World Press Photo 2007 Follow Up

Readers of TTP may remember my post of February 13, 2007 in which I offer my opinion on Spencer Platt's photograph of Lebanese youths cruising in a bombed Shia neighborhood of Beirut, and which was awarded first place by the World Press Photo 2007.

Well, it seems that these Lebanese youths have now been interviewed by a freelance journalist, and they certainly appear to be defensive about how their appearance in the photograph was interpreted by the rest of the world. Naturally, they profess that their driving in a convertible car in glamorous clothes was grossly misconstrued.

Here's their explanation as to the reason why they were dressed as they were:

"Hey, we're Lebanese," says Noor. "It's not like we dressed up like this to go visit the Dahiye. We dress like this every day. On any other day, nobody would have given us a second glance. It was the contrast with the destruction in the background that made the difference." There is something the world needs to understand about Lebanon, adds El Khalil. "Glamour is a very important part of life here. It transcends class. Even if you're poor, you want to look glamorous."

"Even when you're poor, you want to look glamorous". What a moronic statement. Has it occurred to these zombies that a lot of their compatriots died in the Israeli attacks?

Here's the full text of the article via PDN