Poor Image: Child Soldiers

The current pic on Child Soldiers is really fuzzy and doesn't exactly get the "soldiers" aspect across. As a replacement, how about this◊, of the Children's Crusade?

I really like this Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain◊ shot.

Conversely, another Phantom Pain image◊.

edited 5th May '15 10:09:03 AM by ThePope

The first one's good, but the second one is pretty small.

Because I sense too much happiness in this place, may I suggest utterly depressing real life photos?

1◊

2◊

3◊

Among those, I prefer 2 the more.

I think it shows the aspect of "Being forced to hold up guns by adults" a lot.

edited 5th May '15 10:19:45 AM by dRoy

A crop of the first one I posted of just the first guy and the child would probably get it across pretty succinctly.

I'm on a work computer, so image editing software is limited to MS Paint.

bleeds internally*

edited 5th May '15 10:23:54 AM by ThePope

Several good ones. Not sure which I prefer.

Better version of the current◊.

The problem with the current isn't so much the coloration, but that they're...happy. Child Soldiers are many things; happy go-lucky misfits would not be a qualifier I'd use for them, even in fiction.

edited 5th May '15 12:12:06 PM by ThePope

I have no problem with them being happy. Don't see it as a part or non-part of the definition.

edited 5th May '15 12:20:39 PM by AnotherDuck

Added Duck's version as a quality upgrade.

The original picture works, but the first suggestion, The Children's Crusade, seems to work better in my opinion.

I'm not a fan of any of the other suggestions just because, even when they're a fantasy image, they look real and the whole idea of real-life child soldiers is depressing. We all know that the trope happens in real life, and I don't think we need to be depressed even more by being visually reminded of the fact.

So my vote goes to The Children's Crusade.

Suggested caption might be "The best known example of Child Soldiers, The Children's Crusade" Maybe with a note "They were all captured then sold as slaves"

edited 7th May '15 12:18:40 AM by Melkior

for 9

The fact that this happens in real life and is depressing should not be ignored. Child Soldiers should not be embellished or lightened; it's a dark reality that rears its ugly head in fiction, and as such would be best represented that way.

I think I prefer current.

The Children's Crusade honestly looks more like The Children's Parade to me.

By that logic, violence and bloodshed happens in Real Life and should not be ignored. Violence and bloodshed should not be embellished or lightened; it's a dark reality that rears its ugly head in fiction, and as such would be best represented that way.

In both, your argument and the above, Statement 1 is factual and true. However, Statement 2 is pretty subjective and is not supported by Statement 1. Nor does your conclusion.

edited 7th May '15 7:59:44 AM by peasant

Violence can be funny, serious, tame or lighthearted.

I really don't see how child soldiers can be anything but depressing. Embellishing them as "pesky little scamps" is just unnerving.

We don't make morality statements. "Should not be embellished or lightened" is irrelevant for a page image.

Well regardless, I personally think the Phantom Pain image is a better Child Soldier image than the group shot of happy-go-lucky kids.

But I guess that's for the masses to decide.

I like 9. Looks clear enough.

The first Phantom Pain one, that's a game? Holy crap.

Works for me. But if not then this from 24.

My best pic is still the OP suggestion (Crusades), but 9 is also a good contender. Don't like any of the rest.

Crowner?

For me, I would keep the current one but with a bit better quality.

A crowner would suffice.

One thing: this trope is nothing short of a tragedy when it happens for real. If we want to talk about the image then maybe something that plays it more straight than the current one.