I agree wholeheartedly with jsrockit and DNR.
It appears that as the human knowledge base expands exponentially on a daily basis, the vast majority of humans (in developed and/or western cultures) become progressively more ignorant, uninformed, capable of cogent thought and downright infantile.
In spite of the vast storehouse of cultural and scientific knowledge that humans have literally at their fingertips (thanks to laptops and the world wide web), we are as a whole (with notable exceptions) regressing intellectually. The bulk of this failure can be laid squarely on the doorstep of the education system in western nations which has abandoned its duty to teach people how to think in favor of teaching them what to think.
However: The failure does not begin and end with the world of academia. It extends to the failure of the individual to seek out knowledge and to engage in learning - and deductive reasoning - of their own volition for no monetary compensation or career advancement but simply for the purpose of enriching themselves intellectually and elevating their quality of life. Instead, the vast majority of people in the west settle for the table scraps tossed to them by the world of academia. Clearly, any person with a functioning mind deserves better.
In terms of photography, we see the result of this settling reflected in the ignorance and paranoia of the general public regarding photography in general and street photography in particular that approaches the level of dark ages superstition.
When I look at the photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Garry Winogrand and Vivian Maier, I thank God that we have these permanent visual records of their bygone eras. The street photographs made today will one day decades down the road be regarded likewise, whether the photographer who made them was "famous" or lived, photographed and died in obscurity.
We cannot let the ignorance, paranoia and superstition of the small minded deter us from providing posterity with a visual record of our current era, which is - for better or worse - a time of transformation for all of us.
Photography - documentary and street photography in particular - are things that matter. This is important and significant work. We must not let the paranoia and prejudices of the unthinking public deter our work. Someone has got to do it.
JMHO.
I also agree with this.
In particular the education system has a lot to answer for. In our public education system (Australia) :
(a) there is too little discipline or respect. In fact these things are frowned on by the doo-gooder left wing hair brains who dominate it. Aging hippies who were too timid to give up their public service jobs and instead became educational admistrators who grab whatever the latest fad is in education (So long as it involves smaller class sizes, shorter hours, less rigour in thier duties and more pay for them). (This is an unfair generalisation, I know as many many teachers are p*ssed off and agree with me. But these are not the ones with the power).
(b) people leaving education are, as pointed out told
what to think now
how to think or more to the point what they
must NOT think (As in one must not above all else, be politically incorrect. This is the greatest sin of all.)
(c) kids are taught the result does not matter - what matters is that you tried (As in little Johnny may think 2 plus 2 equals 5 but that is perfectly fine as long as little Johnny is enjoying learning - notwithstanding that if they think 2+2 =5 then demonstrably little Johnny has learned bugger all).
The spillover effect of the above is that this is also the way left wing politicians think and behave - as in its much MUCH more important to adopt policies that have a symbolic purposes and sound good. Policies that actually work and do something are far too hard to implement and may upset their constituents.
We In Oz have just had 6 long years of a left wing government who have now been ignominiously dumped because they ran government like a cross between a three ring circus and a reality TV show. We now know quite a lot about how not to run a country. So sad.
(d) Kids are taught by example and by word that its all about THEM as individuals. The ME,ME,ME ME, ME generation. Thereby creating an unwelcome and unearned sense of their own entitlement. (As in the world's my oyster and I do not have to work hard, learn or contribute to have it ALL dropped in my lap. And I want it NOW!)
(e) No thanks also to parents who will cry blue murder if any school teacher is silly enough to punish a kid, many kids come out of school with exactly no values except the nonsense rammed constantly down their throats by left wing idealogues.
(f) One does not need to learn anyway - every bit of knowledge you need can be Googled. (Thereby ignoring the old adage - data is not equal to information, information is not equal to knowledge and knowledge is not equal to wisdom. While it may be too much to ask kids coming out of school to be wise it would be nice at least if they had some knowledge (and even nicer if the teachers had some wisdom).
I am sure I could think of more examples of our system's shortcomings should I stop for a while and put my mind to it. These are things that damage and devalue western civilisation. I am old fashioned enough to believe that western civilisation is a great thing and has been for over a millenium. Sad to see it going down the gurgler.
Specifically in relation to education, while our politicians have pumped billions and billions of $ more into education over the past 20 years they have failed to fix the fundamental problems with it. The results in terms of skills and knowledge learned (as demonstrated by national testing) is that learning has gone backwards and kids coming out of the system today know less than their predecessors knew 20 years ago. In fact if you compare kids graduating today with kids graduating in places like China and Japan you can see how much damage has been done to western society by fad based teaching and the lack of values. And all this entails.
Its little wonder that in places like the US, something like 30% of people (adults) think they have been kidnapped and digitally probed by aliens, that 9/11 was a US Government plot and cover up, and that they need guns to protect themselves from the coming zombie apocalypse. We are not too far behind I am sad to say.
In case I am beginning to sound like PJ O'Rourke, then I can only say I would be pleased if people did think this. He is not only funny, but I have come to the view that his cynical conservative view of the world is spot on. I used to be more tolerant, even supportive of left wing views. Suffice it to say my eyes have been opened by having the chance to see what 6 years of Social Democrat government can do to a country. and I have decided that if I want comedy I would prefer to go to the comedy warehouse for it rather than getting it from my political leaders. At least I can throw eggs at comedians if they are not funny. Besides, they cost less.
