Language

This was originally written early 2023, and has languished in the drafts folder. Not sure why. I just hope I didn't use it in another blog somehow. I'm sure one of my devoted readers would point me to it, and then I'll mea culpa or something.

1. St. John's harbour, just because.

A friend noticed that my words relating to photography have changed lately and asked about it. There was a short answer and that's all we had time for, but I've been reflecting about language, and society, and how we do things. 

The actual question was why was I using the word "exposed" in relation to taking film photographs, as opposed to the word "shot", in a sentence like this, "I shot/exposed several rolls of film during our trip."

Some of the terms related to photography are also related to guns and war and hunting. Perhaps that's because wartime photography was one staples of the classic photo journal magazines. The words shot and shoot are used in a variety photographic contexts. Trigger is sometimes used to mean clicking the camera shutter, or setting up lights that fire (another word) the lighting system. Run and gun refers to a style of street photography. Some photographers talk about stalking their prey. 

All of these are words of violence used for what is almost always a peaceful and quiet pastime. We work with a model to create an image. It's a collaboration. Why would we say model photo shoot? It's lazy language, and I'm trying to change.

I'll say photo session, exposing film, create an image, synchronizing lights, or at least I try to. There's a lifetime of habit built up, and sometimes it's not easy to change. Much the same goes for gender related language. If someone tells me their name is Ken, that's what I'll call them, and not interrogate them to find out if it's Kenneth or Kendra. They tell me that their pronoun is 'they' or 'them', and I'm fine with it. 

I don't know that it was a deliberate choice, but lots of our language normalizes violence and the gun culture. We need look no further than the United States for what happens when gun culture is allowed to take over. They think children being shot in schools isn't a problem worth solving. They would rather let man-children strut around thinking they might get to be a hero by using their gun. 

My take is that we should ban all automatic and semi-automaic firearms as a general rule, and create exceptions as needed for police, military, and probably very few others. Don't get me started on the phrase, "law-abiding gun owners." You don't hear about law-abiding car owners when rules relating to cars are discussed, and there's more rules about cars than Carter has pills, as my grandfather liked to say. 

But in some cases we think language is important. Drop 3 f-bombs in a movie and it's restricted, no matter how placid the rest of it is. The amount of violent crimes depicted in the movie doesn't matter. Call someone a liar in the House of Commons, and you'll be ejected, even if it's true. 

Listen to rock and roll music lyrics. There are endless variations on the theme that the girl belongs to the boy, that she is property, that he can win her, that he can regulate her behaviour, that he's been wronged if she leaves him for another boy, and on and on. Don't get me started on rap.

Even with all the changes and advancements women have made, we still hear:

He is assertive, she is bossy or aggressive.

He is direct, she is abrasive.

He is passionate, she is emotional.

He is honest, she is judgmental.

He is quick, she is impulsive.

He is an expert, she is a show off.

It goes on and on. Just recently, a male Conservative MP impled a female Liberal Minister wasn't tough in terms of relations with China. And yet anyone watching the news would see emotional men having a breakdown because their statements are questioned. We see competent women trying to thread the impossible needle of trying to assert their position and being called too pushy, or working with the group and being called weak. They are called shrill because their voices are often higher than mens by a biological fact.

Language matters. Lots of people don't understand that. They say stupid hurtful things, and they try to pass it off by saying they were joking. They were't. When someone calls them on it, they complain about being the victims of a PC culture, or being cancelled. They don't seem to get that there are sometimes consequences for words and actions.

I can remember the spate of airplane hi-jackings in the 60's and 70's, leading to an increase in security at airports. Lots of people were offended that they couldn't make jokes about bombs or guns in the security lineup. It took a few decades, but everyone knows you simply don't do that now. 

I have my own opinions about security theatre confiscating items so dangerous they can't be allowed on an airplane, and yet they are tossed into a barrel with all the other dangerous items to be taken to a landfill, but I'm not going to spout them in the line up to get through the x-ray machine.

Society has changed. There's a lot more humans around now, and we have to make accommodations. Some words have become so offensive there is no way they can be used in polite company. Just like the freedom to swing your fist ends at someone else's face, the freedom to spout hateful words ends with someone else hearing them.

Here's a short day trip from just before the Newfoundland trip. This is a walk with the film camera in what is normally the Glenmore Reservoir. However the water levels were so low it was like walking through a desert. This was along the south side, ending up at the bridge over the Elbow. The film is Kodak Gold 200.

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Of the Day

Driftwood (NZ)

Driftwood (NL)

Film One of the waterfalls on Cameron Creek upstream of the townsite.

Linda

Newfoundland

Right on the edge. It isn't really all that far down this time, but it's a messy landing.