The Age of Ants

“The Age of Ants”

New York City, The Big Apple, and The City that Never Sleeps are just a few nicknames the big city has accumulated over the years. New York City’s population, as of 2011, is a little over eight million people. Many flock to this city for hope of a better future.

            An Israeli photographer came to New York and for the first time saw building that seemed to touch the sky and the overwhelming culture of consumerism that seemed to take over this beautiful place. While the inhabitants of the city overlook the billboards and advertisements, a new comer is bombarded. This culture of advertisement has been overlooked for too long. Advertisements are everywhere, from the grocery store to the movie theater; one is flooded with lies about what one’s life should look like. You must have the newest clothes, cars, appliances, etc., when in reality none of that should matter. In the snapshot taken by Natan Dvir, there is a person sitting in a mobilized wheelchair awaiting the next customer. This is his life. He advertises scarves for five dollars, but sadly the consumer will bargain this to a lesser price without thinking about the bigger issue at hand. This idea of “stuff” has overtaken today’s society. There are thousands of people just like him all over the city. In Central Park there are all kinds of booths selling scarves, pictures, sunglasses, anything one could desire. Not only are they polluting Central Park, but also down Canal Street or Times Square.

            To someone who has lived in New York City his whole life, the advertising is not as blatant, but to a newcomer it is a whole new concept. Dvir had never seen billboards or advertisements so close up. The size difference struck him, to have such a huge add by a human made the human ant size. This is not just pin pointed to New York City, but cities all over America. We all just walk by these signs without thinking about what it is actually telling us. We are only as good as our next purchase, only as good as the things we own. This is the wrong idea. We are all human; we should not be defined by our status in society.

            The picture taken by Natan Dvir gives an image to what has happened to cities all over. The need for more has gone past “keeping up with the Jones’” but is now harmful to society.

http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/page/2/#lifestream