What do history's most iconic photographs say about us?

reply to post by LiveForever8


All I can say is I am speechless.........I have never seen many of those pictures. Star, flag and multiple applauses if I could. It brings some real world into the all too often glamorized industrialized and "buffered" world.

What can I say but WOW.......

[edit on 8/2/2009 by jkrog08]

Humans are naturally enthralled and fascinated by their own dark side, so it's no wonder that most of our "iconic" photography are images of war and hate -- i.e. "dark" images.

However, I feel that humans have an equally strong and powerful "good" side as well. There are not as many iconic photographs of humans "doing good" because humans just are not as fascinated by that kind of stuff. For example "man kills wife" becomes a news story. However, "man shows love for wife" doe snot.

I think the fact that our dark side intrigues us so much is evidence that we in fact have a good side that is at least (if not more) powerful than our dark side. I say this because humans are always more fascinated with ideas that seem more foreign to them rather than ideas that are part of their everyday lives -- and we seem extremely fascinated by these dark images.

It says we care more about going to the moon than the children and adults who are starving down here. We care more about resources than we do about losing lives in a war. It says its time for change.

To Liveforever8;

The sadness of these images are unfortately the legacy of our civilized world. It is anything but civilized! The truth is so hard that people prefer to walk in ignorance and denial. If we were truly civilized than we would pull together and end the hideous suffering that we cause for no reason other than the almighty dollar.

When will we learn? Yes ofcourse, when our impending doom has come knocking on our door. Sadly far too late. We have and continue to cause enough suffering to fill the entire universe.

We have devolved inside the heart of darkness, yet there is so much potential.

[edit on 2-8-2009 by Egyptia]

These pictures are extremely America centric. That isn't surprising as they came from an American website, from a blod written by an American but it does say a lot about what Americans think is most important (ie, something involving America).

That isn't to say that these are not extremely important and iconic images but it would be great to see more from the rest of the World. I'm sure something important has happened there in the past... at least once??

I'm going to bed now but will leave this page open and add some myself tomorrow. It would be great if someone else would add some of their most iconic international pictures.

Jkrog. I'm not sure what it says about you that you have never seen any of these pictures before. That's a shame.

[edit on 2-8-2009 by triplesod]

reply to post by triplesod

Jkrog. I'm not sure what it says about you that you have never seen any of these pictures before. That's a shame.

Hey there

Firstly I said MANY, not ANY.

Secondly, and more importantly what it says is that these pictures are obviously not shown enough---This the "glamorized and buffered" part in my post. But I live in the big bad United States and we don't care about anything right?

In conclusion I will be the first to admit I should be more concerned with the goings on with the rest of the world, as should MANY others. Unfortunately real life doesn't really permit me to do so right now unfortunately, how can I worry about the rest of the world if I can't take care of myself???

I think that these photos are iconic precisely because they show the truth - in most cases, an ugly truth, that would be almost impossible for us to comprehend without the image.

You can read about horrific events. You can imagine them, but I think they're not truly real to us until we witness them, whether in person, or via photo.

these images are shocking and unfortunately many people will breifly look at them, think the same then move on with their comfortable, happy lives.

our generation has been numbed down and images and events like these are just apart of our existence. extremly sad though true.

The beautiful city of paris.



children at play



beautiful condo in miami



Don't be consumed by the doom and gloom that is so prevalent on ATS.

Look at the beauty of the world and mankind instead of the destruction and ugliness

A Small stroll to google images will restore your faith

Although I've seen the majority of these photographs previously, I was sitting there scrolling down, taking in each one of them with a feeling of just the utmost disappointment in humanity.

I'm pretty horrified by what we are seemingly capable of doing. I know that this isn't a complete canon of pictures regarding all of the pinnacles of human civilisation, as these aren't the most inspirational sources to gain positive insight from - I can think of a few that would count in that category.
Nevertheless, they're certainly thought provoking enough to make people want to bring about change. . . i think

[edit on 3/8/09 by pretty_vacant]

Everyone boo hooing over these pictures saying that it shows humans to be evil, devoid of good, enslaved are probably the ones who had everything handed to them growing up, never had to appreciate the hard work that goes into any comfort. Wow some appalling images, but at least humans have the ability to make something that can take a picture like any of them and produce them so the whole world can see. The Earth could just as easily been too close or far from the sun so that no life would ever have been sustainable, what does self loathing help when we could've never been in the first place.

