I conceived of this photo essay in October 2020 before the presidential election. My goal was to record either how our nation’s capital handled the transition from one administration to another or how Washingtonians would react to the prospect of living four more years with a President who had declared war on the city’s norms. One hundred and nineteen photos comprise this exhibit.
Political Campaign
Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum
I feel as though I am about to exhale after holding my breath for 3 years and 360something days. Many people are calling for a return to normal, but who’s normal are we discussing? I suggest that we are going to have to create a new normal for ourselves, regardless of the outcome of the election.
The Naked Emperor: Part 7 — Christians
We turn our attention to how some so-called leaders of Christian faiths have conned their followers into supporting Donald Trump.
The Naked Emperor: Part 6 — Immigrants
We turn our attention to Joe Biden’s and Donald Trump’s attitudes toward immigration and immigrants and I ask you to take a quick quiz.
The Naked Emperor: Part 5 — Military
We turn our attention to Donald Trump’s suitability to lead the most powerful military apparatus in the world. Our Commander-in-Chief’s relationship with our armed forces is, at best, complicated. Would you want to frag him?
Why Joe Biden Makes Better Sense than the Naked Emperor
This is a series on political issues whose common ground is hardest to discover because of the unbridled passion, shaky rhetoric, and lack of empathy often employed in public discussions.
The Naked Emperor: Part 4 — Police
Today’s headlines focusing on civil unrest reflect our nation’s long, long, long history of conflict between citizens and those publicly and privately employed to keep order on our streets and in our workplaces. The standard Donald Trump operating procedure is to ignore the underlying causes of civil unrest and protests and focus on the few actual reports of violence. On the other hand, Joe Biden has a plan, a holistic approach to criminal justice.
The Naked Emperor: Part 3 — LGBTQ
Today, we turn our attention to Joe Biden’s and Donald Trump’s attitudes toward marriages and personal relationships within the LGBTQ community. I sometimes despair about people’s prejudices, but then I remind myself that both Donald Trump and Joe Biden have changed their minds on this subject.
Third Ed Novak 