We're not afraid

I had an email overnight from Pete Quily in Canada telling me about We're Not Afraid, a blog set up last week following the London bombings that publishes photos from people around the world who aren't afraid:

[...] By saying we are not afraid, we are really saying that although we have lost people, friends, fathers, mothers sisters, we will not become afraid to live as we see fit, to make our own moral judgements, to live good lives, and love each other.

The site says it's suffering severe bandwidth overload as over 4 million hits have been recorded, so they're looking for bandwidth sponsors.

Hans Kullin has a great post about mainstream media reporting on the role of citizen journalism re the London bombings.

A reminder note for your diary - on Thursday 14 July, there will be a two-minute silence at midday UK time (GMT +1) as a mark of respect for the victims of last week's bombings.

Comments

[Stephen]

I received the same email today, and if Im not mistaken, it made the national news last night on TV. I caught the last part of the report where it mentioned that people from around the world were making their own pictures saying were not afraid and it showed a few examples.

Great idea!

[Nevon]

It is a terrific idea, Stephen, I agree.

Feature about it on the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4674425.stm

Plus a great slide show of some of the photos:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/4675027.stm

[Judy Gombita]

Neville, the Globe and Mail’s regular Web columnist, Ivor Tosssell, was of a different opinion about the effectiveness of the We're Not Afraid website.

Comparing the concept to the earlier American sorryeverybody.com website, in his July 15th column ("In the wake of London Terror") he writes,

"Except the concept doesn't really work. Sorry Everybody was fantastic because it married an irreverent premise--apologizing for other [American] voters--to a quirky format. We're Not Afraid hitches its saddened premise to the same quirky format, and the results are just plain off-putting.

Instead of channelling creative anger, the site mostly channels a desire to paint slogans over dodgy digital images. There are a number of anti-terror kittens, and at least one anti-terror Jesus. There is a Wyoming girl pulling down her swimsuit top in the pool ("Do these look afraid?"). The spontaneity of Sorry Everybody is gone, replaced by a sense of routine. Another global event, another photo mail-in. Even its instant media stardom seems perfunctory."

While it remains online and open (usually a maximum of seven days from the date of publication), you can access the full column from this URL (I hope it all translates…the last part of the address reads Technology/):

www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050715
.gtweb15/EmailBNStory/Technology/

(Tossell is much more complimentary about the (participatory) role the Wikipedia website played in helping people come to grips with the London bombings.)