Tuesday, January 11, 2011

A picture to make one think


The handwritten sticker, found attached to the glass of a tram stop in central Helsinki, reads: "Go ahead and judge" (or "Judge away"). 

Who put that sticker there and for what purpose? Did someone simply think it a cool sounding phrase without a more profound purpose or was it a comment? If it is a comment, what is it about? 

It could be an anti-anything statement, by someone who thinks it's completely right to judge whatever or whoever he or she doesn't approve. Perhaps it was a supporter of the True Finns party who has what the party likes to call a "critical attitude towards immigration" (in most cases amounting to not much more than 'most immigrants don't need protection, they're just here to take our jobs'). Or maybe a Christian fundamentalist who doesn't approve of gays.

Or, it could be a comment AGAINST judgemental attitudes and prejudice, prejudices about specific things or prejudice in general: prejudicial people can go on all they want, it's all just empty talk that has no power to hurt.

It could also be something personal: someone's anonymous comment about judgemental attitudes he or she had met.

What do you think it's about?

4 comments:

grace said...

I think, or my first thought was, judge me anyway, it's who or what I am, so you can judge, but I have freedom from your judging. (makes sense?) meaning, I don't care what you think.

ginab said...

Maybe it's a re-translation of "judge lest ye be judged" which was re-translated from Matthew 7:1, "Judge not that ye be not judged."

hmm.

neat layered photo.

E.L. Wisty said...

A retranslation of that, it's a good idea.

I think I agree with you both. It feels more a positive than a negative thought: a comment against judging others rather than an encouragement to judge others.

grace said...

I always like the positive. We're all on the same page.

Maria - sorry for crossblogging here, but I was just reading @ Gina's about all the berries in your part of the world. I had no idea. How very cool. I would love to hear more. (and pics)