Imagine that you are walking down the street and all of a
sudden you hear a noise coming from one of the surrounding buildings. When you
look up, you see a man about to jump to his death from the 6th floor
balcony. What would be your first reaction? Save the man or take a picture?
In 2012, a New York tabloid was slammed for publishing
pictures of a man who was about to die. The man was pushed into the train
tracks by a “psycho” and he was desperately trying to scramble to safety before
he was killed by a subway train. The picture of this unfortunate incident was
accompanied with a headline “DOOMED – Pushed on the subway track, this man is about to die.”
Many people asked why
the photographer did not help him or make an effort to try and save this man
but chose to take pictures of the incident. The photographer claimed that he
was very far away to help the victim and the only reason he got those pictures
was because he was trying to draw the attention of the train driver by using the
flash on the camera.
“I saw a body flying through the air and onto the track. I
just started running. I had my camera up - it wasn't even set to the right
settings- and I just kept shooting and flashing, hoping the train driver would
see something and be able to stop. I had no idea I was shooting.”
After the man was killed by the train, many people came with
camera phones to take pictures and videos of the mangled man.
It is on occasions like this one where heroes are made but
was it possible for the photographer to save that man? It is only him who knows because we were not
there.
Just a few days ago I was watching a documentary showing two
buffaloes fighting. It was a bloody battle. The two animals were endlessly
gorging each other’s heads with their sharp horns. They were tired and it
seemed like the only way this fight will end was when one of them was killed. I
was so emotional that I had to change the channel because I did not want to see
which animal would be killed.
This left me wondering whether the photographer of that
footage felt the same way I did but he just had to finish filming the entire
episode because it was his job. It is true that humans have an interest in
watching violence. That is why the Romans had gladiators who entertained audiences
in violent combat with other gladiators or wild animals. Violent sports are
still ongoing in this century although they are not as bloody and fought to the
death as it was in the Roman arenas. People still enjoy watching a bloodyfight.
When I was a kid one of my wishes was to see an airplane at
close range and maybe even touch it. We were living very far from the airport
so each time an airplane flew by my wish was that it falls down so I can see it
at close range. What I did not realize was that those airplanes carried
hundreds of people. It was only after I had grown up a bit that it dawned on me
that if the airplane fell from the sky it will kill a lot of people who are on
broad and maybe some others on the ground.
I started having dreams of airplanes falling from the sky and narrowly
missing me. I still have these dreams occasionally.
The same can be said of many people who watch MotoGP, Grand
Prix, Nascar and other motor sports. We secretly wish to see a crash because
that adds some excitement to the game without realizing that it may kill
someone. It is only after that crash
happens and someone dies that we realize this was not Need for Speed where we
can reload the game. It was real and it was not good that the car had to
explode or flip over like that.
On December 21 last year, in Zhejiang Yongkang City, a
business man invited his employees to spend the summer solstice by having
dinner together. When an employee who had drank too much alcohol lost his
footing while reliving himself by the river, the boss jumped into the river to
rescue him but unfortunately he drowned and perished. The city’s municipal
party secretary and mayor issued a statement calling for people to learn from
what this man did and conferred upon him the title of “hero”.
Coming back to the question at the top, if I saw a man about
to jump to his death, I honestly wouldn't know what to do at first. It would be
a scary moment that even getting out the camera phone and immediately start
taking photos would be the last thing on my mind. Only photojournalists would react instantly
in that situation because they are always on the lookout for the most exciting
or tragic shots.
Image courtesy of stockimages/freedigitalphotos.net
