day in the Life" theme but not on a holiday. We
haven't done one of those since 2000 I believe.
gregg
But that says very little about the murder rate in most American
communities. It mainly reflects the extraordinary murder rates in our
poor inner cities. To be blunt, most Americans don't live or work in
those communities and don't particularly care about reducing the crime
level in those communities as long as the crime can be largely confined
to those communities. They won't usually say that openly, but it's
undeniable when you follow the money and votes.
Now let's use this thread - more than half of the list is merkin I suspect
and all we outside see is the dark side. Last time I saw a 'nice' US
community on the screen it was in Donnie Darko and that was heavily
ironic. Saw the first episode of 'Hack' last night - yet another violent
city. Same crap, different bucket. No wonder our perception of you doesn't
match your understanding of yourselves.
So how about taking the challenge and showing the rest of us the other
97%? We really don't see it that much at all. Not nice landscapes - we
know lots of it is pretty. Not portraits - we know you're good looking.
Community based stuff. Avoid mass displays of patriotic or religious
fervor perhaps - that makes us a tad nervous too. Perhaps not ordinary
folk enjoying themselves with guns (sorry Walt). Not too Norman Rockwell
either?
I'm sure that leaves you with a tremendous story to tell - we really do
want to like you, you know! Topic - I dunno - The Real America? Doesn't
have to be pretty - my favorite US portraits were Avedon's 'In the
American West' and the better Farm Administration 'dust bowl' shots. Not
pretty but they really told me something (bought the Avedon when I found
myself sobbing quietly in the bookstore and it cost me about as much as an OM1)
Whaddya say?
AndrewF
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