Photography as Civil Disobedience

Posted by Tiff in Funschooling, Photography | Comments Off

One positive thing about limited internet access and no television is that my exposure to what’s going on in the gulf thanks to BP and the massive oil spill is reduced to what I can gather from friends on facebook (via my iphone) and what they say on NPR. I don’t necessarily want to be an ostrich with my head in the sand, but I also feel supremely unable to do anything about it, which normally has the effect of making me sit and watch hours and hours of news coverage while at the same time feeling more and more depressed and helpless, which results in an overconsumption of carbs and sugar.

It appears that, thanks to a policy by BP of limiting access of the devestated sites/cleanup efforts to photographers, there isn’t all that much news coverage anyway. I haven’t been down to the coast to check out how strict this ban on photographers is, but I can tell you that it’s surprising how many places do not allow photography in everyday life.

Not that it’s in any way similar in scope or scale. However, civil disobedience is civil disobedience, whether it’s taking pictures in a restricted oil spill or in a restricted public space…even if it’s a bookstore.

It’s a bit of an oversimplification of an idea that has roots in major resistances to governmental action, like in India, Russia, Ukraine, and the US…but a perfect example to use when walking around with my kids. It’s hard to understand rule of law and political intrigue on a grand scale, but pretty accessible when walking around dealing with store policy.

This particular bookstore has outlawed photography inside of it. I asked why, and the lady didn’t like that. I didn’t like that the lady wouldn’t answer me. So, when she left, I told Naturalist (my partner in crime) to set up the shot. And we took it. And then we discussed following rules (or not following rules.)

We’ve read lots of books about civil disobedience, rule of law, nonviolent resistance, and self reliance to help us figure out how to decide if a rule is one we want to follow or not. It started last year when we focused on human rights (here and here)Giving my kids this freedom of thought was a big leap for me, but I figured if more people spent time feeling like they were in control rather than letting a beaurocracy decide that for them, the world would be a better place. Some of our favorite books on the subject:

but my favorite book ever on this is:

Whenever we go to public places with the camera, and come across photo bans, our discussion centers around what the rule is, if it’s logical or makes sense, and if it’s ethically correct. So…is the ban on photography at the bookstore valid? Is there a real threat of harm or misdeed by taking it? Does any of that make our freedom of expression lesser of a priority? If so, then we don’t take a picture.

I hope some of this transfers over to how they view the rule of law on a bigger scale…in school if and when they decide to go, in life, in government, and in a job. What is the rule? What are the ethics behind it, and do they jive with my own core values? Is it respectful and does it make sense? Simple tools, even when weighing big laws.

Unschooling has allowed us to ask these questions, mostly due to relaxing our own forms of discipline to respect the natural needs of our kids. Before unschooling, rules were followed…both in school and at home. If the rules weren’t followed, then the consequences were some form of punishment. In a process that needs it’s own post, when we started unschooling, we moved away from hard and set rules and towards family ‘principles’. Instead of “No eating food in the living room. It’s too messy.” it became “if you eat food in the living room and it makes a mess, clean it up!”

This has made us all a little more rebellious, a little more aware of our own personal choice in the rules we decide to follow.

“Good men must not obey the laws too well”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Canon 40D
40mm, f2.8
iso 200

This picture almost got us kicked out of the visitor center of Hearst Castle. Heaven help you if you get on the wooden step meant to be stood on!

Share Tweet