The famous V-day Kiss in Times Square, 1945, has come to be one of the most iconic images of the 20th Century. It represents uninhibited joy, a playful spirit, romance, and of course, victory.
I couldn't help but compare this famous image to a similar one captured last week during the Vancouver riots. The similarities are obvious: a stolen kiss, the thrill of love and war, and a spontaneity that's undeniably enviable to the viewer (Ahh, to kiss like that!).
As for differences, well, the skirts have gotten shorter. And the context has changed. The youths in 1945 were part of a generation that had just won the greatest war in history, and perhaps one of the few truly worth fighting. The newer one, on the other hand, was taken during a pointless riot in one of the most beautiful cities on earth in what is perhaps the luckiest generation (in terms of wealth, health, education, and privilege) ever to have lived.
That maybe says a lot about the differences between these two generations. Where one was compelled by circumstance to take-up 'the good fight', the other languishes in the apathy of 'the good life', content to burn down the house, just for the fun of it.
Or maybe I'm being too harsh. There're lots of battles left to fight - from climate change, to poverty, and the slow bleed of a corrupt financial system. Maybe the Vancouver riot was just practice for the real thing. What do you think?
