How to solve bickering

[BrianShaw]

I must be missing something -- an undercurrent that is just too subtle for me (or, I have not been paying attention). When did Cindy Sherman's art/gender become an issue as a broad-based male opinion? I don't know much about Sherman. I'm sure she is a swell person. I don't particularly like her work; it just isn't my style. But so what... I don't like the work of many men. I don't think this has anything to do with genitalia... from most people's perspective.

[Brian Ellis]

+1.

I'm not in general an 'eye roller', but I can get sad/aggravated at the gender bias here. There may be as many women as men interested in LF these days. LF is for the patient, and if I can be excused my own gender bias, ...

That said, blessings on all the great guys here who don't have a misogynous bone in their bodies, and +infinity for all attempts to keep this a civil place, rich in real photography -- both the art and the science.

a female LF photographer

One small thing that might help with the gender bias you perceive here is for female participants to use their first names or a female "alias" instead of their initials or some non-gender-specific screen name. That way we'd at least be consistently (MOL) made aware of the fact that this isn't an almost-all-male group (which it appears to me to be).

Until you mentioned that you were a female I could offhand only think of two regular female participants and a third who was active for a short time but hasn't been around for a couple years. I'm sure there have been others that don't immediately come to mind (and perhaps there also are others like you who don't indicate by their screen names that they're female) but not many.

Speaking of screen names and reducing bickering, one thing that would help a lot IMHO is to require the use of real names instead of fake screen names. It's far too easy to be rude and obnoxious when hiding behind an anonymous screen name. I don't know how it would be enforced, maybe just on the honor system, but at least it would reduce the present ease with which one can be a jerk when posting as "anseladams" or "jmn" or whatever.

[Preston]

speaking of screen names and reducing bickering, one thing that would help a lot imho is to require the use of real names instead of fake screen names.

+1

--p

[Winger]

He recently got in trouble for saying that a practice at a certain location was dumb. He was right, but one of the supervisors took it personally. When called on the carpet by our EVP, he defended himself. He was told he had to be more sensitive to the feelings of others. He explained that THAT was what was wrong with our organization: everybody is too sensitive. When the EVP asked how he would feel if someone was insensitive to his feelings and made him mad, his answer was very to the point. "This is where I provide for my family and that is very important to me, so I don't let myself get mad. Besides, there's nobody in this company that is smart enough to make me mad!"

Especially that last line sounds like something my husband would say.
I use my handle at all photo sites; it actually is based on my middle name. When I was first online it was not considered safe to use your own name, especially for women. And at the time I was working in law enforcement and didn't want to make it easier for people involved in cases to find me. I like my screen name.

[Winger]

I must be missing something -- an undercurrent that is just too subtle for me (or, I have not been paying attention). When did Cindy Sherman's art/gender become an issue as a broad-based male opinion? I don't know much about Sherman. I'm sure she is a swell person. I don't particularly like her work; it just isn't my style. But so what... I don't like the work of many men. I don't think this has anything to do with genitalia... from most people's perspective.

I agree with this, too. I didn't think Cindy Sherman was that big of an influence overall that she was such an issue. I think she shows a little more creativity than the endless "here's a house repossessed and empty" portfolios I seem to have seen in the last few years.

[dwross]

Real names is definitely an idea whose time has come, despite the drawbacks. I've signed my name as "d" since I was a kid, well before internet forums. I've had many opportunities to be thankful for that habit, but times change -- or at least they do with good will and honest effort. I'm adding my full name to a signature.

d

[coisasdavida]

11. When the zombie invasion comes, friendships will have value. Hortatorical opinions will not.

Rick, would you allow me to use this as my signature?

[rdenney]

Rick, would you allow me to use this as my signature?

Only if you don't attribute it to me, heh.

Rick "gladly giving this one to the public domain" Denney

[cosmicexplosion]

it should definitly be attributed to you, why on earth not, its the seed ofr immortaliy!

[gary mulder]

Most people have the experience once in a while. You're taking pictures in a small town and getting tired you stumble into the local pub. Man are standing at the counter. You know instantly all attempt to start a conversation will be futile. You will dink your coffee end leave.