Exploitation, bordering or otherwise, is a strong statement, Asher. Where that line is drawn is where censorship is born. First and foremost I would like to say the protection of children should always take precedence over anything else. But when is a cry of 'Save the Children' cloaking the truer cry of 'The message you are sending is making me uncomfortable'? The message is provocative, there's no denying that, but we must take pains to not damage that child's future expressions by creating a world where expression must be in an easy to swallow format.
But to the issue at hand: Was this child, deliberately or unintentionally, exploited?
Main Entry: exploit
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: take advantage of; misuse
Synonyms: abuse, apply, avail oneself of, bleed, capitalize on, cash in on, employ, exercise, finesse, fleece, get mileage out of, handle, impose upon, jockey, make capital of, make use of, maneuver, manipulate, milk, mine*, play on, play*, profit by, profit from, put to use, skin*, soak*, stick*, use, utilize, work
I have chosen to use a Thesaurus due to the broad interpretative nature of the term. But by now, after one has read the list of synonyms, I hope it is clear that any artistic use of a child can be termed as exploitative according to the subjectivity of the accuser. The high school students smoking pot in the film, 'The Breakfast Club'--A child (maybe eight years of age) pointing a gun at his brother in the film, 'The River's Edge'--The Todd Solondz film 'Happiness' presents a scene of unparalleled horror to the observer when a child is staring into a toilet at the blood from his bowels. He does not comprehend that he has been drugged and raped by an adult. Gangsters in films using children as human shields...etc etc.
These are all forms of entertainment and to provoke can be to entertain.
If you meant abused when you used the term 'exploited' then I see no abuse of a child here. If you meant his image was 'misused' then you state ill-gotten gains by the photographer and isn't that a matter open to interpretation? I, for one, see a message here against alcoholism. To see the child....'cherish a bottle of Vodka in sensual innocence is only a very small part of the picture in my mind but can emotionally blind us to the rest of the message. His face is dubious or guilt ridden as to the usefulness of the concoction in the photographs. But then he seems curious in another. What this stirs is our protectiveness and for me, it repaves my understanding of how deep alcohol is entrenched in human affairs. It brings it home in a way never before and I thank the photographer for that and for the courage of the method of ingress. The soft lighting, the allure of alcohol, the attack on our own innocence: It's all there, not as an endorsement, but simply as an eye opener. If we look, we notice the doors of perception are swung wide open, again, due to our protectiveness of the subject.
I applaud your protectiveness Asher. I would also, however, imagine a more broad minded appreciation of what art can be. Nonetheless please check the inside of your cheek: You might find a fish hook, line and sinker there with a note attached to it that says: Untitled -------*smiles*