The pictures provided in the opening post reminds me of this video my brother told me about.



Makes you wonder, does it not?

(In case it doesn't embed, here's the link.)

The pictures remind me that most wars are fought over false premises.

The world is an illusion for most as their 'leaders' are merely actors on the stage for the agenda of a secret few. They are not 'secret' anymore. It is time to Act for the future of mankind.
We have always had a Choice.

Here is a 'new' edition.

Recently Declassified 9/11 photos.

Now for the new investigation?

We are awaiting.

[edit on 3-8-2009 by Perseus Apex]

We suck, truly and wholy.

I don't know what else to say.

Not sure, but I think a saw a documentry once where it was stated that the lynching photograph was used as a popular postcard for a period of time.

The human race is still a very violent species.Though the human species have done some really good things in the small amount of time they have walked apon the earth,there bad points out way there good points.This is how the rest of the universe would look apon us as today.Some pictures are really fantastic in our eyes but again our evil tendencies.Murder,greed,jelously,war.religious hatered.Some advanced alien species have no traits like that at all.Do you really blame the rest of the universe seeing us as bad species.On the good points there are some really fantastic people within the human race today who have helped many people,animals and done some really good work around the world.Again its our bad points that come to the fore and really reflects our society today.

reply to post by FritosBBQTwist


Excellent post! And thanks to the OP for a very thought provoking thread..

I am of the mind also that there is light in the darkness..

You look at these pictures and you can say what a disgusting and cruel species man is.

And then you can look at these pictures and say there is evidence of courage, spirit and humanity happening also, the moment in time captured in these shots is unquestionably powerful but the film plays on beyond the still, the grief, the spiritual awakening, the passion for justice or the love to help will be present off camera and that is what helps us to carry on as a species..

Good thread - thank you

Berth

It means mammals are still dumb. We still haven't evolved. Most of us are still inferior (I'm not).

*UPDATE*

Some more uplifting and inspiring photographs.

Lunch atop a Skyscraper - 1932

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/eb3ee10fb673.jpg[/atsimg]

Lunch atop a Skyscraper (New York Construction Workers Lunching on a Crossbeam) is a famous photograph taken by Charles C. Ebbets during construction of the GE Building at Rockefeller Center in 1932. The photograph depicts 11 men eating lunch, seated on a girder with their feet dangling hundreds of feet above the New York City streets. Ebbets took the photo on September 29, 1932, and it appeared in the New York Herald Tribune in its Sunday photo supplement on October 2. Taken on the 69th floor of the GE Building during the last several months of construction, the photo Resting on a Girder shows the same workers napping on the beam.

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/44e407b942b4.jpg[/atsimg]


First Flight - 1903

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/57b464ba5a00.jpg[/atsimg]

December 17, 1903 was the day humanity spread its wings and rose above the ground - for 12 seconds at first and by the end of the day for almost a minute - but it was a major breakthrough. Orville and Wilbur Wright, two bicycle mechanics from Ohio, are the pioneers of aviations, and although this first flight occurred so late in history, the ulterior development was exponential.

The Kiss – Times Square 1945

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/03a27f152a20.jpg[/atsimg]

"The Kiss", at the end of World War II, in US cities everybody went to the streets to salute the end of combat. Friendship and unity were everywhere. This picture shows a sailor kissing a young nurse in Times Square.

Faith and Confidence - William C. Beall - 1958

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/f711c0604b1f.jpg[/atsimg]

Famous heartwarming photograph showing a policeman patiently reasoning with a two-year-old boy trying to cross a street during a parade.

Lone Woman - 2006

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/c7a2cc679688.jpg[/atsimg]

A lone Jewish settler challenges Israeli security officers during clashes that erupted as authorities cleared the West Bank settlement of Amona, east of the Palestinian town of Ramallah

I think we have advanced technologically too quickly without advancing ourselves. We were doing these things 1000 years ago, will be still be 1000 years from now?