The Case for Photobombing, and Other Acts of Photographic Jihad

If there is one stereotype that I am convinced is true, it's that the modern Chinese takes pictures like a shark needs to swim. Without photography, life would likely hold significantly-less meaning for both photographer and photographee. I don't believe the selfie craze refuted this; If American girls and boys now record an unseemly amount of facial and/or other mundane photography thanks to convenient technology—unwittingly documenting their descent into inevitable old-age and death—Chinese youth probably do so at an even higher rate. Each new flower or plate of food demands a place on the Facebook or the Instagram.

Selfies aside, picture-taking is a harmless, occasionally-adorable habit that brings family and friends together, and I should probably be less crabby about it. It really only gets annoying when they all do it at the same damn time and place, like the pond on campus. Every weekend usually brings a gaggle of the elderly, newly-engaged, and cosplaying. Thus my favorite bench is frequently occupied by a bride, groom, or Naruto. Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but like any commodity their value decreases the more you take.

"Ok, let's take one with the katana pointed 5 degrees lower."