Re: Leicaphilia -Reply

[Greg Reddick <greg.reddick@tmhe.com>]

WELL SAID!

>>> ted grant <75501.3002@CompuServe.COM> 05/01/97 09:39am >>>
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