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PATRIOTISM IN THE HEART OF FLORIDA
I had planned on writing this article on ethics in Street Photography. In fact, the article was just about complete when I changed my mind about the topic. That article will appear at a later date. Instead, I am writing about the 2 accompanying images that I took within the last several days and the meaning of these photographs in our times and how they will look to us in the future.
I had been thinking a lot about the events of September 11, 2001 recently. I have been putting together a "Ground Zero" portfolio for my web site, www.duby.com, based on images I took last Thanksgiving at the site and some writing I had done about that experience. Those images and the accompanying article are not entirely complementary of the atmosphere existing at "Ground Zero" and New York City at that time. I was offended by the intense commercialization of the event in New York and I was left with a belief in the failure in leadership, both public and private after September 11, 2001. My thoughts in part were that Americans were galvanized after these tragic events and were stirred to patriotic action. Except for law enforcement and the military, Americans were asked to do little or nothing resulting in an enormous loss of energy and good works.
I had a very different experience visiting and photographing the heartland of Florida on a PixiPort expedition. Last weekend, my wife and I traveled to Deland, Florida for the PixiPort Expo-Art in Focus opening. Our gracious hostess and host were Helyn Davenport, President of PixiPort and her husband Mike. The exhibition was professionally presented at the Gold Leaf Gallery in Deland.
Deland is a throwback to a slower and perhaps gentler time. Virtually everyone in the City was friendly and took the time to talk to us and smile. I was able to photograph the 7th Annual Cat Fanciers Association Cat Show being held in the City, which in itself seemed like a trip back in time. On a surprisingly vibrant main street, we came across the Deland Discount Music Store. Photographing the display in the window resulted in the image that I call "Proud Parents". The music shop window gave me pause to reflect on the pride our people have shown since September 11, 2001. Maybe this image could have been seen in Deland before that fateful day. However, I am 48 years old and have seen nothing like it in New York where I grew up, in Miami where I went to law school and in West Palm Beach where I have lived for over 24 years. The window display is a sign of our times and shows a slice in the life of two very proud parents. Notice the smaller sign below the larger one announcing their son's promotion to a Private First Class. What a wonderful dedication from parents to a child.
I grew up in a world of protest against the Vietnam war and my politics were formed in the anti-establishment 1960's and early 1970's. That fomentation coupled with the politics of Watergate caused a deep, and what I thought was a healthy distrust for our government and many of its institutions. During high school, my higher education and since, patriotism was decidedly unfashionable. In fact, I do not remember any period in my life when love of country was promoted to me as a positive ideal.
The events of September 11, 2001 stirred in me and many of my generation a pride in being American. This is not the pride that one feels for a winning baseball team that happens to be located in the city in which you live. But it is rather a genuine gratitude for being part of this Country and enjoying its benefits and freedoms. In reflection, I think it odd that these patriotic ideals sprouted in me and others I know in the days and weeks following the attack which revealed just how helpless and vulnerable our country really could be.
The second image, "Patriotic Farmers", was taken after I returned from Deland. The flag was mounted on huge orange crates used by the local citrus industry to transport oranges and grapefruit on the back of trucks. The Memorial was erected a few weeks ago in memory of the September 11 anniversary by Everglades Farm Equipment, a local John Deere dealership on Southern Boulevard, near Wellington, Florida. I had been meaning to photograph this memorial since I first saw it. Finally, after much procrastination I shot this image. The day after the photograph was taken, I drove by and the memorial was being dismantled. This Memorial too is a sign of our times. While the construction is certainly unsophisticated, the message is one of memory and heartfelt patriotism.
I hope to look back on these images in the years to come and think that they represented the outward expression of a new era of genuine patriotism, unity, comradery and spirit among the American people. I am equally concerned that the same look back could evoke a feeling of an opportunity lost and a pride, that in retrospect, will look quaint, old fashioned and corny.
These images, like so many Street Photographs, evokes a question-What will the legacy of September 11, 2001 really be?
(The author, Michael Dubiner is a professional image maker and lawyer who lives in Wellington, Florida. His articles will appear twice monthly on PixiPort. His work can be seen at PixiPort.com and at his web site, duby.com.)
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