William Casey (b. 2000) is a photographer born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He is currently a senior at Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, a residential high school in Natchitoches, LA. His most recent work attempts to better understand the cultural and political dynamics of the United States. Utilizing both original and appropriated photographic media, he seeks to examine the relationship between humans and their surrounding environment. Beyond photography, he also has strong interests in journalism, politics, and computer science.
The Absurdity of American Politics
With the everyday rough-and-tumble nature of American government, in a modern political climate dominated by nasty partisanship and a lack of decorum, it is easy to view the proceedings in our governing bodies as nothing more than spectacle. Politics in the United States, even at its darkest points, at times when Americans are forced to question their faith in our system of governance, are often inherently absurd and comical in nature. The amplified emotions politics can bring out in people — mania, fear, humor, melancholy, fatigue, joy, and any number of other feelings and states of mind — are readily seen in American life, public and private.
But perhaps more than anywhere else, these expressions and feelings can be seen in the halls of government, in congress and state legislatures, often at the edges of a frame on C-SPAN or other public affairs programming. Public affairs programming is, if anything, the epitome of mundane broadcasting, but in the background of these frames the broad range of attitudes and emotions politics bring out in us gives a picture of the ups and downs that exist in American political life.
To view more of William Casey’s work please visit his website.