This is Why I Call Them "Photo Sessions" and not "Photo Shoots"
Words Matter
I'm interrupting my normally peppy blog posts to share about something that came to a boiling point for me last week.
An Apple News notification popped up while I was busy editing some photos and it really lit a fire under me.
Read the Mashable story here!
I've been fairly outspoken with my gun control stance but I realized that my experience with gun violence goes further than PTSD because it's intertwined with my livelihood and my passion in life.
Allow me to explain further:
I JUST DON'T LIKE THE WORD "SHOOT."
20 years ago, I was involved in a shooting.
I had to hide in the basement with my sister and best friend while our mentally ill neighbor used his semi-automatic weapons to ripe up the entire main level of my home – and terrorize our neighborhood. I was 12-years-old.
He shot my dad and then went after our home, fully knowing we were there. It was summer vacation and this neighbor tracked our daily lives and knew our schedules. He had for years.
My family and neighborhood were lucky. No one was killed.
A few years ago, I made a somewhat comical realization. I'm a person working through 20 years of PTSD and somehow I ended up in an industry that uses words related to guns as a standard.
Photoshoot
“I'll shoot you over there by the window!"
“Trigger-happy” or “Lay on the trigger” is an expression of holding down the shutter button to take a series of images in seconds.
These are just a few of the industry-standard words that I try to avoid whenever possible. I noticed that I would cringe a little every time I used these words in the past, but especially when I heard them thrown around like no big deal. I would often hear these gun-related words intersecting with guns in a joking manner. I'd laugh them off because… what else are you supposed to do in moments like that?
I thought that because everyone else used these words, I should too. Right?
Since having this realization, I've stopped using the word “shoot” in my daily life, but especially in my vocabulary when it comes to business too. I try really hard to be conscious of others' feelings and what may be difficult for them.
Just because I don't understand something doesn't invalidate their feelings or dissolve their lived experiences. Different words carry different meanings and weights to different people.
Every time another shooting makes the headlines, I get angry – mostly at the system for not doing more to stop these senseless acts of violence. But I'm also angry that other people are being added to the club of “Shooting Survivor” which is a better alternative to “Shooting Victim" but still by no means a coveted title. I know how it feels to have daily life impacted when you're struggling with PTSD.
I thought, “If these words impact me as a shooting survivor, they probably impact others too.”
I don't share this to shame others into following suit. It's simply to educate others by sharing my story because I know I'm not the only one who is struggling with seemingly small triggers.
With Love,
-Bre McGee
A little food for thought —
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