"The story behind "that selfie""

[applegrove]

The story behind "that selfie"

By Roberto Schmidt at AFP

http://blogs.afp.com/correspondent/?post/Selfie

"SNIP.....................................



So Obama took his place amid these leaders who’d gathered from all corners of the globe. Among them was British Prime Minister David Cameron, as well as a woman who I wasn’t able to immediately identify. I later learned it was the Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt. I’m a German-Colombian based in India, so I don’t feel too bad I didn’t recognize her! At the time, I thought it must have been one of Obama’s many staffers.

Anyway, suddenly this woman pulled out her mobile phone and took a photo of herself smiling with Cameron and the US president. I captured the scene reflexively. All around me in the stadium, South Africans were dancing, singing and laughing to honour their departed leader. It was more like a carnival atmosphere, not at all morbid. The ceremony had already gone on for two hours and would last another two. The atmosphere was totally relaxed – I didn’t see anything shocking in my viewfinder, president of the US or not. We are in Africa.

....

I later read on social media that Michelle Obama seemed to be rather peeved on seeing the Danish prime minister take the picture. But photos can lie. In reality, just a few seconds earlier the first lady was herself joking with those around her, Cameron and Schmidt included. Her stern look was captured by chance.

I took these photos totally spontaneously, without thinking about what impact they might have. At the time, I thought the world leaders were simply acting like human beings, like me and you. I doubt anyone could have remained totally stony faced for the duration of the ceremony, while tens of thousands of people were celebrating in the stadium. For me, the behaviour of these leaders in snapping a selfie seems perfectly natural. I see nothing to complain about, and probably would have done the same in their place. The AFP team worked hard to display the reaction that South African people had for the passing of someone they consider as a father. We moved about 500 pictures, trying to portray their true feelings, and this seemingly trivial image seems to have eclipsed much of this collective work.




.....................................SNIP"

[Tarheel_Dem]

1. The Obama haters here & elsewhere will grasp at anything that feeds their own narrative about....

this family. Screw 'em! Thanks for posting.

[alcibiades_mystery]

2. Indeed...there's a buncha folks should be ashamed of themselves

But they won't be, of course.

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. The clue is in the "recs". SSDD. No matter the topic, if it involves the First Family and can be..

spun negatively, they will everytime. No speculation is too wild for them. Sometimes a pic is just a pic, ya know?

[madokie]

5. +10,000

Vietnam Vets will understand the reference to 10,000

[HipChick]

3. There is no story here..