UPDATE: Turns out I do have some important stuff to blog.

Racism, originally uploaded by dustin3000.

Astute observation from flickr:

Look at the two of these photos on Yahoo News - notice anything different between them? According to Yahoo, black people "loot" -- white people "find."

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UPDATE, Wednesday August 31 11:00pm PST

So, it looks like flickr or the flickr user deleted this image.

I have no idea why.  The last time I checked the link I saw that the number of  comments on the pic had increased two fold.  Trolls were signing up for flickr accounts just to rant and rage.

However, one commenter/flickr user posted an explanation from Chris Graythan, the photographer of the second image.  The commenter did not provide the url, but I hunted it down and found it via a comment on MetaFilter:

From forum at SportsShooter.com (scroll down for Chris Graythan's statement):

I wrote the caption about the two people who 'found' the items. I believed in my opinion, that they did simply find them, and not 'looted' them in the definition of the word. The people were swimming in chest deep water, and there were other people in the water, both white and black. I looked for the best picture. there were a million items floating in the water - we were right near a grocery store that had 5+ feet of water in it. it had no doors. the water was moving, and the stuff was floating away. These people were not ducking into a store and busting down windows to get electronics. They picked up bread and cokes that were floating in the water. They would have floated away anyhow. I wouldn't have taken in, because I wouldn't eat anything that's been in that water. But I'm not homeless. (well, technically I am right now.)

My thoughts:

Should I have posted this in the first place? Should I have waited for  the back story on these images?

Answer to #1 - I have no regrets.   The stark contrast in word usage in the two captions piqued discussions all over the web about implied racism in the media.  That, to me, is a good thing.

Answer to #2  - No. I simply  found and shared it.  However,  I certainly wish a version of the photographer's explanation was worked into the content of  the caption.

I will close with an excerpt and my comment from today's post at  The Bay Area is Talking - Brian, Is the Media Racist? 

Brian Shields, KRON's  blogger, responds to the accusations of racism triggered by the photographs' captions.

"You asked for my opinion and my opinion is based on 23 years of covering major news stories in several major markets across the country. My experience makes me believe this is a case of human error, fatigue, judgment, by someone way way way down the food chain. I see no evidence here of some coordinated racist conspiracy.

Can we have a broader discussion about racism and the media? Sure... and there are some areas where I agree most MSM outlets could do a better job of keeping bigotry out of their product. But to cause a big hubbub about these two captions seems ridiculous to me."

My response:

"So,'conspiracy'? I don't know. What I do know is this - in my duty as a parent, I have to continually impress upon my kid the importance of media literacy, that she critically evaluate the bombardment of certain images, language and the possible implications. Certainly, that mirrors the intent of this post; to challenge those who are creating a “hubbub” out of this issue. But, I tell you, discussing the juxtaposition of these two images with my kid and her friends has them excitedly surfing the web for more examples. And, they’ll probably find more."

Comments

[Darryl Pearce]

Well! Who would've figured?

[nasreena]

Hear, hear!!! Thank you, Grace!!!!!!!!!
Think about having no food or not enough food, nothing to drink, dirty wet clothes,dirty underwear,no shoes,no diapers for the baby, no toiletries or medicines, being emotionally and physically stressed and traumatized and deprived to the MAX, and then talk about "looting", wouldja? Proof that the press is f**king right-wing Republican and racist INDEED. GOD, IT HAS BEEN PISSING ME OFF!!! Thank you for pointing it out on your blog.

[e]

while you are absolutlely correct about these picture captions, it doesn't diminish the fact that looting and anarchy now has taken over New Orleans big time. People still trying to get out are going out armed, it's becoming like Mad Maxx. They are not finding bread in the waters; they are breaking into evacuated homes. "Someone wearing a mink coat, wading through the water." One shot a policeman in the head (it seems he will survive.)

Meanwhile, I see seven comments on your dog; 1 -3 on any of your New Orleans posts. So you see what I mean. Keep blogging and blogging, raise as much consciousness as you possibly can. A month is an unrealistic estimation here; they're talking about maybe opening schools by December 1...

