Check out these kids..

[JM]

Have you ever seen a more upper-middle class family in your life?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesandscottie/195139127/?#comment72157594225758804

[stoph]

so theyre blonde and blue eyed, and their parents are well off. so what? wheres the beef? last i checked it wasnt a crime to be successful and to provide for your children..

[magicgoo]

Yeah. What are we looking at a normal family for again? This thread needs to get a little more interesting fast, or I'm gonna close it up.

[Shamagim]

Is a family...



...point?

[JM]

I'm simply interested in the sociology of it. It's more than just a family, it's a portrait of being class secure. The kids seem like they will grow up without any individual reality at all, and only exist within the whole context of their white shirted siblings.

[stoph]

again i ask the question - wheres the beef? is there something wrong with living a sheltered, secure and plentiful life? must one really endure hardships if one can avoid them in the firstplace?

[JM]

I'm not trying to encourage living without or being poor, it's about reality and enjoyment of life. Not living in a social structure that dictates your every move.

I have no "beef", just an observation.

[Shamagim]

Do you dislike people that are socially secure? What is individual reality? How much do you know about realities aside from yours?

Is just a picture, give them a break.

[Craig D]

I'm not trying to encourage living without or being poor, it's about reality and enjoyment of life. Not living in a social structure that dictates your every move.

I have no "beef", just an observation.

Do you think their social structure dictates "their every move" any more than any other social structure? I think it's unlikely.

I think you need to do some more observing

[JM]

Wow, I might as well have said "I am working on a book urging the beating to death of baby whales using the dead bodies of baby seals."

I'm not disliking anything, just that it's interesting to see such conformity. I have never seen a family like this. Sorry that you misunderstood, but the reason I posted my observation was to see if anyone else might relate. I didn't think that it would cause this kind of reaction.

[llothcat]

Frankly, they don't read upper middle class to me.

I'm thinking much lower, perhaps working class. That beach could be anywhere, house rented, and shirts from the 10 for $5 place next to the 99 cents store. For that matter, they may not even be related to each other. The people may only care about appearances.

[Cwn Annwn]

Wow, I might as well have said "I am working on a book urging the beating to death of baby whales using the dead bodies of baby seals."

I'm not disliking anything, just that it's interesting to see such conformity. I have never seen a family like this. Sorry that you misunderstood, but the reason I posted my observation was to see if anyone else might relate. I didn't think that it would cause this kind of reaction.


Well, I'm not reading the photos the same way you are either.

I flicked through some of the other photos the person had, and it seems that they're a just a family doing family things taking posed happy snaps.

Yes they're color coordinated in a lot of photos. How do you know it wasn't just something they did for the photo shoot because the photographer thought it would look good? Passing judgement on a family's position within class structures and making assumptions about their parenting techniques as well as personality traits of the children seems a long call to make from just a few photos.



I guess I'm not relating.

[Blue]

5 bucks says the girl is gonna be hot when she grows up. Double or nothing says she will be wild too.










i feel like i'm gonna goto hell for that comment.

[2100]

Aww, aren't they adorable

[Carnifex]

5 bucks says the girl is gonna be hot when she grows up.
might be.
i admit this pic is giving me abit of a brainfart though...it's like a toothpaste ad or something.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesandscottie/195139270/in/set-72157594207325561/

[entdroid]

Wow, that last one reminds me of that movie... you know, the one with white-haired and red-eye evil kids... I can't remember the English name of it.
I find that pic rather creepy, they don't look very "normal" to me.

[stoph]

village of the damned. freaking funny movie.

[corky13]

OMFG...blonde hair and blue eyes ! they just got to be arians...burn them !

Foto is meh , but i rather think they will pretty much rebell when growing older and turning into very interesting people...remember , we aren`t our parents...we dont have to be like them...I myself grew up that way , conformistic and catholic..and what now ? Im a tattoed , long haired , kilt-wearing metalhead artist with pagan beliefs...BOOYA ! ;)

[Elwell]

Commie ;)

[corky13]

LOL ! :D
nay...not really :D

[Lohan]

I see what Julianna is saying. They pretty much are the stereotype for a successful, privelaged white family. You have to admit its kind of funny, I've never seen photos like that from a real family I know, more like the placeholders they put in picture frames.

