Showing posts with label cultivated neutrality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cultivated neutrality. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Humans of New York Founder Takes On Donald Trump; New York Times, 3/26/16

Ruth La Ferla, New York Times; Humans of New York Founder Takes On Donald Trump:
"Brandon Stanton, the nimble shutterbug behind the immensely popular photo blog Humans of New York, has worked hard to filter politics and moral judgments out of his posts, intent on maintaining objectivity as he captures his subjects in words and on film, letting them speak for themselves.
That changed last week when Mr. Stanton, 32, shed his sedulously cultivated neutrality to take on Donald J. Trump, excoriating the Republican presidential candidate in a 300-word Facebook post presented as an open letter to Mr. Trump.
“I’ve watched you retweet racist images,” the post read in part. “I’ve watched you retweet racist lies. I’ve watched you take 48 hours to disavow white supremacy. I’ve watched you joyfully encourage violence, and promise to ‘pay the legal fees’ of those who commit violence on your behalf.”
The reaction was explosive...
Shortly afterward, he was summoned by Katie Couric, Yahoo’s global anchor, to appear as a guest on her web talk show, an occasion he welcomed, telling his host, “I want people to think of this as a moral question, not a political question.”...
“I’m not an activist,” he said. “But in keeping silent about a moral problem, I began to feel a lot of guilt.”"