I have mixed feelings about today’s post so please allow me to provide some context.

Until the twenty-first century, people had a lot of control over whether their picture could be taken. In most situations, people who didn’t like to be photographed or videotaped could opt out and their boundaries would be respected. Criminals exploited this, of course. Theft and vandalism were hard to prove unless someone was caught red-handed. When a criminal was caught, part of the punishment was being photographed against your will and having that image distributed without permission.

Today, that punishment is applied to the guilty and innocent alike, thanks to surveillance cameras, smartphones, and eroded respect for personal boundaries.  Anyone can photograph and film another person without permission. Worse, they can post those images. The disrespectful practice is widespread on social media and it has rapidly desensitized people, eroding our sense of compassion for others and respect for boundaries.

In a society that values humanity, an innocent person’s right to privacy should not be violated by someone who takes pictures or videos of them without their knowledge or against their will. Distributing or posting images of this kind should be illegal. But when people commit crimes they forfeit their right to privacy.

Now to this remarkable photograph. Our knowledge of the wicked deeds of the past usually come from written reports and documentation, and second or third-hand accounts. The picture was taken around September 9, 1900 in the aftermath of the Galveston hurricane, which is, to date, the deadliest natural disaster in US history. Casualties were somewhere between 6,000 and 12,000.

It’s obvious this man picking through the wreckage didn’t know his picture was being taken. Nor would he have wanted it to be, since he was committing a particularly shameful crime. He’s stealing jewelry and other valuables off the dead.  

Look carefully at the background of the photograph.  It certainly shows what the people thought!

Caption on the back reads: “Missed! A deaf looter at Galveston Escapes Temporarily a Deserved Fate.”