Community Chat

[chickenbutt]

On 1/18/2015 Smaug said:

She couldn't remember where she put the baby

Yeah, my brain got kind of stuck on that one!

[Still Raining]

I think we all have a pretty good idea who these men are and an equally good question is who these woman are. Breaks your heart about the babies.

[Free2be]

Did you read about the young woman who lit her infant on fire in the street?

Not all who give birth are ready or in a place to be a parent.

[brewhaha]

I'm guessing Bill Cosby.

[Lipstickdiva]

Why would the men consider pregnancy? They aren't going to be the ones pregnant. They can do whatever they want and walk away. The woman is the one stuck. They are the ones who should be worried about pregnancy.

Obviously this woman has serious mental issues.

[faeriemoon]

On 1/18/2015 betteb said:

I think I found the men

Well, at least one of them can tell time.

[Free2be]

On 1/18/2015 betteb said:

I think I found the men

Who were these two people? I wondered and could only find their photo has been used on the internet since at least 2008 to ridicule including race and ethnicity even in the Czechoslovakian language. Where are they from? Did they have families? Were they prisoners of war? What did they labor at?

[Say Nay]

The photo is a rather famous one. It's by photographer Roger Ballen, taken 1993. They are twins, Dresie and Casie from Western Transval. His early work focused on poor white South Afrikaners. If you're familiar with Diane Arbus his work is very similar to hers.

[Free2be]

Thank you Gato, I'll look into it further.

[Free2be]

An excerpt from an interview with the photographer:

What is the story behind the Platteland twins image?

Dresie and Casie, Twins, Western Transvaal, 1993

I was driving around a town in the Western Transvaal in 1993 with my wife and children looking for photographs. Upon turning into a street, I noticed what I believed to be an interesting subject working in the garden. I stopped and asked Dresie if I could photograph him. He walked to the verandah of his where his mother and sister were sitting. I asked them for permission to photograph Dresie. As I lifted my camera to photograph Dresie against the verandah wall, a shadow appeared from behind. As I turned my head Dresie’s twin brother Casie appeared. His shirt was clean, as unlike Dresie, he worked inside the house.

What is the most important thing you’ve learnt through your art?

The purpose of my art has always been primarily to learn more about myself. This is a process that continues every day of my life.

***************************************

I feel we learn about ourselves from this image, as well.