“The Confident Gaze”

In Deshande’s article, “The Confident Gaze”, it talks about the National Geographic Magazine and how it portrays the life of people in foreign Countries. Some magazines go over the way people live and how they survive and other magazines just cover interesting facts about certain cultures. Every national geographic book is beneficial to you in some way. In the article Deshande states, “It is hard to underestimate the cultural value of the magazine” (Par. 2). I think what Shekhar Deshande was trying to say was that the information on these magazines are very factual and valid. Also pretty entertaining too I might add. Deshande later stated, “One of the clever ways in which National Geographic magazine constructs the image of the other, thereby providing an occasion for identity formation to its readers, is by representing a combination of the traditional and the modern or the Western” (Par. 16).  What Deshande was trying to say by this is that national geographic has clever ways in which they construct the image of something. Also they are relating the modern to the western in the last part of this quote.

The Confident Gaze

In the article by National Geographic’s titled, “The Confident Gaze” by Shekhar Deshpande. Deshpande talks about how a photograph may look amazing and beautiful, but there is also a deep and more than likely dark story behind what lead to that photograph. In the article it’s mainly referring to what India is like compared to what it used to be since it’s “turning 50”. There was a statement that came off to me as somewhat truthful when it comes to many magazine photographs. Shekhar states, “Human suffering becomes worth a good image”. (Par 10) What he means by this quote is the more the countries population is suffering the better it will look in pictures, and even if the situation of the photo may look beautiful, you have no idea what the back story could be behind that photograph. What I mean by this statement is, when you look at a country and see the people suffering it could be for many reasons, one could be from losing a loved one or from losing a home. Photographers will take advantage of these situations so that they can find an interesting photograph that will make their boss’s happy. I believe that some photographers only care about what will make them money and get them fame. There was another part of the article that really caught my eye. It was the quote by Deshpande that stated, “But while it covers or represents such issues or situations, it can sanitize and even beautify the blood and the gore of the conflict”. What I believe Deshpande is saying is, by capturing a photo no matter what is going on in it. Wither it be bloodshed or sadness a photo can turn into beauty no matter what it looks like the people are doing. What I mean by this is, a photographer has almost a direct ability to make a gruesome and horrible situation look radiant. Overall the article opened my eyes to what photographs can really turn out to be, and even if a photo may look appealing it could also have a totally different story behind it.

Deshpande Summary and Quotes

Shekhar Desphande in his article “The Confident Gaze” describes how the National Geographic magazine throughout the years has used mostly images to obtain the attention of the people who buy the magazines or the people in the western culture. The pictures on the covers of the National Geographic magazines are what get the attention of the buyers, even if they don’t always represent accurately what is really happening when the picture is taken. The article starts out by describing the issue “Little India” that was released in July 1997 because India had turned 50 years old as an independent country. The cover image of that issue is of a boy with red paint all over his face which would mean that he was celebrating something at a festival and probably having a good time. In reality the picture represents something else. What is seen on the picture is a very thin tired looking boy. He also looks sad and has wrinkles on his face. If this picture was of a normal looking boy in a normal place then the image would have nothing special about it. Like Deshpande describes that “Human suffering is worth a good image”. Deshpande is saying that once people in the western culture see something unusual or someone who going through pain on an image; then it is worth checking it out because it is not something we see every day.
Deshpande goes on describing how the National Geographic magazine mostly gets its information across through pictures. Deshpande says that “National Geographic is known as a photographic magazine”. So in other words Deshpande is saying that to the people who make the National Geographic magazines really care about what images are included in their magazines and what they represent. If the images aren’t good, then no one will be interested in buying the magazine. In order to sell more magazines the photographers stretch the truth on what the images really represent.

untitled

Shekhar Deshpande has written an article about how National Geographic Magazine attempts to portray foreign countries to the “western eye” and how a good image/photograph becomes more important than the actual problems surrounding it in “The Confident Gaze”. Deshpande claims “this power to transform the most repulsive results of human actions around the world into images that digestible is what makes for the culture of National Geographic.” (Deshpande 2) The essence of Deshpande’s claim is that National Geographic Magazine is able to transform images that are not the most appealing but the photographers are able to show the less “repulsive” aspects of a photograph and instead emphasize the more appealing features to appeal to the western eye. Deshpande also states in his article “Human suffering becomes worth a good image.” (Deshpande 2) Deshpande believes that photography is very important in America and images are very powerful. To get a good photo, if human suffering (such as poverty, famine, natural disaster) is a part of a quality image, then human suffering is acceptable to those who take it. I believe that National Geographic magazine does a pretty legit job of photographing the world and the inhabitants of it. This magazine gives us a window to other places around the world and I think this is a very cool and amazing tool which we have.

