Summary of Deshpande - Darci Peterson

In his essay, "The National Geographic's Misty Lens", Shekhar Deshpande reminds the audience of the beautiful photography we see in National Geographic. The magazine is known for its brilliant photos. With that in mind, Deshpande brings to our attention that the photography is done to sell which means they take and present photos to appeal to the Western eye. He claims, "[W]e forget that the photographs and contexts in which they are placed represent a very conscious effort by the editors to make the world a happy place and a happy place especially for the Western eye" (pg. 2). This means that the Western eye, wants to see happy things and therefor, to sell magazines, National geographic sanatizes and shows the beauty of the world. There is some bias in the photography resulting in a misunderstanding of different cultures through dishonest visual stories.
Though out his essay Deshparde uses examples of stories that the pictures in National Geographic tell and what they have in common. As he explained before, a photo in their magazine shows only what the audience would like to see meaning that the information is censored or in a sense inaccurate. It is often the exotic people who are unlike our culture that draw our interest. Deshpante explains, "The primative, often a focus of the magazine,... [provide an image] of what 'would have been' if the West had not taken a march toward 'civilization'" (pg. 2). The West views the photos of other cultures that are different than the one we live in rather than civilized. This results in others using the West as an example. Social progress is considered to be change that brings a culture more like ours. The more cultures do this the more power we have to influence other cultures. Ultimately, Deshparde is claiming that the way we are shown the world by National Geographic is not completely true. The photography and techniques are used to both inform and sell, therefore there will be a balance of truth and entertainment. It is the world at a misted lens.