# What's the story behind this photo? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 17, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-this-photo/517851 "2009-11-17T00:57:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-this-photo/517851/1 "2009-11-17T00:57:43Z")
[Who are these guys?](http://ryanericsongcanlas.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/idiots.jpg) I’m praying that it’s photoshopped. If so, can you link the original photo? ---
**Author:** ![Logical\_Phallacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Logical\_Phallacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Logical_Phallacy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-this-photo/517851/2 "2009-11-17T01:04:19Z")
:smack: The halfwit who put together that photo should have typed “Even these guys think **you’re** an idiot” I believe the men in the photo may have [this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cretinism) condition. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-this-photo/517851/3 "2009-11-17T01:04:49Z")
It’s by Roger Ballen, from a series of photographs that he did of rural South Africa. It’s not photoshopped. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-this-photo/517851/4 "2009-11-17T01:08:24Z")
Their names are [Dresie and Casie](http://www.artnet.com/usernet/awc/awc_workdetail.asp?aid=425653269&gid=425653269&cid=142116&wid=425683635&page=1). ---
**Author:** ![wedgehed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8edcca/32.png) [@wedgehed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wedgehed)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-this-photo/517851/5 "2009-11-17T01:19:40Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > Their names are [Dresie and Casie](http://www.artnet.com/usernet/awc/awc_workdetail.asp?aid=425653269&gid=425653269&cid=142116&wid=425683635&page=1). That series of photos depressed the hell out of me. ☹ Thanks for the answers. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-this-photo/517851/6 "2009-11-17T03:57:09Z")
FWIW, I think many of the photos are quite reminiscent of [Diane Arbus](http://diane-arbus-photography.com/index.html)’s stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Serenata67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/serenata67/32/10646_2.png) [@Serenata67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Serenata67)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-this-photo/517851/7 "2009-11-18T13:47:26Z")
I know we had a thread a while back about this photo… It’s in [Why are Stupid Looking People Stupid](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=533662&highlight=roger+ballen) thread (last post 10-01-09) and it’s mentioned again in the [Products of Incest](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=513077&highlight=roger+ballen) thread (last post 6-29-09). ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-story-behind-this-photo/517851/8 "2009-11-19T00:35:25Z")
If I recall my photo history correctly it has been speculated the twins have Martin-Bell syndrome.