The Confident Gaze

                In Shekar Deshpande’s article “The Confident Gaze” he explains how because the Western world cannot handle the actuality of third world countries, magazines like National Geographic somewhat “sanitize” their photographs. Deshpande uses a National Geographic magazine that was published in 1997 on India’s 50^th year of independence. The cover of the magazine is the picture of a young boy painted in red paint staring curiously and intensely into the camera. He suggests that “[t]he “innocent” attractiveness of the photography of National Geographic, its ambiguous representation of the knower and the known as the most “natural” and inevitable parts of our world are what have made for the success of the magazine (par. 7). In other words National Geographic has caught on that in order to catch the Western viewer’s attention they need to make aesthetic situations out of the uncomfortable and different elements of other cultures. With National Geographic photographers often are taking images out of their original context in order to make the world a happy place for the Western eye. This gives the magazine the power to transform the images that no one wants to see into images that are considered beautiful representations. As Deshpande puts it, “[i]t is as if that world needs to be posed in the appropriate way to the Western Observer, he could not see it in its bare essentialities” (par.  12). National Geographic in a way poses its pictures to be both pleasurable to view and still have the ability to tell the story of the “other” world. 

Nation Geografic's India vs. India's India

The confident Gaze by Shekhar Deshponde brings to light an important issue. He has an extreme claim that National Geographic is covering up truth and exploiting people all over the world for the pleasure of the western eye. Deshpodees article highlights the magazine's May 1997 issue India turning Fifty . Deshpone accuses the photographers of not telling the whole story. He says, "From he worn out bricks to the tobacco stains on the teeth the photographers are rich in their content, but entirely dishonest in their relationship to the environment or the context. It is as if that world needs to be posed in the appropriate way to the westerns observer, he could not see it in it's bare essentialities"(par13). He is saying National Geographic is misrepresenting reality. The pictures in the magazine are all about looking beautiful and artistic. One example of the artistic photograph is on the cover of the India Turning Fifty issue. The picture is a close up of a boy covered with red Holli paint. The image has sharp eye catching contrasts with the boys clear dark eyes, the red paint and a rustic grey wall behind him. To the western eye he looks so interesting and mysterious. This sets him apart as different. Set against the grey wall it seems his life is rustic and definitely not modern. The boy has a sort of curious look on his face that could make the westerner feel like he is unfamiliar with the technology of the camera. All this makes for a strikingly interesting image. Look a bit deeper. The boy must be around 9 or 10 at least. It doesn't look like he is having fun but from the paint you can tell is must be the religious holiday were you go around throwing colorful paint on everyone. The boy looks so unnatural standing there not smiling. He should be running around throwing paint on people with his friends. look a bit deeper still. The boy's thin hollow face looks like he is probably malnourished. His lips look cracked and dry which might indicate other heath issues. But the picture is not saying "help make sure this boy has clean watter" it is saying "Look how exotic he is". Deshponde comments that. "[National Geographic] is quite sensitive to trouble spots and trouble contexts; it dose not pretend to evade such situations. But while it covers or represents such issues or situations, it can sanitize and even beautify the blood and the gore of the conflict"(par12). Deshpode goes on to accuse the west of using suffering as entertainment. Concerning the article on India he says. " It provides innocuous details of life in India, without any reference tot he real troubles of the people or the global conditions in which the country is implicated in"(par20). He is saying National; geographic has a very narrow lens and is not helpful to truly understand what is going on around the world.

Deshpande-summary

Jesse Conroy
English 100/0

In Shekhar Deshpande’s Article, The National Geographic’s misty lens, Deshpande claims that the National Geographic deploys us images that we as a western culture will find entertaining. The images show how unlike us the rest of the world is and often suggests this in a way that promotes “they” should be like us. Deshpande uses a National Geographic volume called India Turning Fifty to support his claim. Deshpande states, “The poverty in India, long a favorite and often the only reference for Western audiences is transformed in the pages of the magazine into an observable commodity.” The poverty that takes place in India, according to Deshpande is used by National Geographic’s photographers to develop scenes that will catch the American eye. Whether it be at home or on the table of a dentist office, the magazine pictures can be viewed without being introduced to the conditions the people in the pictures are subject to. Desphande says, “This power to transform the most repulsive results of human actions around the world into images that are digestible is what makes for the culture of National Geographic.” The gleaming pictures in the print of a National Geographic magazine are made to look beautiful even when their subject is not. National Geographic uses this style of photography to sell their magazines. Deshpande states, “It provides innocuous details of life in India, without any reference to the real troubles of the people or the global conditions in which the country is implicated in.” Deshpande is explaining how the pictures are showing us what life is like in India. The pictures cannot show the whole story however. They leave out the poverty and the pain and suffering that comes with it. Westerners often relate to these pictures by seeing how different these cultures are from theirs. Deshpande goes on to say, “The wars and the subsequent arms race since Independence are less important than the plight of urban poverty. The regional conflicts are more important than the difficult conditions of the people in keeping pace with their material wealth.” Most Americans enjoy their lives when they have obtained what we was westerners believe will make “one” happy. Examples of these things are jobs, cars, houses, jewelry and the list goes on. Our material dependency sometime leads us to believe that other people, even the ones in India are looking for the same happiness. When we pick up a volume of National Geographic and view its pictures we miss the importance of what is really going in the scene. We are entertained by the pictures beautiful print and its majestic images. We relate to the scene in the wrong way by comparing these people to ourselves.