Racism
Look at the two of these photos on Yahoo News - notice anything different between them? According to Yahoo, black people "loot" -- white people "find."
Originals:
news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/480/ladm10208301530
news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/photos_ts_afp/050830071810_sh...
Help them: The American Red Cross 1 800 HELP NOW
See also:
katrinahelp.info/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
www.usatoday.com/weather/stormcenter/2005-08-29-katrina-d...
http//www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4823690
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JamesMSnell (61 months ago)
Hmm. that's rather distubing. Thanks for pointing that out.
Stijn Vogels (61 months ago)
The second picture really talks about two people "finding bread and soda from a local grocery store". What a strange sort of humour they have overthere at Yahoo Inc.
pinemikey (61 months ago)
This needs to get out...why don't you email this to Huffington Post? This blatant stereotyping is ridiculous.
eks (61 months ago)
and now that yahoo owns flickr, how much time this pictures will last till they are taken down?
natekoechley (61 months ago)
It's worth noting that the first article is from the AP, and the second is from the AFP. (See the big logos there?!). Neither are written or edited by Yahoo.
While I think it's very astute, necessary and responsible to note the difference of wording - and I think your social conclusion is apt - I think it's sloppy and ill-informed to blame Yahoo.
If anything, it's *thanks* to Yahoo (and other aggregation services) that these kind of discrepencies can be exposed and considered so readily.
d-w- (61 months ago)
Nateoechley, I believe only the pictures are from the respective agencies. Yahoo writes the captions.
JimDanger (61 months ago)
Maybe the photographer watched as the young black man walked in to a store, took the items, and then left. Maybe the other photographer watched as the two white people waded through water where their found items were floating, and the only obvious source, was a nearby store. That probably wouldn't give you the same super open-minded pat on the back though.
spunkz (61 months ago)
Don't blame Yahoo.. blame AP and AFP. They write the copy. Yahoo just publishes it.
d-w- (61 months ago)
Never knew Flickr had so many apologists on it.
scentzilla (61 months ago)
Jeez, that's not good (understatement.) Like, all the guy is carrying is freaking Pepsi under his arm. People are just as likely or not to loot for bread as they are for soda pop. That's dreadful. Thanks for
catching this.
GraceD (61 months ago)
Blogged it. Excellent catch.
jessicafm (61 months ago)
I noticed that earlier, too. I thought, "Looks to me like they've got food and drink. The stores aren't open to sell anything... isn't that called SURVIVAL?"
feldamundo (61 months ago)
Being in the news biz, I can confirm that AFP and AP write their own photo captions. Yahoo is just the publisher.
.Nida (61 months ago)
Definitely. Yahoo Inc. would grind to a halt if it had to write the captions to all the news photos.
sbpoet (61 months ago)
Very astute to see this. Thank you for bringing it out. And I don't think it really matters who wrote which caption; it's the racism underlying our assumptions that is betrayed here, not the racism of any individual or corporation.
joethepeacock (61 months ago)
Apparently, apologists = professionals.
Jhawk (61 months ago)
The captions don't come from Yahoo.
tenchiro (61 months ago)
Racist double standards, in the south? Who woulda thunk it...
.Nida (61 months ago)
I agree with you, the racism is definitely there and revolting. I agree with others that you should send this to Huffington's blog and other areas. It's already getting some views just within Flickr - so that is good.
I think the points above were meant to focus our rage, so to speak. Yahoo publishes feeds from numerous sources. The focus should be on AFP and AP. In fact, this becomes a bigger concern because AFP and AP are used as news feeds across the world, not just through Yahoo. So we should be banging on their doors for spreading racist crap.
evgen88 (61 months ago)
Dustin, you don't by chance work for Google or MSN do you? ;)
But you're right, it's not mindlessly flinging blame that's holding your country back.
Yes it's bad, no one says it isn't, it's Yahoo's fault for not catching it, the services for writing it. Is it the comparison that makkes it bad, or the fact that the black person must be looting bad?
Jhawk (61 months ago)
Perhaps Yahoo gives us credit for being able to think for ourselves... to research what news we recieve. If someone sends you a racist email, do you blame Hotmail or Microsoft Outlook?
Elysium Exposed (61 months ago)
bad AFP.
and bad Yahoo for publishing AFP without censoring. But then again, I'd rather see the bias in afp uncensored than hidden, atleast this allows the medium to be exposed. I'd apply the same for any war pictures that get 'censored' because they are too gruesome. .. I don't want censorship, I just want people to fix their bad habits and prejudice.
nico-tiro (61 months ago)
that is insane. im linking this on my blog now that i have one.
alexisbellido (61 months ago)
What a finding, it made me remember some jokes about white and blacks: "white man runnig: he's jogging, black man running: he's a thief" or "white in a car's trunk: a guy who has been kidnapped, black in a car's trunk: just a tire".
