For reasons I will never fully understand, we seem to be obsessed with self-photos–“selfies”–in today’s world, and the simple fact is that we need to take our cellphone cameras and point them elsewhere, perhaps at the beauty of the natural world we see all around us.
So consider this story a warning for those who cannot resist the urge to take selfies everywhere they go. Because María José González, a dentistry student at the Valle de México University (UVM), is in very big trouble for a picture she recently took.
González has sparked public outrage after an image of her smiling next to a seemingly very sick patient was first leaked on Facebook and has since gone viral. The photo was accompanied by this comment from González:
“I was on duty and saw a woman dying and then took a selfie.”
How totally tasteless and selfish can one person possibly be?
When the firestorm of criticism began, González attempted to defend herself on Facebook, writing:
“The picture has been misunderstood, I took it some time ago and yesterday the lady was very sick but I had struck up a rapport with her. She told me some things about her life and as it was my first day of my internship, I wanted to have a souvenir. Yes, I took several pictures but I did ask permission and she did agree.”
González’s insists the picture was never meant to be shown to the public, maintaining that “Someone with a lot of cheek” leaked the photo in order to hurt her and sully her family’s reputation.
Despite her protestations of no-harm, no foul, the University has announced it will conduct an investigation into the picture, saying that the content of the photo does not reflect the “values” of the school.
So the next time you have a sudden urge to take a selfie that might be the least bit uncool, think about it carefully, and, just to be the one safe side, don’t do it.
