Silence is Complicity

In a welcome and timely change of both subject and style, GM turns to political commentary, presenting the extraordinary work of Dr. Ron Masters, an amateur fine arts photographer and world traveler, grieving for the loss of America.

Silence is Complicity artfully uses still life photography to lament the fall of Pax Americana, the American Hegemony, the Washington Consensus, the Western Alliance, and Constitutional Government, each of which seems well along now.

All photographs in this gallery are protected by copyright, © all rights reserved by Ron Masters, and thus may not be downloaded, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any mean without the photographer's express written permission.

Enter

Tears for the Common Man
comment on Flickr Who is so blind as Those who will not see? About 0.75:1 semi-macro, f/2.8. Re-booting my Waysayer Pro account on Mono Monday. Hope yours is as happy as possible, under the circumstances. blackandwhite,bw,monochrome,grief,descent,figurines,hmm CC BY-NC 2.0
Kings
comment on Flickr Turning a blind eye, Not lending a helping hand, Speaking no truth ... These bronze chess kings are based on Aegean Cycladic figurines ca. 3000-1000 BCE. 0.4:1 semi-macro, f/4. king,figurines,chess,closeup,chiaroscuro CC BY-NC 2.0
Silence is Complicity
comment on Flickr Once upon a time—when the world was so new and all—we told each other “See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil”. But now Evil forces itself upon us, worse every day, and silence is complicity. The figurine is derived from a carving on the Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō, Japan. 0.6:1 semi-macro, f/8, no crop. Hope you are maintaining equilibrium, in the World Turned Upside Down. figurines,proverb,macro CC BY-NC 2.0
Failure to Communicate
comment on Flickr Paul Krugman pointed out something I had also noticed: “Sanewashing”. Some professional journalists—conditioned to avoid bias or the appearance of bias—are struggling to express the obvious: The World Turned Upside Down. Former norms and standards have been abandoned. Checks and Balances died with the Constitution. Do you remember the finale of “1984”, when Big Brother changed sides in the long-running war during Hate Week, despite the new ally’s recent atrocities? 0.5:1 semi-Macro, f/11. figurines,closeup,blueandyellow CC BY-NC 2.0
Chaos Gambit
comment on Flickr Looks like Queen’s Gambit, castling long, but so many questions … Have golden royals infiltrated opposition lines? Why are institutions and moral leaders falling? Why does the gold Queen seem distracted and dirty? Why does the gold King hide his face? Explore no.424, 11 March 2025 chess,metaphor,angst,chaos CC BY-NC 2.0
Havoc
comment on Flickr Brought to you by Heedless and the Muskrats. “Comfort the Troubled”, But “Trouble the Comfortable” Is now more urgent. figurines,metaphor,angst,haiku,blueandyellow,reflection,stilllife All Rights Reserved
Four Horsemen
comment on Flickr Heedless, Clueless, Faceless, Speechless. So many disasters in progress. Will there be consequences for the perpetrators? figurines,metaphor,angst CC BY-NC 2.0
Nightmare
comment on Flickr For Mono Monday, because nightmares are best served noir. monochrome,bw,blackandwhite,noir,figurines,metaphor,stilllife CC BY-NC 2.0
Lambs to Slaughter
comment on Flickr In a transition to Mafia-style government, many suppose they can buy immunity with cooperation. stilllife CC BY-NC 2.0
Isolation
comment on Flickr Walls or Connections-- What ought we build in our time? Loneliness is Pain. "Fools rush [out] where Angels fear to tread" --with apologies to Alexander Pope "Foolish pride, that's all that I have left So let me hide The tears and the sadness you gave me When you said goodbye" --Bacharach and David "Where have you gone, Franklin Roosevelt? A Nation turns its lonely eyes to you ..." --with appreciation for Paul Simon, who used "Mrs. Roosevelt" as the working title while writing the song. shot at f/8 figurines,angst,irreparableharm,metaphor,stilllife CC BY-NC 2.0
Truth to Power
comment on Flickr Dorothy and her party confront Oz, a blustering conman, after completing their Hero’s Quest along the Yellow Brick Road. For the #YellowRoad #flickrfriday theme. Dramatis Personae, from left: The Wizard ………. Heedless Demens tyrannus Toto ………………….. Brave, inarticulate, scruffy loyalist Dorothy ……………. Blind Justice, not yet aware of her power Tin Woodsman … Arthritic ancient man, crippled by grief Scarecrow ……….. Wobbly advisor, disabled by uncertainty Cowardly Lion …. Wishful ignoramus, blinded by fear Will Justice prevail? flickrfriday,yellowroad,figurines,stilllife,naturallight,parable CC BY-NC 2.0
Game Over
comment on Flickr Only the King and his minions are above the Law. Handheld, SOOC open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/april-13-2025 parable,protest,sooc,stilllife,naturallight CC BY-NC 2.0