Anyway, do you think these captions were written in purpose? I mean, did the write thought before using the verbs "loot" or "find"?
rossangeles (61 months ago)
Kind of like how white people "found" America.
.Nida (61 months ago)
@Elysium, it's actually bad AP :)
Another thing. It's possible that if AP were presented with both pictures they would have described both situations as "looting." It's difficult to point to purposeful racism when the comparision is across two news organizations.
But that's academic, it doesn't surprise me at all that there would be this racist representation across the entire media.
Disco77Stu77 (61 months ago)
Black, white, thats not the issue. These people are from New Orleans! So they are all criminals anyways. Its good to recognize obvious prejudice like this, but linking it to your blog and claiming that Yahoo inc. is rascist is a little excessive and moronic. Be moderate people! Oh, and if you're white... keep finding bread, and if your black quit stealing the white people's bread.
CherchezlaFemme (61 months ago)
The kid on top has a whole lawn-size plastic bag full of stuff and the 'lighter' couple seem to have 2 items
--perhaps (note especially with the woman appearing to be hispanic) it's more a question of quantity, not color?
Still, although looting is looting no matter how big the haul -- but who's going to want that stuff for resale now? Yeesh, give those people a break!
Great pics, interesting commentary. Good catch!
vhold (61 months ago)
CNN also has this photo, very zoomed in.
www.cnn.com/interactive/weather/0508/gallery. katrina.tues...
Described as: "A young man drags groceries through chest-deep water in New Orleans on Tuesday."
joeldg (61 months ago)
different news sources.. I am sure you can find some with black people "finding" things and white people "looting"
sheesh.. maybe AFP says they cannot use the word "looting" as it is technically a crime and would make them liable to lawsuit?
DerBear (61 months ago)
In response to "Disco77Stu77" (with that name he sure sounds like an educated genius eh?) You are of the very characteristic that is dragging this country down both morally and physically in the various social standpoints of domestic and international status. A city of drunks, loser, vagrants, murderers, and degenerates should not be blantantly put on this interent stage where literally dozens might take part in listening to your incoherent physcho babble. Mr. Stu, assuming that is your real name, if ever I were to ever you meet, i would for your sake hope it was in a well lit area with plenty of witnesses.
pantfoo (61 months ago)
uh... hilarious, so you have two different authors explaining two different photographs taken at different times by different people and neither has any knowledge of the others actions as they work in entirely different companies. All this and AFP is racist for not using the term looting? Yahoo is negligent for not insisting news agencies use the exact same terminology?
it's an amusing point and perhaps the AFP author was being a bit.... kind, while the AP author was being a bit....blunt, but thats about it.
I'm off to find myself some groceries.
aurizon (61 months ago)
it looks like racism at first glance, however, plastic wrapped bread floats and could have been loose on the waves.
In each case the photographer should have made his case for the action he attributed to the person. Did he see the looting??; Did he see people gather floating bread or??. they should not assume the black is a looter and the white is not
Disco77Stu77 (61 months ago)
Why would he have to clarify, I mean.... clearly that guy was black and so he probably stole it. The chick in the other picture was mexican, so she probably stole her crap, lucky she was with white guy to give her some credibility! But I hope they're not dating, cus we can all agree interracial couples are just wrong. Right?
uhavenothingbuthate (61 months ago)
ok first off... how do you steal from a sunken grocery store with a garbage bag? does the food just happen to float into the bag so its automaticlly stealing? how do you know theres no CLOTHES IN THE BAG or pictures or a dead body! did this photographer see him acctually steal the food? fuck that look at the fat white person steal that bread .. its clean its in the open water.. AND HOW COME THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE PICTURE OF THE BLACK PERSON DOESNT PUT HIS NAME UP THERE?
