Why do people find the Diane Arbus images of people with down syndrome offensive?
I studied this topic extensively in modern photo history as well as photo history 1 way back when. Arbus does indeed have a polarizing effect on people, either you love her or you hate her. Basically the people who take offense to Diane Arbus’s photos is that they say Arbus exploits her subjects disabilities or abnormalities from the perceived norm. It is not as if I can’t appreciate this concern, I feel we need to protect these people as well, but I think it is an awfully superficial analysis of her work. If there is any unjust cynicism or exploitation of her subjects it is certainly with the people who project notions of being normal. Take for example these images http://www.chinaphotography.com/photogra… http://www.photoman.co.kr/photo/photogra…
