Chapter One: Can Photographs Change the World?

The photograph below connects with me on a personal level. It is photos like these of past nurses that touch me and motivate me to be the best caregiver I can be in my future. Nursing practice started long ago and at these times nurses were not as appreciated. But historic photos like this of nurses today are greatly appreciated because they show the passion that was sparked long ago for caring for others. Like Professor Nordell stated, "If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?". That relates to my thoughts as if no one were there to take this photo, would we be where we are today in our nursing curriculums. The first thing you learn in nursing school is the history of those nurses such as Florence Nightingale. Pictures like this show how far nursing has advanced and they also make me appreciate where it all began.


Photo by: Unknown
Photo Source:https://www.rochesterregional.org/about/history/rochester-medical-museum-and-archives/digital-exhibits/the-nurse-practice-act/

Photographs can change the world, they save precious moments of time and history. The photograph below is a photograph I believe has changed the world. Lee Harvey Oswald the alleged shooter of John F. Kennedy is shown being shot by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby. This photograph changed the world, it might have brought peace or violence depending on feelings about the death of JFK. Bob Jackson the photographer was present at both sites of history. It gave the public closure and information they deserved to be able to see and understand. It was the proof of action because during the shooting not everyone knew who Jack Ruby was, he was referenced as a man in a hat and long dark coat. This shows the importance and dangers of photojournalism. As Jonathan Klein explained in his TED talk, "Since the beginning of photography images have provoked reactions in people and those reactions have caused change to happen." So we must go back before to the parade and to the day JFK was shot and killed, that day was photographed, it was taped as well. Well this image below shows a reaction from that day. This shooting was only two days after the killing of JFK. All of this happened in Dallas Texas, it affected all of America.

Photo By: Bob Jackson 

Photo Source: http://all-that-is-interesting.com/influential-photographs

Now currently in today's world photographs do continue to change the world, citizen journalists capture crucial moments such as police brutality. As Dan Gillmor wrote in his article, "Video and pictures are an equalizer: they’re not the only ones, and most of the power remains with the state, but they can be essential tools to help restore some balance in a system that, in recent years, has tilted in favor of those who interpret “protect and serve” as license to act with impunity." Photographs in situations like these save the innocent and protect the people in our society. He described them as an equalizer meaning that they level out the playing field of what is fair and they are proof of actions currently happening in our world. In this world to get justice we always need proof and photographs tend to be a big part of that proof. I have personally seen footage of this same problem of police brutality on the internet without even searching for them because they have gone viral.

Ted Rall's article Censorship of War Casualties in the US really expands the idea that photographs change the world even further. He is right the public hasn't seen nearly as much as they should about the war currently going on, compared to what was shown during the Vietnam war. Some might argue it is for our protection, but is it? As Ted Rall stated, "Iraq and Afghanistan remain "real" wars in the traditional sense.Thousands of American soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been severly wounded. But images from these "real wars have been studiously sanitised to the point that a well informed news consumer could be excused for thinking that their country's latest wars are virtually bloodless." So in summary to tie all these ideas together, we don't see these things or the government does not want us to whether it is about police or soldiers and war because they know it will make a change and people will voice and stand up for what they believe in. If society saw everything they protect us from we would take action because photographs do change our world. So we must take action and use our technology to our advantage and record this issues and post them for the public the best we can. We must advocate for ourselves and the information that we deserve to have, and citizen journalists face many dangers to do so.