Is Ignorance Really Bliss?

   “If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips out your heart, that’s a good picture.” The previous quote stated by Eddie Adams is what greeted me as I entered the Pulitzer Prize Photograph Exhibit at the Newseum this weekend. Since my dad, stepmom, and brother had decided to visit on just about the only rainy weekend DC has had this summer, I decided that the perfect way to spend the afternoon would be to take them to the Newseum. The Newseum is a six story museum that has multiple exhibits all dealing with the press. Every exhibit that I was able to see greatly impressed me. It was extremely interesting to see old campaign adds, the history of the FBI in the press, and newspapers from the 16^th century.

     As our afternoon at the Newseum was winding to a close, there was one more exhibit that I was determined to see, an exhibit of pictures that have won the Pulitzer Prize. I would say that Eddie Adams’s quote was the perfect start to this exhibit. Every picture was powerful, whether it was a picture of two children joyfully playing or a picture of starving children in a third world country. However, one of the first pictures that I saw was the picture that had the biggest effect on me. It was a picture in Afghanistan taken just after a bomb had exploded in a civilian area. On the ground were the corpses of dead children piled on top of each other in a bloody pile. In the middle of the picture was a young girl who had survived, covered in blood, screaming. I found myself, even though I’m not typically prone to crying, tearing up as I looked at this picture. I felt myself feeling sad that this picture is a reality for other parts of the world as well as angry that this young girl’s innocence had just been destroyed by acts of violence beyond her control. One of the things that made me angriest, though, was another woman’s response to the picture. After a quick glance at the photo, she proclaimed “I don’t want to look at this” and walked out of the exhibit.

      I feel that this woman’s response is all too common. While I might be judging this woman too soon, maybe she just couldn’t handle the gore of the picture, I think that her unwillingness to view the picture had more to do with her discomfort of realizing how terrible this world can be. She would prefer to live in a bubble, where everyone is healthy and happy. I hear the phrase “ignorance is bliss” all too often when I describe my internship, which has mostly dealt with slaughterhouse regulations. While ignorance may be bliss, it prevents change that can truly make our world a better place. If we don’t acknowledge that there are steps in our slaughterhouses that could potentially lead to contamination or that there are children in third world countries having to deal with violence on a daily basis, how are we supposed to move forward and do what we can to improve our world. I think it’s important to accept that there are major problems in our world, country, and neighborhood and then move forward to try to fix these problems using whatever abilities we have.

     As my internship in DC winds down, I have stopped to reflect on my time here. I have learned a great deal about the food industry as well as policy making in general. I have also been able to explore this city. This exploring includes not only seeing the sights, but also watching people protesting, going to a congressional hearing, and getting to see a meeting on how safe food advocates interact with our government. I think what has impressed me the most about DC is that even though people disagree, which can stunt changes in our society; most people working in DC truly want to see a change in our country. This desire for change shows that people are accepting problems in our world and are working to fix them in the ways they know how. I have truly loved seeing this. It makes me realize that there is more going on in DC than just politics. My time in DC has been one of the most eye-opening experiences. I have truly loved being in this city and hope to come back sometime in the near future.

~Christy Beck