[Leica] Re: Political Correctness

[Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>]

Political correctness is the "bane" of modern day greatness.

It is a term and concept that is procreated by pure ignorance.

The concept that people in a particular culture are capable of documenting
their own situation whether robust or under duress, in terms understandable
by yet a different culture, is ludicrous.

Even if they are not under duress, their existence is all they know and
documenting it "as you do Tina" would be a totally foreign concept. The
"first" and "second" world would be completely and totally missing the
existence of a unique culture. And in the case of duress, missing the
ability and desire to help.

Political correctness is an impediment to the freedom of expression that
the great artists, the literati, require in order to produce great works.

Political correctness is the conformity to a belief that language and
practices which could offend political sensibilities should be eliminated.
It could possibly be tolerated if kept to its narrow definition. But it has
spread like a plague to cover anything and everything that could be
construed, by even a single individual, to be inappropriate. Regardless of
subject or scope. Regardless of background or history. Regardless of
reality or fantasy.

Political correctness is the "bane" of intelligence. It is the constricting
sphincter that chokes off creativity at the root and produces a tepid,
benign, sea of mediocrity. Great passions are lost. Great minds are lost.

Political Correctness is simply a tragedy.

Anyone who uses the guise of Political Correctness to accept or reject a
great body of work, a great contribution to mankind, is simply a fool. It
is their stupidity that will keep them from knowing the great artists, the
literati, of today.

So Tina, put them on your "black" list and go elsewhere. Certainly not
everyone has succumbed to this great numbing of inspiration and vision.

Jim




At 07:18 AM 7/18/00 -0400, Tina Manley wrote:
>Dear LUGnuts -
>
>The Project Workshop in Santa Fe with Sam Abell was very good.  Sam is a 
>wonderful teacher; however, I learned something that was both enlightening 
>and disturbing.
>
>My project is "Las Familias" - an exhibit (possibly book) of my photographs 
>of Honduran families.  I learned that many galleries will not accept my 
>project because it is politically incorrect - I am a photographer from the 
>first world photographing people in the third world.  To make the project 
>more acceptable it was suggested that I involve the families in the project 
>by (a) giving them a camera and letting them photograph their own lives (b) 
>getting them to write comments about the photographs.  (a) wouldn't work 
>because the people I visit don't have time to take photographs - they spend 
>all of their waking hours trying to feed their families (b) might work with 
>a tape recorder but many of the people I photograph don't read or write - 
>and several of the families in the project were killed by Hurricane Mitch - 
>do I exclude those photographs?
>
>What do you think about political correctness?  Gallery owners and 
>publishers who reviewed our work seemed to think it is an important issue, 
>but it honestly never occurred to me.
>
>Leically,
>
>Tina
>
>
>Tina Manley, ASMP
>http://www.tinamanley.com
>