Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I didn't try to offend anyone personally with my last message. I was judging certain attitudes and practices, and this may please, or deplease. I am not, however, an oracle, or a guru, so my points of view are what they are, my own humble thoughts. I didn't say that Erwin is "per definition ignorant of or insensitive to cultural or artistic heritage", neither did I treat him "as artistic ignoramus". Neither did I talk about "pictures of either old toilet seats, weatherbeaten old boards, or a lot of people on the street wandering around, or meaningless so called symbolism". I don't consider photography as an art. SEEING is probably an art. I am a documentary photographer, far away from "meaningless socalled symbolism". I don't blame anyone doing his own, quiet photography, being happy with that. I don't blame "amateur" photographers at all, on the contrary. I don't find the terms "amateur" and "professional" very informative BTW. Good photography is beyond that. I blame the priggish and snobbish Leica owner thinking that photography is owning and playing with a Leica, being a member of a Leica Society, being "esteemed" for nothing. I blame the condescending attitudes to other cameras and brands with less glamour than Leicas. I blame a certain unconcern. I have met Leica users in many countries, and I have found all kinds of attitudes. People are different. The LUG is reflecting the same fact. That is why I never complained about the diversity of this forum. We may disagree, but any of us has the right to express points of view and ideas about photography, Leicas and other rangefinders, even about the R8... My points of view are certainly moral, probably "intolerant" as well. We are living in the WORLD, and all our acts may be judged against this world. I know that many LUGers live in a country where the world is defined "differently", or doesn't really exist... Ethnocentrism is a part of the blindness I was talking about in my previous message. You may say: "We don't care", "who cares?", come up with the "political agenda" argument, whatever. I say that you will never get rid of the crucial reality. In our time we cannot live and act as if the world didn't exist. So we must try to approach the way of our individual lives to the way of the world. This is the only responsible attitude. If I am preaching, it's against inconsciousness and irresponsibility. I don't have many illusions about the result of this preaching, but I continue anyway. I also continue my "protest photography" even if I know it is just a drop in the sea. Bear over with me! Oddmund