Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/09/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> ------------------------------ > > Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2002 14:49:26 -0400 > From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net> > Subject: RE: [Leica] FS: Photo books and prints by Albert Wang, first three copies for free. > Message-ID: <MBBBJHIBKCKEAEOKKBPOMEENEHAA.bdcolen@earthlink.net> > References: > > I'll address the issue, Mark. <snip> > I feel > we have every right to publically respond to his [Alfie's] offer by telling him > honestly how we feel about it: > I have no problem with that, B.D. I hold Alfie's talents in no high regard myself. My objection lies elsewhere. Please try to follow the point I'm making. > > In my case that means saying that if I had a student who produced work of > this quality I would not hesitate to give him or her an F. I happen to be a professor, and I too would give Alfie an F. But if I commented on a student's paper with the kind of vitriol that I read on this list, I would be hauled in front of the Dean pronto, and with good cause too. > As I said > earlier, I consider Alfie's posing as a photographer - for that is truly > what he is doing - an real insult to every photographer on this list. > > I personally think it would be sad to see someone leave the LUG because they > feel it is inappropriate to speak truthfully. But if that's what you want to > do, so be it. > What I see on this list is a confusion between speaking truthfully and intemperately. By all means, people should feel free to express their displeasure honestly. I'm only suggesting that when they do, their first thing they should ask themselves is whether they are expressing themselves courteously. Right now, it appears that the first question many respondents ask themselves in penning a response is whether there are one or two "l"s in "disembowelled." My objection is that people act incivilly (to put it mildly) and then defend their insulting and objectional behaviour by wrapping themselves self-righteously in the mantle of free speech. There are such things as netiquette or ordinary decency, and surely even the most savage message-writers should be able to grasp the concept that they might be able to communicate their opinions on this list without doing it in such vituperative terms that they drive away many productive contributors. Ted Grant appears to be just one of the most recent in a long line of people fleeing from such onslaughts. How long will it take before the list is reduced to a bunch of cranks shaking their fists and cursing everything? It appears to be dangerously close to that now -- I offer the fascinating example of social pathology demonstrated by the "Canadian Health Care System and Slavery" thread as a recent manifestation. Right now, I'm receiving LUG in digest form, and usually delete most digests unread when I see a flame war taking place. The loss of so many people on this list has reduced me to the point where I receive it for the isolated insights now available, the chance to see the photography of people like Nathan, the chance for a window on the wonderful people of Natichoches (sp?), to marvel at the company Kyle keeps, to see what advice Tina disseminates, or to see what's for sale. The proportion of this wheat to sociopathic chaff diminishes steadily. That's all I have to say on the matter, and as I am not a mental health care professional, I have little hope that anything I say will do any good. Once more, I urge people on this list to consider the effect their means of expressing themselves is having on the general well-being of LUG. When you reply to this B.D. (I have no doubt that you will, since you appear to be pathologically devoted to having the last word on everything), keep in mind that I will not respond, and that I will delete your email unread. Mark > > B. D. > > - -----Original Message----- > From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Mark Langer > Sent: Friday, September 06, 2002 2:16 PM > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: RE:[Leica] FS: Photo books and prints by Albert Wang, first > three copies for free. > > > > > Hear that noise? It is the sound of another 30 people unsubscribing from > this list and joining LEG. > > Without engaging in debate on the issue of the quality of Albert's work, > when are people going to clue in to the fact that the general lack of > civility is really > messing up this list? And please, spare me the "don't let the door hit you > on your way out" remarks, gang. That doesn't address the issue. > > Mark > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html