Christopher Morris’ “My America”
Some haunting images of Bush’s America, as captured in Christopher Morris’ “My America”:
From an interview with the photographer:
Nina Berman: The best description of your work came from a powerful introduction you wrote for an exhibition of your images in France. You excluded this from the book. Can you share with us what you wrote?
Christopher Morris: In the Name of God the Flag and Bush Almighty. This is my America, my New Republic. If the hijackers on September 11 accomplished anything, this is it. They have given us the divine Bush. A man who has said, “you’re either with us or against us.” A man who teaches our children that “they hate us because we love freedom”.
This is my America. An America with Homeland Security, a Patriot Act. An America with paranoia. An America with hatred and ignorance. An America that wraps itself in its President and its flag. This is my America.
Now when I see the eagle of freedom, I see an eagle of fascism. Now when I see the American flag, I’m afraid for my America. We have become an ugly nation. A nation that has wrapped its eyes so tightly in red, white and blue that it has gone blind. Blinded by nationalism. This is my America. And this is why they hate us, and its not because we love freedom. They hate us because we think like that.
Just wondering what your take on the following is: During the 40′s and 50′s people’s rights were eroded due to McCarthyism. During the 60′s and 70′s, there was Vietnam. During both periods, up until/including the 90′s, the cold war. For the last 70 years or so, the American people were not as free as they assumed they were, so my question is; Are Americans more aware of their eroded rights due to the media or is this administration that bad at covering it up?
Comment by satyagraha | October 30, 2007