I have been staring at it now for 5 minutes.
It is most definitely not a happy place but it is an awesome (in the classical sense of the word) photograph.
Giants.
The march of history.
A beast slouching towards Bethlehem. A new world being born. Horrors.
It’s all in that photograph.
The expressions on their faces cause me wonder if they were all fully aware of the effects of their decisions. Roosevelt and Churchill seem sort tired and distant and resigned. Stalin seems almost smug.
Maybe I’m just working off of my preconceptions…
I know exactly what you mean.
I don’t think this is the Yalta Conference, is it? Not sure which one it is though…
No – not Yalta – this is when they met in Tehran. 1943.
slightly off topic – I hope you dont mind me copying the “Happy Place” concept. I think you have the right idea by doing this. There’s enough “not-happy” things going on right now…
best,
I love the happy place idea – can’t wait to see what you pick, Sharon. :)
Look at Churchill. Slouching. God I love that guy.
Stalin does look oddly smug.
Roosevelt looks more resigned than tired to me. Sort of like he’s telling himself, ‘chin up, old man, there’s a lot at stake here’
And Churchill…welll…
Cousin Winston!
(no, seriously – I learned this weekend I am distantly related to the guy).
he looks more tired than anything, but I almost get a hint of a smile from that expression, like he’s looking forward to his big dinner or his cigar or whatever simple joy it was that he thought of to keep himself going…
There is a lot in that picture. I don’t think it’s reaching to say that Stalin looks smugly, defiantly self-confident.
It’s hard for me not to draw a comparison between our leadership then and our leadership now…
I love Churchill’s hat. And I love FDR’s suit.
And miker –
I completely disagree with your nostalgic attitude to a time gone by when leaders were … what … great? Stalin’s sitting right there – he’s not so great. Uhm – Warren Harding? What a boob he was. There were Roman emperors who were jackasses and retards. I could go on.
I dunno, I could see that photo with today’s leaders, L-R, Saddam, Blair, Bush, in that order. Go on, picture it, you’ll see. PS Is Bush a BRB???
Carrie -hahahahahaha
No, my point is that there isn’t some misty past where leaders were great and smart and now they’re all assholes.
I think nostalgia, in general, is a mistake. I mean, we all do it – and it’s okay, if it’s within your own personal life, but with history? Very dangerous. In my opinion. I call people who submit to that thinking “hell in a handbasket people”. I roll my eyes listening to them wax nostalgic about some mythical day in the past when everything was awesome.
And … hmmm. No, Bush is not a BRB. I don’t get “BRB vibe” off of him. hahahaha I need to now come up with a list of politicians who ARE BRBs.
One of my best friend’s favorite comments when he sees the younguns all gussied up with their punk rock duds is, “Get your own nostalgia!!”
I threw Bush’s name into the BRB list cause didn’t he go up to someone at one of those big wig meetings and start rubbing her shoulders and cause a big stink? I think it was the same meeting that he got into trouble for his ‘Yo, Blair’ shout-out. I’m thinking Bush is not so much one of those touchy-feely love-me-love-you hippy dippy BRB, but if he is one, it’s more of the open shirted gold chain trans am tight jeans sort of one, which you know if you think of him in the 70s, that’s it, isn’t it??
hahahaha The images running through my brain!!