LFPF censorship and moderation

[Pere Casals]

Let me contribute with my view as a US foreigner.

I'm in Catalonia, Spain, near Barcelona...

Here nobody would consider that was about "politics". Also here there is no debate about if a student can bring a .44 magnum Desert Eagle to a University Campus.

So what it is politics or not it depends on location.

To us U.S. looks contradictory, a child can enjoy viewing how Dirty Harry blows away the head of somebody but a femenine nipple it is a major concern.


Well... if something generates too much controversy then perhaps better to close the thread, but tolerance it is a great thing, if one is a puritan and do not like Transgender issues he can enjoy other threads, at the end it was a separated thread that says "Portraits and Stories of Transgender". Are you a puritan ?? then don't click on Transgender !


Then we all have to realize that moderation it cannot be perfect, mistakes are possible, and we all have to accept that sometimes that is to happen. Also there is no reason to get very angry about it.

A better way is to discus it with the moderator, and see what the limits are, and how they can be improved. Was the text the problem because this site is not about histories? then post the photos and also post a link to the histories.


I think Kent was wrong, and I also think Richard should understand that moderation is not perfect and, with calm, he can discuss about it with moderator.


Also... nice photographs !!

[Pere Casals]

May I point out that this is patently false as long as the Lounge exists. Given the presence of the lounge, this type of subject should at least be open to discussion. In point of fact, I just went through the site FAQ and found absolutely nothing to justify many of the actions the moderators have taken recently to maintain an imagined forum "purity".

If you don't like it, I suggest a change of rules that more clearly supports the moderators' currently-arbitrary actions. . . . or better, a wholesale change of moderators. It seems that when a number of people are complaining, there might be a problem. Certainly I see almost no support in this thread for the moderators' stance. Perhaps there's a message there that should be heard?

My view... what Oren says it is the key: "This is not an art forum. It's a discuss-materials-and-methods forum, with picture sharing as a valued auxiliary feature" .

Lounge it is intended for threads that do not fit in "discuss-materials-and-methods" arena.

Perhaps a possibility was to move the thread to the Lounge...

[lecarp]

I am disappointed in this action by the moderators.

I still support the work of our moderators, but mistakes have been made and to err is human.

note...edited to show that I still appreciate our moderators.

Yes to err is human. However continuing to justify the mistake takes it to another level.

[Sal Santamaura]

...I see almost no support in this thread for the moderators' stance. Perhaps there's a message there that should be heard?

The message that should be heard from my silence until this point is that I'm weary of those complainers who think they, rather than the site's owner and his agents, ought make and enforce its rules. I'm tired of them not going off and founding their own anarchic forums to discuss all the "art" (whatever they decide the word means) they want.

In other words, support for moderators' decisions in threads like this garners only accusations of sucking up. So I've remained part of the 'silent majority' who stay out of the bitch fests until it seems our absence is being used as a cudgel against the moderators.

For the record, I neither participated in the subject locked thread nor used the "Report Post" function in connection with it.

[8thsamurai]

The message that should be heard from my silence until this point is that I'm weary of those complainers who think they, rather than the site's owner and his agents, ought make and enforce its rules. I'm tired of them not going off and founding their own anarchic forums to discuss all the "art" (whatever they decide the word means) they want.

In other words, support for moderators' decisions in threads like this garners only accusations of sucking up. So I've remained part of the 'silent majority' who stay out of the bitch fests until it seems our absence is being used as a cudgel against the moderators.

For the record, I neither participated in the subject locked thread nor used the "Report Post" function in connection with it.

Nice contribution, I'm sure all the things you silently support appreciate your staunch approval of them. For the record, I'm not accusing you of sucking up I'm accusing you of being spineless.

[Corran]

Do you have any proof that a "silent majority" are for (or against) moderator actions??

[8thsamurai]

Do you have any proof that a "silent majority" are for (or against) moderator actions??

Or are even aware that a thread might be locked on a whim because the subject of their photographs is deemed "too inflammatory" for that matter.

[Sal Santamaura]

...support for moderators' decisions in threads like this garners only accusations of sucking up...

...I'm not accusing you of sucking up I'm accusing you of being spineless.

And other ad hominem attacks.

[jnantz]

sorry to see the thread locked - they were really nice portraits and stories
something some photographers can do, and do well ...
that said, i understand why it was closed. it wasn't hard to see it coming on the last page.

And this is why the thread shouldn't have been locked: reasonable people can decide to move on when they disagree with a political agenda, or what they perceive as one. The thread is clearly labeled. Posts that instigate open political warfare can be deleted.

All art is political. It's becoming clear to me that this is actually a forum for gear chat, not art.

Lack of text doesn't make an artistic subject political or not.

part of the problem is that sometimes reasonable people do not move-on, they grind an axe, they cause trouble, they stir a pot.
i am guessing the moderators got "heads up of potential problems " messages about the thread
and it was fine until the OP made the statement that it was a political thread, knowing or not knowing they are frowned upon on this forum
because in the past there were problems with political threads ... and it was unpleasant for most people who logged on,
or who searched using google to find some sort of large format information, and they were greeted with hotheads baiting and arguing...
i am guessing that if the OP ignored kent's post and didn't say anything in response the moderators might have
continued to monitor the posts and the thread might still be open, because while it seemed like a political thread, it was not overtly political.
==
regarding all art being political with or without text ...
i don't make political art, i don't attempt to, and if someone wants
to claim some sort of political subtext about what i do, i will
tell them they are wrong.

[Sal Santamaura]

Do you have any proof that a "silent majority" are for (or against) moderator actions??

Count the number of posters in this thread complaining. Compare to the total number of members. Reach you own conclusion.

Or are even aware that a thread might be locked on a whim because the subject of their photographs is deemed "too inflammatory" for that matter.

First, your premise is flawed. The thread was stated to have been locked because of the text accompanying its photographs, not the photographs themselves.

Second, the thread was stated to have been locked because of complaints and the moderator workload dealing with such things entails. That's consistent with moderator explanations in similar previous complaint threads and by no stretch "a whim."