B E B E R E

Shocking, yes. But exploitative?

A fair bit of talk on the local blog aggregator today on how ethical the Herald was in posting this photo essay showing a man shooting up and OD'ing in the Public Garden. Somehow I don't think that being exploited was the first concern of the three guys who decided in broad daylight to go out and get themselves fucked up in one of the best-known public parks in Boston in front of scores of families and children.

Personally, I think that we need more on the ground and in your face coverage. Hell, perhaps I should even consider going around my neighborhood and taking pictures of the discarded spoons and needles I see on my daily walk to work.

There is a serious Heroin problem in New England at the moment, with a spike in overdose deaths due to an unprecedented purity of the drug currently available on the market. Rather than pontificating on the legalization of drugs as the panacea to all ills, or going on about cutbacks to addiction programs, perhaps if we'd just get over 'offending sensibilities' and show how ugly and unglamourous shooting up actually is (not to mention how addictive it can be - Seeing people who are desperate enough to make such desperate moves as to get their fixes out in public in broad daylight), maybe, just maybe someone might give pause before taking that first (and potentially addictive) hit.

About a month ago, had to attend a memorial service for a friend who'd struggled with heroin addiction for a good part of her adult life. Was off for a while, got back on, OD'd, died. Such a waste. I should mention, though, that she passed away in the privacy of home, so no one's sensibilities were harmed.