Facing Xenophobia as a Photographer in the US
The wrong guy feels humiliated by his bad experiences here. We should be humiliated, embarrassed at the foolish paranoia expressed by passers by.
About the author: Marc-Grégor is a humanitarian and sports photographer who captures the beauty, dignity and stories of people and cultures. Originally from Paris, France, he currently resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan. You can find his work and connect with him on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and Instagram. This article was also published here.
I really feel for this fellow. he is welcome in my neighborhood for a photo shoot any time.
The Second Experience
Yesterday, with the night and the storm covering Ann Arbor, I decided to go out taking some pictures of my wife in the street. Nothing official, nothing bad. My own pleasure during my evening walk.
(image at link)
A group of young men found it problematic that I was taking a photo of the street that included their house in the background. I tried to explain myself as best as I could, but it did not work well, to be honest. One of them told me that I was certainly stupid since I did not graduate from University of Michigan (so immigrants cannot graduate from UM?).So, how to conclude the story? The first time, I decided to laugh at the situation and ignore it. But being honest, the second time has been rough on me.
I believe that in both cases, those people did not see the harm in what they said and did. Unfortunately, right now I feel deeply humiliated. Almost scared of the hate coming from them.