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Joe from Coney Island on Independence Day

Today was Nathan's Famous hot dog eating contest on Coney Island. So I got up very early this morning, went to Coney Island (which is about 2 and a half hours away from Co-Op City) to photograph this crazy contest. I got there about 2 hours before the contest actually started but I had absolutly no chance to see something or photograph something. There have already been so many people lining up for it.
Kind of a disgusting thing... The guy who won last year, won again today but he missed his own world record of 53½ Hot Dogs within 12 minutes. He only ate 49 today... What a looser... ;-)

So no photographs of the International Hot Dog Eating Contest. But I started to walk around on Coney Island (where I got a really, really bad sunburn) and talked to a view people wearing the Amercian Flag in one or the other way on todays Independence Day.

One of the people I met was sixty year old Joe who lives just three blocks away from the beach and who is selling cars. Joe was hanging out on the parking lot, wearing shorts showing the American Flag and his head was covered by a American flag headscarf.
I asked him what the American flag means to him and what the most important thing is which makes the United States so special.
He told me that the flag is kind of a reminder for all the soldiers fallen or fighting in a war. His father died in World War II. It's about showing support for the army.
And what's the thing which makes the States so special? Well, he was born here, he was raised here and he never left the US except for a trip to Puerto Rico (which is part of the States). All people, people from all countries, whether they are from the US, from Europe or from another part of the world, have opportunities. All have equal opportunities and rights he told me. So he is proud to be American.

Posted by Martin Fuchs on July 4, 2005 08:50 PM