The Way I See It

This air show photo of mine, which appeared on the front page of The Times today, led to this letter that was sent to reporter John Andrew Prime:

The Air Show has always been a wonderful event for me - since I was a child. It seemed to be the only good reason to live close to the base - as the constant din of bombers taking off and landing was more than enough to lead to agitation.

I love the Air Show. I’m a pacifist - but the awe and might of the Blue Angels on display is truly a magnificent sight. The aerial acrobatics are above and beyond expectation - oh, wait, that’s not quite right, they pretty much do the same thing every year.

Your article was very nice. The issue at hand, the reason I am writing, is about the accompanying picture taken by Val Horvath. Below the fold I finally piece together that there is a figure of a child playfully aiming his toy gun at the jets. I’m sure it was an oversight, I HOPE it was an oversight. But it was a little startling.

I’m an extremely liberal person. I feel a tad desensitised by violence in the media - it’s a fact of living on this earth with numerous other human beings enjoying exerting their free will. However, I was more than a bit taken aback by the image.

I just wanted to write to express my opinion. I almost said nothing, but when I gasped at the picture, my father says, “Yeah, it’s pretty bad, isn’t it?” That prompted conversation with everyone in the room during our Mother’s Day celebration and it appeared that we had all shared the same experience.

In war time or in peace, it’s not a pretty image. And, no, it’s not your parenting that put the child in that position. It’s a fact that playing war, cowboys & indians, hell, even Risk, is a part of growing up (well, in the case of Risk, it’s a part of BEING an adult, at least in my case).

I’m rambling. I just wanted to let you know that I thought the placement of the picture lacked tact.

Thank you for your time. Also, thank you for your work, as I have always been an admirer.

Any thoughts?