Interesting short video (Hebrew, with Hebrew subtitles), with accompanying text, exploring the phenomenon of Charedi paparazzi, as well as looking at the related Gedolim photo magazines, Gedolim cards, stickers, and albums.
Among those shown are Maran Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit"a, a photographer who specializes in Sephardi gedolim, Gerrer and Vizhnitzer Rebbes, along with an analysis of the levush of Chasidic Rebbes, with a commenter comparing different bekeshes for home and away from home of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe to different football (USA soccer) uniforms for home and away games.
In this coverage, the proliferation of, and explosion in the amount of such photos, is viewed quite positively. According to the video, children who now play with gedolim stickers and cards, previously would play with cards of football/soccer stars or movie stars, with their accompanying negative sights and influences. So it was seen as being much better for them to play with gedolim cards instead, even if the photos end up on the floor sometimes.
That logic seems sound. So even if I might have reservations about some aspects of it, and it wasn't exactly that way in the alte heim, I am not going to blast the phenomenon at large at this time. Kids need things to do, and we have to consider the alternatives.
