I want my first article to be about an inspiring person. A story about an old Danish photographer named Jacob Holdt. He got rewarded internationally in 1977 for his breathtaking pictures of the contrasts between America's lower class and the upper class.
Jacob arrived to the US with 40$ in his pockets, and ended up staying for more than 5 years. Living and hitch-hiking across the nation and selling blood plasma two times a week to buy camera film, to record his experiences. He lived with the ones that were poorest, those who ate cat food and dirt to satisfy their hunger, and often lived in rat infected areas.
The weak and cynical
Strong but, economically weak mother and her children
He didn't only want to know the weakest in society, but he also wanted to understand everyone else like racists and nazis. So he became member of the Ku Klux Klan and anticipated in their meetings. He concluded that most of the members had experienced a traumatic child hood. Filled with maltreatment, rape and rasistic brain washing. Jacob didn't make fun of them or brag about their world view, but rather lived under the mentality that there is always something good in people, even in the most cynical ones.
I saw the pain and the suffering and I felt, when I showed the pictures to people, they didn’t even know the suffering that was going on in the midst of their own cities.
Some called it ruins, some called it home
Home sweet home
When he returned back home to Copenhagen, Denmark; he published the book American Pictures. It had a big impact on youths across Europe. Especially on Scandinavians and Germans. It was his intentions to support anti-apartheid struggle building a hospital with the money he earned. That didn't happen when KGB approached him and wanted the book to be evidence against president Carter, to show that human right's were viloated just as much in America as in Russia. As a result of the meeting, he decided to not publish his book and got it canceled, but re-published after end of Communism. And today the book needs your resteem.
It's good in everyone
Where we are today
Far-right radicals are alive today. It has been a shift for anti-immigration and anti-integration towards groups that are deemed to be udesireable - rather than characterizing themself with elitism; which is an attitude that certain ancestry, high intellect and wealth is attributes that should be favored. You may also use elitism to describe scenarios were power is in the hands of few people. Many countries today houses intense amounts of elitism, and it is not beneficial.
Jacob Holdt is one of many unknown heros
He showed that it's possible to love your enemy and to peacfully co-exist. Yes, immigrants are overrepressented in crime statistics. But look, they are usully living in city districts that are even more overrepresented in the statistics. The police, policies and scocieties around the world today is undoubtly hard on blacks, muslims, natives and other minorities. I don't believe that solves anything - look where we are today. I believe the best measures against criminality and radicalization is to have a legal income. To work that out, we need to invest in strong social services. And If we do, I am conviced we will be able to harvest fruits such as low crime rate in the near future.
