Complaint Review: CAROLINE BENNETT

Caroline Bennett: Unfortunately, it is picture takers such as yourself that impedes and stifles change with your grossly inaccurate information. It appears as though this false article is your marketing technique, which I may add, is not in any way "pioneering" or "new" or true. Every word that you have written is false - historically false and false in general - it is a fact that photographers have always focused on the images of children and focused on the humanness of children - exactly for the sole marketing purpose of tugging on heart strings whether marketing for "charity" or to sell newspaper or sell Anything. Every word that Caroline Bennet wrote - the complete opposite is true.

As an African person - your words oppress me and oppress whoever may read your words. Whether your complete inaccuracies can be attributed to where you stand in your social location or lack of desire to educate yourself about other countries and cultures - it seems as though the very surface, superficial manner in which you approach the notion that there is a lack of focus on "humanness"/ children is quite uninformed if not gross distortion and telling tall tales.

"Perhaps most notably we have failed to put human faces and personalities on the science and statistics behind climate and environmental movements, imperative to inspiring people to connect, to care, and to take action." This statement could not be more false. Images of human faces have historically bombarded and continue to bombard the media masses particularly the human faces of certain countries such a Africa and Asia. This bombardment of  images of starving children in Africa has not made change. Furthermore, it is not "negative" to say the truth.

I understand that you are trying to market yourself but your strategy requires enormous fact checking.  It is a fact, because of the historical and current bombardment of images of children or "humanness" has done the exact opposite and has created inaction, created "charity" and created "charity fatigue." First, inform yourself about charity - charity  maintains oppression which was created by the oppressor to begin with.

Second, inform about about other countries and cultures. "Go ahead, show the threat. But don’t leave out the people affected, especially if they are kids – we are programmed to connect with kids…we all have one or at least have been one. Think about solutions and positive images, show audience that this is a place worth protecting, that your issue is not hopeless and that there’s an opportunity for them to be a hero."  Please do not allow Caroline Bennett to offer "Tips."  This is one of the most catagorically false, superficial, ridiculous, uniformed, oppressive and dangerous statements that I have read. Here is a quote for Caroline Bennett: In this age of information, ignorance is a choice. "Photography Was Used As A Colonial Tool."    The New African Photography is a documentary series which profiles six African artists determined to take back control of how their  continent is portrayed. Barbara Minishi, a Kenyan Photographer: The Red Dress — Commenting on how  Africa has been photographically misrepresented for over a century,  Kenyan photographer Barbara Minishi says, "Don't look at Africa and  think one thing. How come this view of Africa is always the soldier or  the starving child?" Instead, Minishi's project focuses upon the Kenyan  women.  aje.me/156KPaxhttp://bit.ly/117TSqN http://bit.ly/1350wf6  (copy & paste)