DAY 90

SOCIAL & POLITICAL COMMENTARY

Greed

CAN EXCESSIVE DESIRE BE PHOTOGRAPHED?

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, greed is defined as “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something than is needed.” In a social context, greed can eventually lead to an imbalance in resources and in extreme cases place humanity in a position of devastating shortages, pollution, or awash in a sea of unneeded, unwanted, and unusable objects. Apathy and ignorance feed greed and build upon the unnecessary accumulation of “stuff.”

Social and political greed pits community against community, individual against individual, country against country, and corporations against community. Recent revelations about corporate greed, Ponzi schemes, and the irresponsible game mortgage lenders and financial institutions have played, provide fodder for symbols of greed. Placing a photograph of the more notorious offenders next to the word greed in the dictionary may speak to the moment, but universal symbols of greed may ultimately have more impact as a photographic subject.

Is greed a byproduct of progress? Can it be spotted in a crowd of people? What exactly does it resemble? —MLR