Originally Posted by
sanking
There is a section in the LFPF called On Photography, dedicated to the of aesthetics, philosophy, history, photographers and photographs. At one time people could discuss in this section political and social issues as they impact photography, or as these issues guide and inform the work of many photographers. And that is as it should be, in my opinion. How, for example, can we discuss the photography of Strand, or Sebastian Salgado, without taking into account their views on politics and environmental management of the planet.
My recollection is that these discussions were very interesting and spirited. People would sometimes go over the line and become abusive and/or rude, at which point the moderators stepped in and deleted the abusive thread, and if it was repeated, banned the offender. However, the threads themselves were not closed or deleted.
Unfortunately, when discussions about politics itself were banned, and rightly so in my opinion, the ban was also carried over to any discussions about photography that involved social and political issues. That was, in my opinion, a bridge much too far, and it has lead to the unfortunate situation the forum now finds itself in.
My suggestion to the moderators would be this, continue to ban discussions about politics itself, but allow those discussions in the area "On Photography" as they relate to aesthetics, philosophy and history of photograph, and the work of individual photograhers. Otherwise, you might as well eliminate the section "On Photography" because some things simply can not be discussed with the kind of restrictions that are now imposed on the members of the forum.
Sandy
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