[John]

On another note, wouldn't you find it disturbing if someone dragged your photos onto a forum to discuss wether something is wrong with your family?

[Carnifex]

i guess this kind of family has the word "artist" filtered on their internet settings:D

[Shamagim]

Just family photos, nothing more to it.

And what John said.

[Qitsune]

I only have one bro but as kids we were both blond and blue eyed(and so were most of my cousins,) I hope you guys don't find OUR family photos.

[Derram]

Wow, I might as well have said "I am working on a book urging the beating to death of baby whales using the dead bodies of baby seals."


That is SO going in my sig! :tihi:

[Blahm]

Everybody is rich in america. Didnt you know? I wipe my arse with hundred dollar bills.

Thay being said. these people look dirt poor, i wouldnt be suprised if the next time you go to the slave market to replace that last servant you beat to death for breaking a glass, you saw these kids for sale. And they would probly be cheaper if you bought them in bulk.

[Joeslucher]

wow. I thought Odayga's threads were the most pointless threads ever, then I find this. This is Worst of CA worthy. You're not even putting forward an opinion on the pic that nobody cares about. That's worse than posting a thread asking people to be nicer to ponies.

[JM]

Haha, geez. This is great, some of the comments here are really smart but alot are missing the point. It seems most of you are too proud to say "I know what you mean", or "I realize where you are coming from, but I think..."

Perhaps people generally make posts like this one to cause some kind of reaction or bash things, and people get really defensive if they feel it's not funny and requires actual thought. It seems no one is interested in this kind of critism. If it's not something running on TV most people don't go into it.

I really do like this picture though. I've never seen such a class-secure family, except in maybe a Good Housekeeping magazine. Here's a comic that sort of explains what I'm getting at:

http://catandgirl.com/view.php?loc=348

Again, I don't dislike or hate this family, but I do believe my point is compleatly valid. I can see this photo in some art gallery or something and titled "Upper-middle class Family" maybe. Since we are artists here, I thought some might have recgonized what I saw in this picture and the eventual point I was trying to make.
But it seems however, that no one is willing to see any truth in what I am saying from what I can see happening, and it will be an argument that leads nowhere.

[Gloominati]

hmmm well it's a family not more, not less, though I must say that they really remind me on these oldschool b/w TV ads, makes me kinda agressive.

Jep and I have to agree with Blue, just to meet the devil himself, lol.

[paperclip]

NOBODY has a perfect life and I feel sorry for people who envy other people their lives. You just don't know what other people go through during their life- their parents may split up, they may have to endure a sibling's death, a painful accident, clinical depression &c. It bothers me when people mock other people for reasons that aren't their own. These are children. Give them a break.

[creatix]

I'm simply interested in the sociology of it.

The study of sociology should have one simple rule.


Spend more time worrying about yourself than everyone else and society would be better off for it.

[Bowlin]

5 bucks says the girl is gonna be hot when she grows up. Double or nothing says she will be wild too.


I'll take that bet! See me in 20 years.

[brokk]

Julianna, I think I get where you're comming from actually, and I agree. I just didn't feel like posting before, and I'm sure there are several users who feel the same way.
The people that respond to a thread are not the only people who read the thread, just compare replies to views.

[dfacto]

I dunno what's wrong with some of you people. The photos with everyone in white are clearly "children of the corn"/"weirdo cult" creepy.

[Shamagim]

The thing is, Julianna, your reading of this picture scares me, it makes you "look" ( not be) like an judgmental person who believes knows the right and the wrong way of doing things.

Perhaps having this kids and dressing them all in the same clothes with the same haircut creeps you out in the way that it shows to much structure.

