Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 35:814, 2014 Copyright © 2014 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc. ISSN: 0161-2840 print / 1096-4673 online DOI: 10.3109/01612840.2014.954069
GUEST EDITORIAL
Has “Be Here Now” become “Me Here Now”? Marian W. Roman, PhD, PMHCNS-BC University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Dickens’ (1859) famous phrase, “the best of times and the worst of times” seems to fit most any era. We continue to be a society marked by contradictory sociocultural patterns and trends. A recent journey through the inner passage of Southern Alaska starkly heightened my awareness of one current flowing through our society. And—as is true of many such noticings—once awareness was raised, I began to see the phenomenon everywhere. As this was my maiden adventure on a large cruise ship, I was aware that there would be several uncomfortable situations for me—none of which is unique to a cruise ship. I came prepared for the expedition knowing there would be masses of persons and an undue emphasis on food. Upon encountering such, I know how to remove or distract myself or rationalize these situations. However, a different phenomenon presented itself—front and center. Our sightseeing tours of nature were the highlights of the week, taking us up close to marvelous natural phenomena—glaciers, sea mammals, eagles, moose, and bears. Sadly, for many of us on these excursions, before we could photograph these once-in-a-lifetime views, people would jump directly in front of the natural wonder, obstructing the views of others. They were not going for their own perfect photograph nor simply to gaze at the natural wonder in front of them. The rails of the tour vessel were lined with persons whose gaze was 180 degrees from the scene! Their goal: to be the foreground of the scene for their pictures. Regardless of whether these pictures were selfies or group shots, groups of persons were planted in the foreground of the scene, whether it was a glacier calving or an eagle’s nest. These individual and group selfies trumped any courtesy, social contract, or even common awareness of the other. It seemed to be a generational phenomenon; Seniors, Boomers, and Gen Xers did not seem to indulge. My heightened awareness of posing—everywhere—did not diminish on returning home. Then, there it was: The cover art Address correspondence to Marian W. Roman, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing, 1200 Volunteer Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA. E-mail: [email protected]
of The New Yorker (Tomine, 2014), “Memorial Plaza,” depicts crowds at the newly opened 9/11 Memorial Museum. People are standing at ground level, several rows deep, surrounding the multi-story recess in the earth where the towers had been. The scene includes several persons taking cell phone or tablet photos in front of the abyss. One couple—prominent in the foreground—is standing at a 90-degree angle to the scene, smiling, obviously posing for the cell phone photo . . . this time at a disaster memorial. The artist’s depiction of the scene reinforced that I am not alone in this awareness. I realized my internal lens was not unique in this turning: I began to see selfie behaviors in quotidian events, far from the scenic backdrops. Whether they were waiting in restaurant lines, or museum lines, people were taking their own, and others’, photograph. More disconcerting was that I saw many children under three years of age who had developed a photo smile or affect, so that a candid photograph of childhood was seldom captured. It was Madonna’s 1990 hit, “Vogue,” reincarnate in preschoolers: “Strike a pose/Strike a pose.” From Europe, came news of a man seriously gored at the annual running of the bulls in Spain—while running in front of them for a selfie. Then there were news stories of how the pursuit of a selfie contributed to upsets of several cyclists in the early stages of the Tour de France. This photo-taking phenomenon has gone global. Wasn’t this going to be the age of mindfulness? Declaration of Interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
REFERENCES Dickens, C. (1859, April 30). A tale of two cities. London, England: Chapman and Hall. Madonna & Pettibone, S. (1990). “Vogue.” [Recorded by Madonna]. On I’m Breathless. Burbank, CA: Sire Records/Warner Brothers. Tomine, A. (2014, July 7 & 14). Memorial Plaza (illustration). The New Yorker, front cover.
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Copyright of Issues in Mental Health Nursing is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
GUEST EDITORIAL
Has “Be Here Now” become “Me Here Now”? Marian W. Roman, PhD, PMHCNS-BC University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
Dickens’ (1859) famous phrase, “the best of times and the worst of times” seems to fit most any era. We continue to be a society marked by contradictory sociocultural patterns and trends. A recent journey through the inner passage of Southern Alaska starkly heightened my awareness of one current flowing through our society. And—as is true of many such noticings—once awareness was raised, I began to see the phenomenon everywhere. As this was my maiden adventure on a large cruise ship, I was aware that there would be several uncomfortable situations for me—none of which is unique to a cruise ship. I came prepared for the expedition knowing there would be masses of persons and an undue emphasis on food. Upon encountering such, I know how to remove or distract myself or rationalize these situations. However, a different phenomenon presented itself—front and center. Our sightseeing tours of nature were the highlights of the week, taking us up close to marvelous natural phenomena—glaciers, sea mammals, eagles, moose, and bears. Sadly, for many of us on these excursions, before we could photograph these once-in-a-lifetime views, people would jump directly in front of the natural wonder, obstructing the views of others. They were not going for their own perfect photograph nor simply to gaze at the natural wonder in front of them. The rails of the tour vessel were lined with persons whose gaze was 180 degrees from the scene! Their goal: to be the foreground of the scene for their pictures. Regardless of whether these pictures were selfies or group shots, groups of persons were planted in the foreground of the scene, whether it was a glacier calving or an eagle’s nest. These individual and group selfies trumped any courtesy, social contract, or even common awareness of the other. It seemed to be a generational phenomenon; Seniors, Boomers, and Gen Xers did not seem to indulge. My heightened awareness of posing—everywhere—did not diminish on returning home. Then, there it was: The cover art Address correspondence to Marian W. Roman, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Nursing, 1200 Volunteer Boulevard, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA. E-mail: [email protected]
of The New Yorker (Tomine, 2014), “Memorial Plaza,” depicts crowds at the newly opened 9/11 Memorial Museum. People are standing at ground level, several rows deep, surrounding the multi-story recess in the earth where the towers had been. The scene includes several persons taking cell phone or tablet photos in front of the abyss. One couple—prominent in the foreground—is standing at a 90-degree angle to the scene, smiling, obviously posing for the cell phone photo . . . this time at a disaster memorial. The artist’s depiction of the scene reinforced that I am not alone in this awareness. I realized my internal lens was not unique in this turning: I began to see selfie behaviors in quotidian events, far from the scenic backdrops. Whether they were waiting in restaurant lines, or museum lines, people were taking their own, and others’, photograph. More disconcerting was that I saw many children under three years of age who had developed a photo smile or affect, so that a candid photograph of childhood was seldom captured. It was Madonna’s 1990 hit, “Vogue,” reincarnate in preschoolers: “Strike a pose/Strike a pose.” From Europe, came news of a man seriously gored at the annual running of the bulls in Spain—while running in front of them for a selfie. Then there were news stories of how the pursuit of a selfie contributed to upsets of several cyclists in the early stages of the Tour de France. This photo-taking phenomenon has gone global. Wasn’t this going to be the age of mindfulness? Declaration of Interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
REFERENCES Dickens, C. (1859, April 30). A tale of two cities. London, England: Chapman and Hall. Madonna & Pettibone, S. (1990). “Vogue.” [Recorded by Madonna]. On I’m Breathless. Burbank, CA: Sire Records/Warner Brothers. Tomine, A. (2014, July 7 & 14). Memorial Plaza (illustration). The New Yorker, front cover.
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Copyright of Issues in Mental Health Nursing is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
