Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/05/01

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Subject: Re: Leicaphilia
From: ted grant <75501.3002@CompuServe.COM>
Date: 01 May 97 10:39:12 EDT

Oddman wrote:

<<<Fortunately there are resistance, fortunately there are still some people
keeping to a more noble concept, right across the common propaganda and
conformism.>>>>>>>

Oddman,

If I may: You have some of the strangest outlooks on life, as admirable as they
maybe in your eyes, it is difficult to accept them in total.

I completely believe in and try to always relate to my fellow human beings in a
way I would want to be treated myself. Not an unreasonable way of communicating.

Unfortunately this is a great big cruel cold world run by some Leaders of
countries who don't care a wit about their people and use them merely as slaves
or providers of income for the Leaders lavish life styles.

On occaision I have thought I could change that with my cameras and images of
the down trodden, and you know what? 

"It don't happen in this great big cold cruel world!"

I've come to the basic conclusion of, "lifes like that" and there isn't really
anything I can do, so why bother! Just go about the day doing what I can to
enjoy my own element, that of my family and friends and don't annoy folks who
you can't influence anyway.

Look, life is too short to be knocking your brains out trying to do something
about changing the world in countries where people are still as they were
centuries ago. An example. Is there any point in crying over Afganistan and the
religious war of that state?  If you personally went there right now and taking
pictures of how these religious fanatics are trying to back the clock up
hundreds of years, the chances are you'd have your "whats it cut off" and you
shipped home in a box. If you were lucky.

So why sweat it about us having the enjoyment of the fruits of our labours and
comfortable life styles because we work our asses off acquiring it by, in some
cases working/shooting 18 hour days. 

<<<<It is a common problem in all Western societies. The masses are taught to be
nice and obedient citizens, productive workers, profitable consumers.>>>>>>>

So what's the big deal here? Isn't there human satisfaction to work hard,
produce income for comfort of home and family and to prosper?  

Would you rather we all live "equally"  as the communists like Stalin would have
us believe is a utopia?  Forget that BS, as guys like Stalin and gang lived in
gorgeous villas, ate and drank all they wanted while keeping the "masses in line
with violence and death" Hey same equal opportunity they had.

<<<The masses live and die in an apparent ignorance. Under the surface it
isn't so, of course. We are humans with human feelings and reactions. 

Yep that's true, but who keeps the masses ignorant? Surely not I? Nor the many
others in this forum because we have reasonable good fortune to live in
relatively peaceful countries?

<<<<I am sorry to say that in many of our 'civilized' countries, we are far into
that maelstrom of cynicism, egoism and individual self-satisfaction. The system
teaches us to be like that.>>>>

Aw gee Oddman, it's called creating ones own well being due to effort and hard
work. Look in the US and Canada we have people who sit on their asses and do
nothing because that is what they think is the way it should be surviving in the
middle of the maelstrom of cynicism! On the other hand there are those of us who
say, "screw this, I'm working my butt off and not just going to sit here, so
that I can buy the cameras and collector prints I want!" 

That is my decision, not that that makes me an uncaring human being towards some
peasant in a far away land. My governemnt sends billions of dollars (read here
- -- my taxes) to under privledged countries to help them survive. What pisses me
off is, the damn dictators and Leaders of some of those countries rip off my tax
money to line their villas in gold and ride in Mercedes.

Sorry folks, I apologive for getting seemingly way off Leica topics, but it
comes down to, "Isn't it OK for me to own 3 M6's, 3 R7's and an R8 plus all the
other bits and pieces, if I have worked my ass off to purchase them?"

Despite Oddman's downtrodden masses and cynical western society comments he
unfortunately lives in a completely unrealistic world of ideaology. In my humble
opinion.

I should have stayed in bed this morning! :)

ted
Victoria, Canada
http://www,islandnet.com/~tedgrant