13 June 2016

Context is essential

For many viewers the image is a touching portrait of parental care and affection. The reason that father and son were naked was because Fox had Salmonella poisoning for which he would soon after be hospitalised.

"Thomas had spent hours in the shower with him, trying to keep his fever down and letting the vomit and diarrhea rinse off of them both as it came," Whitten wrote in her post accompanying the photo.

"He was so patient and so loving and so strong with our tiny son in his lap... I stepped out and grabbed my camera and came back to snap a few images of it and, of course shared them."

But for some people the image is inappropriate at best and at worst has undertones of paedophilia. Whitten has been surprised by this reaction and was shocked when people posted negative comments about what was for her a beautiful moment.

"There is nothing sexual or exploitative about this image," she wrote in the initial post. "I was taken aback by how many people missed the story or didn't even look past the nudity to find the story."
More discussion at the BBC.

19 comments:

  1. Anyone who thinks that image would be sexual has some serious issues. I once spent hours sitting with one of my children as an infant on the living room floor covered by blankets and towels as he vomited and I kept him hydrated, he luckily didn't have a fever or I sure as heck would have been sitting in the tub with him.

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  2. Exactly. The word "projection" springs to mind. That or "concern troll".

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  3. Clever Dad to think of doing this!! And I agree with JDJarvis's first line ~

    Welcome back!

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  4. Shouldn't you be heading to a hospital now, rather than after several hours in the shower, or hours under blankets?

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    1. Not necessarily doctor. Parents use common sense, the simple fact of a fever and sweating does not always indicate the need for medical treatment. Time needs to be taken to assess the degree of illness at home and if symptoms persist then go to a hospital If they get better it might simply be a viral illness which requires no medical treatment. Medically speaking it is completely appropriate to have a chuild in the shower assisting to mitigate theior fever through radiation of heat. This can prevent febrile seizures as can acetaminophen. It seems "people like you" are always looking to be critical and judge the worst in people who are expressing a problematic situation. You might have noticed that they DID take the child to the hospital and I assume the outcome was favourable as they did not indicate the child had died. So how would your criticism have improved the outcome?

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  5. After reading the description, the context is "endangerment of the child's health". If your child is that sick, a doctor visit just might be a bit better than hours in the shower.

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  7. This is fatherhood at it's best. Anyone who sees anything else has it in their own head only.

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  8. It is the, 'and, of course shared them' that bothers me.
    Insufficient care, a father at wits end, a dying child... photo op for me!

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  9. All pictures aren't necessary to share publicly...

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    1. No, but fortunately, this is one that should..

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  10. Every-time I've called a doctor about one of my children with a high fever one of the first comments is "Have you tried a bath or shower yet?"

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  11. Poor baby! That's some serious stuff, too, it can kill. Fatherhood is special - and Father's Day is right ahead. Welcome back (missed you).

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  12. The child is not naked, he is clothed in his innocence. Likewise the man, is clothed in his concern. Nothing to see here but love.

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  13. Absolutely beautiful photo. I would have taken it too, I actually have a couple like this. But as precious as it is I wouldn't have shared it just because of the thoughts in other's heads whether it is a pedo mentality or simply self righteous judgment.

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  14. Why do we try to reduce the symprom of fever? Is it not a part of the bodies natural defence mechanism?

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    1. You are quite correct that in the vast majority of cases it is not necessary or advantageous to decrease a mild or moderate fever. Severe fevers (hyperpyrexia) do mandate cooling - but are probably not part of typical salmonella enteritis.

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    2. A fever is a natural body response and there is some therapeutic benefit to a point. After that a child can have febrile seizures which are potentially problematic.

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