You see, David, the point is not whether I am desperate or not, as you say, to talk about politics.
The real point is that my very core rejects vehemently the possibility that a person has invested himself of the power to delete my thoughts expressed in writing.
It is about respect toward other people and respect toward an Universal ideal called Freedom.
It is not that I want to talk about politic, it is that if you outline some limits on which my ideas can be expressed you are limiting my freedom.
If the owner and the moderators of this forum care about this ideal that we all cherish, they should also consider the philosophical implications of their decision.
If you believe in an ideal as Universal, you should treat it as such.
When the decision to prohibit political issues was taken I posted my thoughts about it saying that it was an unfortunate decision but I still thought that this was a good forum.
My opinion has changed since then and I don't think that this is a good forum anymore.
Eddie, if you are bored, don't blame me.
why would someone proclaim this a "blackeye on the forum" and participate in the same... I'm trying to follow that logic, but I keep hitting a dead end and my forehead is sore from the violent collisions.... oh, I get it, that's what caused the black eyes
please leave us bruised and defective people alone to wallow in our desperate attempts at human communication... we already know how unworthy we are, why rub it in?
I find myself in agreement with Frank on this point. I find the stifling of the free flow of opinions and ideas is repulsive - especially so in a community that is ostensibly the domain of so called "artists".
Absolutely! The moderators didn't realized, once again, the capital role of the human element of the forum. And it wasn't the first time. First it came the foolish idea to "calm down" the heads by threatening people who happened to disagree with someone else more often than allowed, say 7 times instead of 3 times. Never mind that they did so in all politeness and without any bad language, they stood corrected...
Then it came the new heavy handed moderating of the newest moderator who took his role in a religious manner for the salvation of humanity...
Then the brave, final decision about banning the poor souls who had the dirty idea to clash politically. Not that I could give a damn to all their discussions, as I very rarely visited the Lounge.
What the moderating gods didn't get is the human implication of their decisions.
As you say, the people will stop liking the forum because they feel limited, guarded by moderators Big brother policies and simply not free. As a result, already well visible, people will limit their interventions and resign later generally... After all, nobody participates, for some relevant length of time, because of feeling any duty to answer to newbies over their "which camera... is Siponar B sharper than Garonar T... questions. Without people, feeling comfortable and satisfied putting their ideas on the forum's market the forum will decay as an unusable skeleton of the "correct politics" of the moderators. Old timers started to leave now even more and the newbies with their queries won't last long.
The forum is in a strong decline in terms of the level of discussions while the police is happy that there is calm on streets... They just didn't get it.
And speaking of images, how about images with politics as a topic? Are they verboten too, or do we have to apply for ausweiss?
ausweiss???
whoa, I had to look that up, (not easy to find references here in the USA), the historical references are all SS or Gestapo, but contemporary usage can simply mean a passport, right?
a troubling concept (not the images, but the permission) to say the least, mein got!
(4th of July parade, Granbury, Texas -- subject to individual interpretation)
Oh boy, I haven’t put myself in a vulnerable position since the lounge was for all intents and purposes closed but here goes!
I view this forum as a private home opened up to like minded people to learn, share and network around all things photographic. Through the effort, expense and kindness of the folks who own this site we have a wonderful resource.
Understanding that it is owned and not a public entity I would not apply the lofty ideals of freedom of speech to this specific domain.
If I was in your house and you asked me not to curse, I would not consider it an infringement on my rights. I might say to myself that it was old fashioned but I certainly wouldn’t tell you that you were taking away my most basic rights as an American citizen.
That said, it sure is lifeless around here………
I would like to make one more point. I did object to the mean spiritedness on the lounge especially when it was directed towards Americans serving in the military and/or our Veterans. I certainly would not want to infringe on someone’s rights but it did bother me.
This shot was taken in Whittier, Ca.
It is a scene I shot in a farmers market. Its only intent is my fascination with the dichotomy characteristic of Human Beings in being individuals but also part of a collective.
The fact that the first man from the left is a Vietnam war veteran who has been feeling cheated by his government is purely coincidental.
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