Perhaps you believe that that amount of structure in a way of raising will enclose their world and make them understand things differently, but that is not a big discovery. What could make it interesting is that this looks like an extreme case.

All that aside you have to remember that this is only a picture, professional photographers do this "themed" compositions all the time, so as a picture it doesn´t read as much as you think it does, it needs more elements to actually make it look like is absolutely true that is their reality, and not some cute idea of a picture...


Perhaps one thing you have to keep in mind is that you can´t really read people as far as you might think...Or you will become someone who will slowly begin to judge a book by its cover...Like some people I know.

[llothcat]

who..me?

[entdroid]

Shamagim, I invite you to look at the other photos this person has in its account. I you do, you'll find out two things: 1-apparently the blondest of the boys and the girl are not siblings of the other three (:P), and 2-the photographer is most likely one of the parents of the three boys, which in almost every photograph are identically dressed (or in a very similar way). So I don't think there's any professional photographer involved here. Just some parents who apparently don't encourage their kids individual selves much. Reminds me of the Brady Bunch or something.

And I think Julianna was just commenting her interpretation of this picture, how she felt about it. You have a different one, but that doesn't make you less judgmental, does it? Judging something positively (or not-negatively, as you prefer) it's still a judgment. We make them all the time, even if we don't openly admit it. Whenever we see something, we must give it a meaning (which is always, of course, based on our knowledge, culture, raising, etc.). I really don't see the problem of it. If judging a book by its cover wasn't something people do, a lot of artists here wouldn't have any work to do :P

And btw, I'm not sure if your interpretations of Julianna's comments are less "judgmental" than her thoughts on the pic. No offense intended, just something to think about.

[Shamagim]

entroid, thats when words like "perhaps"," It might be", "look" and "seem" come to play.

And thats my entire point... I haven't said anything about what I think about this family but that they seem to be a family ( judgmental??), but if I had to say anything about them there would be at least 20 possibilities to think about ....and that is thinking about it.

To decide one of those possibilities right away and make it into a fact to a discussion seem wrong, unproductive and unessesary, specially when it comes to people and how they look.

Also just how individual are "normal" people anyway? For that matter how normal are normal people? Whats normal?



I hope I don´t have to post anything else from this point, this is starting to be to much of a deal.

[Bammer]

Wow Julianna, you are incredibly prejudicial.

[Main Loop]

worst discussion topic ever

[Jens]

jesus man, look at the living room... it doesn't look like uppermiddle class to me.. they probably had a wedding or a family party or something, dressup like that..

really stupid discussion

[JM]

Wow Julianna, you are incredibly prejudicial.

There is a difference between speculation through observation and judgement. Judgement is based on a moral or value system and is imposed through an individual lense.

You just judged me...based on your own lense and interpretation. It doesn't mean it is a fact, it's just what you think and you are entitled to think that way. You are no different than I in considering certain ideas based on the signs in the photo.

Get over youself :)

--------------------------------------

Continuing on:

If I were an anthropologist, I would simply observe and describe. I'm sure you would still say I was judgemental. However, judgemental is a word used to describe a reaction... based on emotional response. Observation leads to speculation... or is it hard to fathom that outer appearance can give signs and clues? Forensics uses these skills all the time, would you call them judgemental?

What I am observing is the power of conformity within a social group or gathering; the need to identify and mark an occasion with ceremony. It is a micro family event which mirrors meta events in cultures from the ground up. It is a process whereby we all learn to conform and fit into society. We all do it. We are all programed even if we think we are not. The only way around the programming is to be aware of it. If you think you are not programmed you will go through life with blinders on.

Your labeling me as 'judgemental' tells me your programming.

[Elwell]

This is Worst of CA worthy.
worst discussion topic ever

really stupid discussion
Quoted for truth.
Unlike other stupid threads this, has generated neither humor nor worthwhile discussion.
Somebody, please, put a stake through it's blond, white shirted, petit-bourgeois heart.

[magicgoo]

Closed. Let's not be weirdos and look at kid pics.