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September 11, 2007 9:04 AM Subscribe
Taliban Glamour Shots!(video)
The money shot is the still that pops up at the 4:00 mark.
posted by phaedon at 9:12 AM on September 11, 2007
posted by phaedon at 9:12 AM on September 11, 2007
See, what you should have done was had 50 links to 50 taliban videos. Then you would get all kinds of fantastic comments.
posted by Big_B at 9:22 AM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
posted by Big_B at 9:22 AM on September 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
I am amazed that masculinity is constructed in an entirely different way by a particular religio-political movement in a culture vastly different to my own!
Interesting chat from whoever the guy on the phone was, though, and the story about the clandestine photo parlours too, just not too impressed with the framing. Orhan Pamuk has an interesting exploration of the desire for portraiture in an Islamic society where it's frowned on in My Name is Red.
posted by Abiezer at 9:26 AM on September 11, 2007
Interesting chat from whoever the guy on the phone was, though, and the story about the clandestine photo parlours too, just not too impressed with the framing. Orhan Pamuk has an interesting exploration of the desire for portraiture in an Islamic society where it's frowned on in My Name is Red.
posted by Abiezer at 9:26 AM on September 11, 2007
Huh! So we don't have the market cornered on hypocrisy. Who'da thunk it?
posted by spock at 9:28 AM on September 11, 2007
posted by spock at 9:28 AM on September 11, 2007
That slateV site has a great reminder from earlier this month on what a brilliant representative of itself America elected.
posted by spock at 9:35 AM on September 11, 2007
posted by spock at 9:35 AM on September 11, 2007
Slave V offers some interesting pieces. This is one of them--thanks for the post.
posted by Ricky_gr10 at 10:00 AM on September 11, 2007
posted by Ricky_gr10 at 10:00 AM on September 11, 2007
Dude, show me your weenis... er, Kalashnikov!
posted by dammitjim at 12:05 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by dammitjim at 12:05 PM on September 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
It was interesting what the commentator mentioned about homosexuality in south Afghanistan, but I think they have misread the photographs. They don't appear to have any romantic or sexual tension, but just the sort of friendly affection that I have seen between straight men from North Africa or the Middle East. I think the gay issue is a red herring, only coming up because in the Anglo world men don't touch hands unless they are romantically involved.
The real issue that makes the photographs interesting is, of course, the tension between the banning of photographs and the obvious desire of these men to record themselves.
I was curious - the video didn't explain how anyone knows that these are Taliban members, as opposed to simply a collection of Afghan men.
posted by jb at 12:28 PM on September 11, 2007
The real issue that makes the photographs interesting is, of course, the tension between the banning of photographs and the obvious desire of these men to record themselves.
I was curious - the video didn't explain how anyone knows that these are Taliban members, as opposed to simply a collection of Afghan men.
posted by jb at 12:28 PM on September 11, 2007
These photos were published as a book a few years back.
I don't think the Dworzak is saying that all these guys are gay - in fact he explains that long hair and kohl eyeliner are traditional.
In the book he says the photographers told him the men in the pictures were Taliban. These were the men who never came back after the fighting with the Northern Alliance, which is why the photographers were happy to give him the photos.
posted by little apollo at 12:39 PM on September 11, 2007
I don't think the Dworzak is saying that all these guys are gay - in fact he explains that long hair and kohl eyeliner are traditional.
In the book he says the photographers told him the men in the pictures were Taliban. These were the men who never came back after the fighting with the Northern Alliance, which is why the photographers were happy to give him the photos.
posted by little apollo at 12:39 PM on September 11, 2007
Interesting video and post, thanks!
When a crow flies over Kandahar, he only flaps one wing. With the other wing he covers his tail.
posted by languagehat at 1:04 PM on September 11, 2007
When a crow flies over Kandahar, he only flaps one wing. With the other wing he covers his tail.
posted by languagehat at 1:04 PM on September 11, 2007
little apollo writes "I don't think the Dworzak is saying that all these guys are gay - in fact he explains that long hair and kohl eyeliner are traditional."
He does say that homosexuality is a normal part of Afghan culture, which isn't a huge secret.
posted by mullingitover at 3:13 PM on September 11, 2007
He does say that homosexuality is a normal part of Afghan culture, which isn't a huge secret.
posted by mullingitover at 3:13 PM on September 11, 2007
jb is right on. I totally agree. I got the feeling that the photos were misrepresented as a jibe toward the taliban. I would even suggest that they could have been "evidence" to be used against the subjects.
I'm not really sure, though, if Afghanistan is one of those places where guys hold hands innocently-asexually.
posted by snsranch at 4:13 PM on September 11, 2007
I'm not really sure, though, if Afghanistan is one of those places where guys hold hands innocently-asexually.
posted by snsranch at 4:13 PM on September 11, 2007
Flowers are a surefire way to snuff out the "I'm tough" vibe in photos.
posted by Xere at 8:00 PM on September 11, 2007
posted by Xere at 8:00 PM on September 11, 2007
A friend of mine who had spent time in Afghanistan before it all went extremely Talibanny had a good explanation. In much the same way as myself or other Westerners would have your photos taken in front of the Pyramids or something exotic, many people from the Middle East would have portraits taken in front of chocolate-box Swiss or English cottages, because it would make them look sophisticated and well-travelled.
I picked up the book little apollo mentioned, and the photographer said that when they had to have their photos taken for things like passports, there was often a secret bit in the back of the photo shop where portraits like these were taken. Of course despite the ban on graven images very few were able to resist these sophisticated portraits - as you or I would not.
Sorry for the lack of proper punctuation. I am on a Spanish computer. ¿I cançt work out where all my lovely hyphens Ñ and parentheses and exclamation marks have goneª?
posted by randomination at 7:47 AM on September 12, 2007
I picked up the book little apollo mentioned, and the photographer said that when they had to have their photos taken for things like passports, there was often a secret bit in the back of the photo shop where portraits like these were taken. Of course despite the ban on graven images very few were able to resist these sophisticated portraits - as you or I would not.
Sorry for the lack of proper punctuation. I am on a Spanish computer. ¿I cançt work out where all my lovely hyphens Ñ and parentheses and exclamation marks have goneª?
posted by randomination at 7:47 AM on September 12, 2007
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posted by Poolio at 9:09 AM on September 11, 2007