[landismom]

Wow, that is really stark. DH and I were watching the coverage of flooding etc. on Katrina tonight, and noticing how almost everyone pictured in the SuperDome when they were talking about rioting and unrest were black folks. I'm sorry, but put me in a similar situation with my kids, and I'd be mouthing off to the National Guard too.

[pam]

The photo captions don't lie. That's utterly revolting.

I cannot imagine what those people must be going through. Whether they're "looters" or "finders", the law ought to go easy on people who need food and water from the grocery store.

[susanna]

I am appalled. It's so, well, for lack of a better term, black and white.

It's sickening that the media are so elitist and slanted. This is regardless of whether or not it's our "fair and balanced" friends, or the liberal media outlets. They're ALL elitist, and it doesn't matter which side they're on.

They talk down to all of us. And such photos with abhorrent captions will take the focus away from the necessary dissemination of disaster and relief information and turn it on to ancillary issues.

What's important now is not what color the people who are clawing and clinging and surviving are. What's important is that we get them help.

The elitist shits in the media (Us and Them) are despicable.

[nasreena]

I should have mentioned the absolute obvious also: no stores are open. So -- exactly where were these people going to go to pay good money for anything, anyway?

[nina]

Ah, Grace, as always, you manage to blog about the hard stuff that just seems to overwhelm me. This is truly appalling. Everything about the hurricane is so disturbing.

[Lin]

Pretty much the only people in N.O. are the walking poor. And if they're not stuck on some roof somewhere starving and thirsty, just exactly what are they supposed to do? How mean-spirited to even refer to it as looting.

[The Zero Boss]

Hol. Ly. Shit.

[Jen]

Oh my god. Truly fucking disturbing.

[Theresa]

That, is unbelievable. I don't know what more to say, except everyone is right. Sickening.

[Lilly]

Hi! Found you by way of The Zero Boss. Brilliant catch!

Within an hour of reading your post, I noted that in the case of police officers it is neither finding nor looting - it is "commandeering"

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-083005looters_wr,0,562628.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[Melonie]

And they say the press is not biased. This is appalling, but unfortunately not surprising. Thank you for bringing it to everyone's attention because most people would read these headlines and not think twice.

[Jessie]

Wow. That's pretty blatant. And horrible.

[Andrea R]

Oh that is truly sickening.

[Roxanne]

I notice stuff like that in the news all the time. But, to be fair to Yahoo!, those two reports are from different wire services.

[susanna]

I read about a banker who had "purloined" some grapes from a grocery store. Penned, no doubt, by some elitist journalist awaiting his club sandwich from room service via his safe location on high ground in Atlanta.

Also, I hope we all can remember this when we are watching "our" (still an us vs. them problem - even if we're all being talked down to!) news stations. They're all elitist pigs. Newscasters are basically newsREADERS. They're carnie-folk Hollywood types who think they're not only better than the actors they couldn't be, but better than all of us.

While they sit there with their faux-concerned looks achieved only by narrowed eyes and bobbing heads (since their faces are so placidly Botoxed), let's remember that they were excited to come to work today because there was some good stuff to talk about and an opportunity to practice their Method acting.

[momma2mingbu]

WOW. Where exactly are they supposed to go BUY food right now? Can't imagine there are any open stores. I think a month sounds like it can't possibly be enough time to get this mess cleaned up.

[Bill Anderson]

Grace, um, let's see how many ways we can say "us" and "them".

As for development work, we have some serious efforts make in that department in our own society.

Thanks for the stark and succinct post.

[Meghan]

Grrrr......

Thanks for pointing that out. Sadly, a lot of people might have overlooked that. Thanks for being aware and speaking out. Frigging frig frig.

[Janet]

OMG DON'T get me started on this one, Grace! I've seen, firsthand, so much of this (from living with a black man) and I ALWAYS notice things like it *walks off mumbling something about assholes*

[christie]

that
is
pah
thetic!

I cannot believe that!

[sherry]

That is absolutely disgusting. Getting food to survive is not LOOTING.

[MaryB]

See, Grace? This is a perfect example of why blogging has to happen at disheartening/dispiriting times like this. if bloggers all over the internet hadn't jumped on this "looting" vs. "finding" thing - well, who else was gonna do it? We need you and all the other vox populi out there to keep showing us, keep telling us truth. Lord a'mercy.