Deshpande’s Summery with quotes

Summery: Shekhar Deshpande’s article, “The Confident Gaze” is about what National Geographic does to get the pictures that everyone wants to see. Deshpande himself says, “[h]uman suffering becomes worth a good image”. In other words Deshpande believes the photographers for National Geographic will do anything for a “good” photo. I don’t think National Geographic should take pictures that aren’t real or are misleading because we need to know the truth about human suffering so we know how to help those who are suffering. Deshpande says “It is slick, it is technically flawless or even adventurous, and it attempts sanitize and universalize the uncomfortable as well as different elements of other cultures”. In other words Deshpande believe we try to change whatever we think is not “normal”. I think we are stupid to want to change other cultures because people take pride in their own culture and I don’t think it is are right to take that pride away. Deshpande goes on to talk about how National Geographic beatifies situations so they don’t look as bad. They are censoring what we see and not showing us gruesome details. Deshpande explains how the western culture sees other cultures and how judgmental we are. If we don’t like something, we change it. How can we change cultures that are not our own? Deshpande implies that the only thing National Geographic wants to do is satisfy the viewers. I think National geographic can do this with out falsely representing what is really going on in “third world” countries. One of Deshpande’s main points is to respect the “other” world. I don’t think other countries will let you change their culture if you don’t even respect their culture.