Disrespectful or not?

[Gempress]

I was watching a TV show on the Travel Channel, and it was about Laos. One clip showed a Buddhist ritual. Every day, the Buddhist monks (wearing traditional robes) walk in a procession between the temples. Worshippers line the streets and bring bowls of cooked rice with them. When the monks walk past, they reverently give each one a small bit of rice as an offering. The gifts of rice are the only food the monks are allowed to eat.

Then the cameras showed several Western tourists lining the street. The tourists had their cameras out and were taking pictures of the procession.

That bothered me. Granted, the ritual takes place in a public street. But it seems wrong to me for a bunch of tourists to be snapping pictures of an important, serious religious ritual as if it was some kind of parade. I think that's very disrespectful.

Does that bother anyone else? Or do you think there's nothing wrong with it?

 

[jess2416]

I dont see the difference between the camera that was FILMING it and the camera's that were taking pictures..

both were capturing it but it a different way..

IMO if the people shouldnt be allowed to take pictures then it shouldnt have been allowed to be filmed...

 

[Renee750il]

To me it would depend on how the Buddhists themselves felt about it.

Would I do it? No, not as a tourist. I'd consider asking, though, if there were objections to unobtrusively taken photos as art.

 

[Gempress]

I dont see the difference between the camera that was FILMING it and the camera's that were taking pictures..

both were capturing it but it a different way..

IMO if the people shouldnt be allowed to take pictures then it shouldnt have been allowed to be filmed...

I think the difference was that the TV crew asked and received permission. I feel there's a difference between somebody asking, "May I take a picture of your ceremony?", and a bunch of sightseers snapping away.

 

[AndrewF]

Does that bother anyone else? Or do you think there's nothing wrong with it?

I'm with you on this. Mind you, I prefer not to photograph people in general, but in that situation I'd rather attempt to communicate my hope of getting a photograph and waiting for one of the monks to nod before firing off shots. I figure a bit of respect is far more important and will get me a lot farther than taking a quick snap without any regard for the subject.

 

[bubbatd]

I can understand it .....I took movies of people in Mexico many years ago going up stairs on their knees to a Shrine . It touched me and I wanted to remember it .

 

[sparks19]

I can see both sides of it.

While I don't think it is polite to gawk at someone's rituals... it is such an interesting and uncommon thing to witness.

When should they have asked to take pictures? I certainly wouldn't have interuppted them while they were doing their ceremony to ask if I could take a picture.

but again... I wouldn't want people taking pictures of me sitting on my front lawn. lol

 

[Baxter'smybaby]

I don't know--I guess I would determine the "feel" of the ceremony as to whether or not I would photograph it. I guess what I'm saying is I would use my gut instinct as to whether or not it would ruin the moment/ritual.

 

[Renee750il]

I hope at least no one was using a flash . . .

 

[Jules]

I think it's rather disrespectful. I mean, what would we say if tourists from a different culture would stand in line and take pictures of a funeral? I think people would be outraged.

 

[jess2416]

I figure a bit of respect is far more important and will get me a lot farther than taking a quick snap without any regard for the subject.

but unless you ask the photo takers themselves you cant really say HOW they regarded the subject... maybe it was something that they felt very strongly about and wanted to have a memory of...

who really knows

 

[2BlackDogs]

I can see both sides too. If the camera men had permission to film and air on TV, Some tourists taking pics might not bother them.

But it is disrespctful on the other hand. We gets tourists around here and they take pics of people who live around here doing different things. It's an invasion of our privacy. But it depends how you look at it. Some people don't mind, others do.

 

[jess2416]

It doesnt bother me, seeing as for some things it possibly could be a once in a lifetime thing and they want to have a memory of it...

 

[AndrewF]

but unless you ask the photo takers themselves you cant really say HOW they regarded the subject... maybe it was something that they felt very strongly about and wanted to have a memory of...

who really knows

I guess I look at it from the stand-point that it's easy enough to catch someone's eye, point to your camera and either get a nod or not. And if it was me being photographed, I'd rather someone asked first as opposed to just taking the shot.

With that in mind; if I felt strongly about the subject I'd rather have witnessed the ceremony and not got the shot (and been disappointed with the lost oppertunity) than detract from the participants experience or offend them outright.

 

[ACooper]

I think it's rather disrespectful. I mean, what would we say if tourists from a different culture would stand in line and take pictures of a funeral? I think people would be outraged.

This raises a very good side of the equation to me.

As I was reading and scrolling down, I was thinking....meh, it's not that big of a deal and I didn't find it disrespectful being in a public place. I figured if it was that "sacred" they would do it in a more private setting.

But when Jules put it like that, I can see it in a different light. And while their ritual might not have the same magnitude as a funeral, it might be just as sacred in a different way.

Thanks Jules

 

[Buddy'sParents]

Hmm, I can see both sides of it...

But in a day and age where people race to locations of car accidents and murders and snap shots to put on the internet or when you have some form of the media in your face about this or that.. what does anyone expect from people? We're taught about things by capturing images (and I mean video as well); the ocean, tribes in remote parts of the world, the war. How many of you ask permission before snapping shots at parade? Or a football, baseball, soccer game? Graduation? Wedding? Why should it be any different?

 

[mjb]

Disrespectful to me indicates that the person is acting in a way that shows that they have no regard for the person or event; that they don't think of it as being special or of any worth.

I seem to think of being disrespectful as something you're purposely doing.

These tourists might have the highest respect for what they're seeing and want to show their friends back home.

I guess it depends on if the participants in this ritual find it disrespectful. Some places have signs asking for no pictures if it's a ritual that attracts tourists and would normally have cameras clicking.

My husband just returned from a business trip to India. Before he went, he was told a couple of things not to do or say that would not be appropriate there, but had a different meaning here. If he had not been told and had done the wrong thing, he, at least, would not have meant to be disrespectful!

 

[mjb]

I guess what I was trying to say, or rather, ask is can there be disrespect with no intent? Or is that just ignorance?

 

[SizzleDog]

I guess I look at it from the stand-point that it's easy enough to catch someone's eye, point to your camera and either get a nod or not. And if it was me being photographed, I'd rather someone asked first as opposed to just taking the shot.

Interesting perspective - another way to look at it is that in Buddhism, attachment to the physical world isn't something they strive for...

Based on the Buddhists I've met... they probably didn't even consciously notice or dwell on the presence of the tourists - their minds are in a higher place (or at least that's what they're striving for).

 

[BuckarooT35]

As a photographer, if I take a photograph of a person who can be identified, I asked the "model" to sign a model release. There are laws that photographers adhere to and we do not want to end up in court every time someone's mug shot ended up in our frames. A public procession where there are lots of tourists taking picture is almost the same as taking a photograph of an accident or a calamitous disaster like a tornado: it is a newsworthy event. If these monks are not allowed to be photographed, there should have been a warning somewhere saying or publish in some way or another stating it to be so. Photographs are a way of stopping the moment in time...think of your children's children's children. What if this sort of practice is not practice anymore? Texts handed down from centuries to centuries would be lacking without pictures...