At 07:30 AM 05/07/2001 -0700, you wrote:
>Luis Pinar wrote:
>>
>> What's the point? Were they taken with Pentax equipment?
>
>See Treena's comment below:
>
> These photos are both disturbing and heartbreaking
> at the same time. I referred this website to my
> husband, who believes it could be a great help
> in the anti-drug education classes he teaches at
> the school. Thanks for the link.
>
>Just another point of view.
>
>My feeling is this: drugs and the problems associated with drugs
>have taken an immeasurable toll on society as a whole, and on many
>countless millions of individuals. Perhaps these photos can in some
>way help one or two people by putting the potential ravages of drug
>use into some perspective. That, Luis, is the point!
>--
>Shel Belinkoff
I first sent this reply privately to Shel, but I think it needs repeating
here.
These pictures are a propaganda scam designed to pull your
heartstrings, not convince your head. What I told Shel was:
Thanks for pointing out this dramatic and moving site.
I teach Controlled Substances Law and have been active
in working on the drug laws for several years. I'm
sure I will be using this essay for some purposes.
However, it's probably best as an example of how
photography can be used to lie. Compare some of the
later pictures in the series to, for instance, Dorothy Lange's
Okie mother; what you are seeing is the effects of poverty
and life on the street; not the effects of drugs or
prostitution either. A woman's sad life is being callously
used by the police department for propaganda purposes.
Incorporating pictures like this in a drug education course
would be a real disservice to the students, who need facts,
not hysteria.
I HOPE a Pentax was not used for this kind of misrepresentation.
Buford C. Terrell
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Professor of Law (713) 646-1857
South Texas College of Law
1303 San Jacinto Houston, TX 77002
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
A deep respect for Law requires intense skepticism
toward every law.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
-
This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe,
go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to
visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
