Fake Everything

What I look like -- on Mars.

I recently read an article about the growing practice of "fauxtography" in everyday life. No doubt compelled by social websites like Tinder and Facebook, ordinary people now alter their own photos like the pros have done for years, which is what made them pros. Sophisticated apps certainly up the ante, but even the most basic smart phone lets you smooth away wrinkles on your mug shot.  And who hasn't heightened the glory of a sunset over the ocean on their Florida vacation, making their friends wonder if they had gone to another planet?

It's peculiar that while most people decry "fake news" as criminal behavior, nobody seems to mind faked photos of international tourist sites like the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, Macu Picchu and China's Great Wall. This is a sorry state of affairs since the only way to see the real thing is go there yourself, and I hate flying.  Besides, I have done so on many occasions and have almost always been disappointed, since the "postcard" pictures make everything look so much better. (This was especially true in Barcelona, where I spent most of my time trying to find something as pretty as advertised.)