FUCK YOU RACIST PEOPLE
ALL YOU SEE IS COLOR
WELCOME TO OUR WORLD DUMB FUCKS
THE NEW ATLANTIS IS IN THE MAKING
I WILL BUTT FUCK ALL OF YOU
AND IN THIS TIME OF CRISIS WHO GIVES A FUCK IF THEY NEED TO STEAL TO SURVIVE
I WOULD KILL IF I HAD TO
FUCKING FLOATING IN THE FUCKING STREETS
YOU SHOULD KILL YOURSELF
Disco77Stu77 (61 months ago)
I can second that
uhavenothingbuthate (61 months ago)
PLUS HOW THE FUCK DO YOU ASSUME THAT THE WHITE PEOPLE ARE " RESIDENTS" IT DOESNT STATE THAT ABOU TTHE BLACK PERSON WHICH I STORNGLY FEEL LIVED THERE BEFORE THOSE TOURIST GOT THERE
drepster (61 months ago)
hmm. interesting. i think it shows the prejudice of media with regards to race but not a lot more. This kind of prejudice is deplorable but unfortunaltely common place (eg fox news and co)
it's a nice find. well spotted especially as the pictures and the captions are so similar. it is very striking and displays the prejudice in no uncertain terms.
d-w- (61 months ago)
All of you nay-sayers should really take a look at this other photo AS CAPTIONED BY THE AP:
AnomalousNYC (61 months ago)
Well done!
I work with Palestine Media Watch - www.pmwatch.org - we see this kind of grotesque institutionalized double standard all the time. Racism is exactly what this is.
I see some people grumbling about context, and its true we dont know the exact details. But I can assure you this happens CONSTANTLY as far as the conflict over Palestine is concerned, and in countless other areas. Literally every single day this is going on. I could give you thousands of concrete examples.
The AP is profoundly AWFUL in this regard.
Reuters is a little better. AFP is usually much better.
I ecnourage you to send this to FAIR:
www.fair.org/index.php
I suspect it would get featured. Even better, start collecting these and write a brief article on trends in the hurricane reporting. It could get wide distribution if done carefully. Let me know if you need help.
JordanMGregory (61 months ago)
blah blah blah racism. you create your own damn racism. get a damn girl/boyfriend and stop using flickr's harddisk space for your nonsense bullshit. pantfoo is the correct answer.
irondoc_andy (61 months ago)
White, Black or whatever...Looting food is one thing but electronics and sneakers??? Looters should be shot on sight.
schani (61 months ago)
Please people! These two texts were written by two different people at two different agencies. Which one of the two do you blame for what, exactly? Is it racist to say that the black person looted the store? Maybe he would have used the exact same wording for a white person, too? If both were written by the same person, THAT would be racism. As it stands, however, it's more funny than racist. I agree, though, that Yahoo change one of the two to use a similar wording than the other.
And uhavenothingbuthate: When exactly did you see the photographer's name on any press photo, ever??? So why should there be one here? And what does it even matter? What the hell did the photographer do, other than photographing? Or is that racist, too?
Chill out, people!
barbee (61 months ago)
sad
barbee (61 months ago)
can we mention that these people's home's and entire lives just got leveled, there is no property, just soggy, toxic rubble. I live in florida, seen many a hurricane, been the target of loss, and in a situation such as this, take my bread, take my tv, while I am safe in my place that I have fleed to. Do these things have any value as they float out of your broken shop window??? There is no salvation from this storm, for new orleans. It is now a toxic cesspool, unlivable, flooded..... white or black, if you are there... take 2 cameras or tennis shoes, and swim to... the rooftop you are seeking refuge on.
And for those that don't think racism is real, open your eyes, it's alive and kicking all over the world against all races.
barbee (61 months ago)
side note, if you click on the original link, you will find the accredited photograher
walt.schneider (61 months ago)
I think barbee really summed it up in one word.
Chico Bronson (61 months ago)
Never says the woman was shopping, but looking through her shopping bag. Never says the black was looting, but jumping through a window. You're looking too close for something bad, maybe YOU'RE the rascist Dustin?
scentzilla (61 months ago)
Who says it was HER shopping bag - if she looted it, then it's not her bag at all. I don't care if costs all of 1 cent, stolen is stolen. There is an
implication of possesion when you use the pronoun "her." Which in turn implies she had a right to be doing whatever it was she was actually doing. Emotionally it makes it seem as if she's alright in her actions.
ChristophrHiestr (61 months ago)
This is a clear case of unconscious racism. It doesn't matter that the captions were written by two different people. The person who wrote the first caption saw a black person and chose the word "looting" without any conscious thought. The person who wrote the other caption saw white people and chose the word "finding" without any thought as well. What's worse is that the editors who approved and published these captions never gave it a second thought either (Someone might have asked if the kid was actually seen leaving the store with the items, for instance). Unconscious racism " is an entrenched social bias, which most white Americans would deny holding." (quote from Andrew Elliott Carpenter)
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