We are the Others with Wing Young Huie

Photography has long been a way to communicate emotions, ideas, and opinions through wordless expressionism through the subjects as well as the photographer.  The photography above, named David and Lou was taken in South Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2012.  The photographer, Wing Young Huie, for 30 years now has been documenting through photographs, the complicated makeup of american cultural realities.  This piece is apart of the collection called, We are the Others, which mainly focuses on the concept of othering which is very present in today's growing society. 

Upon first glance at the image you might see two close friends who are hanging out on the front porch of their house.  You might also find it strange that the man on the left seems to appear under dressed, as it seems that this was a candid photo.  Everything might seem very surface level and might not seem that significant, however this changes upon deeper analysis of the images.  However upon deeper analysis of these two observations can help develop an interesting subtext for american society acting as the melting pot of the world.  When looking at the posture of the two, they seem to be mimicking each other in a relaxed way, showing a strong bond between the two which is also seen in the conversation that Huie had with them.  When looking next at the under dressed nature of the man on the left this seems to be am act of nonconformity that in itself undermines the cultural identity of the Caucasian race.

When looking at this work done by Huie, and Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale which was published in 1985, many similarities can be drawn in how both works use the theme of othering.  This idea of othering is presented as socially dividing by both Huie and Atwood's use of layout in order to convey social ostracization.

Othering is presented through layout through Huie's use of strategic blocking in his image and Atwood's use of Offred's flashbacks throughout the novel.  Huie's use of blocking and staging in his image make the man on the right of the frame appear to be more of the focal point, and pays less attention to the man on the left.  This highlights a main stereotype that we hold in out own culture based on ones dress.  This image is saying that we as a society are more drawn towards the man on the right due to he fact that he has perceived wealth and personal hygiene.  We pay no attention to the man on the left due to the nature of his appearance being poor and underdeveloped, showing that as a society we are more likely to follow the clean and perceived wealthy and alienate the less fortunate. 

This idea can also be seen in the Atwood's novel where the Offred, being apart of the last generation that remembers the old world seems to be alienated based on that fact.  Though her memories she is able to remember past freedoms that she once had, and those around her in the next generation are not able to relate with her on that same level.  So by them not being able to understand where Offred is coming from, ostracizes her from the follower of Gilead's new world order such as the new Offglen.  This idea of trying to erase the past seems to be a present factor in our own society, where we are trying to erase history and rewrite it in the current time.  Seen in the riot to remove Confederate monuments deemed racist, that stood to commemorate the bravery both sides showed.

Huie, Wing. "David and Lou." Wing Young Huie-Blog, 2012, http://know.wingyounghuie.com/