Photography in new demokraty(ies)

[Allen Friday]

The post takes the tenor that there is one idea of democracy that is shared world wide, and that all the rights of an individual in one democracy should be available to all others living in democracies. Mikesheb, above, did a pretty good job of outlining the current law in the United States. But, knowing the rules here, does not mean that those same rules apply everywhere. The law in the US has evolved over the last 200 years.

The idea that photographers can take any picture they as long as they are in public has to be balanced with the rights of others to not have their image used for purposes they don't want. This has been resolved, for now, with the idea of commercial use and artistic use. But, the balancing that has been reached in the US may not be the way other countries resolve the issue. Privacy, and the right to not be photographed, is stronger in Western Europe. It will be interesting to see how the EU resolves the issue.

When I travel, I try to become acquainted with the local laws and customs before I get there. Ever tried to use a tripod in Paris? I don't scream and shout that I could use one in the US. I accept that the rules are different and try to follow them.

The situation described in the original post sounds extreme. But it would have to be evaluated in the context of the development of that society. It sounds like the fundamental balancing of different rights is still being resolved.

[arigram]

In the end is all about power, a metaphorical arm wrestle, which we call Justice/Laws/etc: the one with more power (economic, social, political, charisma, luck, etc) wins.
A journalist and a photographer are usually at the lower end of the food chain, until gets some power (of the above parenthesis).

[Markok765]

Haris, Ovo nije puno lijepo:

Bosnia... You don't have to be crazy to live here, but it helps...

Ja sam zivio u Bih

[firecracker]

I can't even imagine someone to try to make photographs of young(er) (under 18) models.

In Japan, a lot underage stuff (glamourous bikini and semi-nude photos of young teens as young as 11 or 12) goes around in the media, and some of them are not illegal, but very close to being illegal. They are soft porn that you can see in public.

The next thing you know is we have so many pedophiles all over the country, and what we see is that some or many teenage girls sell their bodies for cash in sex hotels and etc to older males. Also, some sexually-obsessed men molest (young) women in the train cars during the busy hours, etc. We have so many crimes that many people think they know the cause so well, but nothing has changed.

I mean this is not an old tradition: This is a new tradition of prostitution. We have a legalized prostitution, but that doesn't mean it's okay for the media to encourage that, too on the minor/underage population. It's very sickening.

And no authority here bans such activities. We have a high number of sex-trade victims and undocumented temporary visitors working in many prostitution houses, but the police don't go out and bust the ciriminals. That is because of the mafia: The mafia has always had a strong tie with some of the high-ranking government officials, and so on. Maybe you can identify them in one group, you know what I mean?

But until they get removed from the power, there's no room for a real change.

[firecracker]

Police brutality happens here in Japan, too just like the U.S. I've only lived in these two countries, so I can't speak about other places.

But what's really nasty about the Japanese police is that during any protest, they team up with the militant right-wing radicals and beat up the lefties. The police don't stop any violence from the right-wing party unless it's real murder, and I believe it's still part of the old MacArthurism.

[Andy K]

Ah democracy! I remember that...

[John Koehrer]

Although the act presented IS an abuse. It is an individual abuse of power. With the police providing the muscle.
Democracy is just so much lip service in many instances. Who hasn't heard of the local sheriff/mayor/etc. who runs his county as he wishes? In Iraq it's the militias.
The bully from grammar school has grown up and not changed at all. Oops, he's better armed.

[nc5p]

Just because something is legal, doesn't mean the authorities will LET you do it. Before any patriotic types jump on me, please understand that 90% of police in the US are locally controlled, they do not work for GWB but answer to a mayor. Police here often tell people something is illegal when it isn't. That something has sometimes been photography. Argue with them and they pull out the tasers. I'm just saying that laws mean absolutely nothing when authorities have higher values, those usually being money and power. This is true all over the world.