In school today we watched a video on war photojournalism. A career I considered for a while, but I gave up on the idea upon the realization that I dont have the heart to stare a starved, war-stricken child in the eye and instead of reaching out my hand, pushing a shutter button and taking his picture. There would be no possible way to explain my cruelty, after those victims of war had been subjected to so much already.

The film moved me to tears. I became enraged with my classmates though, because of their lack of campassion. The reaction to the image of a small child dying of starvation consisted of "Oh damn, that kid is freaky. Why dont they feed him?". And to a teen in Somalia carrying a machine gun, giving the finger to us Americans who watched with anxious video equipment was, "If that kid ever did that to me, I'd drop his fucking black ass!"

It amazes me how ignorant people can be. How cruel. How insensative. How they can just turn a blind eye and think that the US presence in foriegn countries is a grand and wonderful one. NEWS FLASH!.... It is anything but.

When I lived abroad, I was out with some friends once. There were some very obnoxious American tourists in the restaurant. I was with canadian friends, but I refused to speak english with them because I was so embarrased at how they were acting, I wanted nothing to do with them. No association whatsoever. It is sad to me when I must be ashamed of where I come from because of the conduct of my fellow countrymen.

Anyway... the purpose of this journal entry is to find somone out there who is either a war photojournalist, or knows someone who is, and can get me their contact information, because i very much wish to ask him or her some questions. So, if anyone can help me out, that would be great. Thank you