Strike 2

[Cem_Usakligil]

Hi folks,

I am curious as to what the "silent majority" feels about the on-going political discussions here on OPF, such as the one in the "This strikes me" thread. So here is a poll with the following options:

- I think political discussions are absolutely necessary and important to have here.
- I think is it OK, let the interested parties talk about such matters freely.
- I avoid talking politics in a photography forum but I tolerate it's existence.
- I dislike discussing politics in a photography forum. It really is disturbing.
- I am about to leave OPF unless this madness stops.
- I don't care at all.
- You should have better things to do.

So here is your chance to let us know how you feel about it anonymously.

Cheers,

[Kathy Rappaport]

Just like at a cocktail party, I can go have another discussion with other people at the same party. Of course, I can choose to leave...so....maybe since there are specific sites with which to discuss the Presidential elections....just sayin'...maybe we ought to heed the old standby to not talk poltics and religion in polite company. Adding to that, since we are not only visited and enjoyed with an international flair here, that perhaps it could also polarize our wonderful community....

[James Newman]

I don't particularly care to read those threads anymore. I found myself getting very angry over them. I quit reading them because I got sick of hearing my country being badmouthed and criticized constantly, and usually by people that don't live here and most likely don't really know enough to even say anything about it at all in the first place. Reading about a place, especially in today's media madhouse, and actually living in a place are two very distinctly different things.
As I said, I don't care if you have those threads or not. I won't be reading them most of the time. If you want to spend your time politicizing on a photography forum, go right ahead. I will stick to the photography side of it. Good questions Cem. It sounds like others besides me have had some feelings one way or the other over this. It's good to know I am possibly not alone here.
James Newman
PS - I can still think of no place better to live than the United States, no matter who is president.

[Ken Tanaka]

I have less-than-zero interest in reading, let alone joining, such conversations here.

I visit OPF for photographically-related discussions. Period. Of course this is Asher's site and he can host any discussion topics that please him. But if politics, religion, economics, cooking, wine appreciation, etc. begin to permeate OPF's discussions I'll have no interest in visiting here.

[Doug Kerr]

Wow! I'm ahead. And only a few days after Carla's speech.

Doug

[Asher Kelman]

Originally Posted by Ken Tanaka

I have less-than-zero interest in reading, let alone joining, such conversations here.

I visit OPF for photographically-related discussions. Period.

Hi Ken,

Our first responsibility to make OPF work well is to take and post pictures and then react to them. We have improved quality of images. What's important is balance. The forum must be 95% about photography.

Originally Posted by Ken Tanaka

Of course this is Asher's site and he can host any discussion topics that please him.

Ken, since you framed around what I might want, let me return that to you, as I see us.

OPF is our community for photography nurturing and discussion. I see the picture as a most concise way of extracting from within us and sharing ideas, entertainment and passion. We are interested in beauty, design, form, documentation, humor, propaganda, spritual meaning or promoting commerce. If it's lasting, makes us revisit and treasure the work, we call it art. In so far as any topic is important to us, then there should be photographs on that too. We can discuss then the picture, how it is made, composition, technical quality, beauty, meaning if any, relevance, transcendence and more. Without pictures, hardly any discussion is important here.

Originally Posted by Ken Tanaka

But if politics, religion, economics, cooking, wine appreciation, etc. begin to permeate OPF's discussions I'll have no interest in visiting here.

It's our job to see that we don't have these discussions be more than an extra in OPF. We don't want a stream of energy to go there at the expense of good photography. We simply cannot allow that. We'll watch this carefully and if needed start a new forum just for such discussions. As long as excellent impressive and stellar photography is generated, then social/political discussions pay their way.

So how do we do this well? Should we be pruning those threads? Should we close them from time to time? Maybe that's an idea.

Just let me know what you think of these pictures posted in the current Nill Toulme thread, [url= http://www.openphotographyforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6769]here[/], on the US presidential contest. The first 3 are by Gary Ayala, the 4th by Jim Galli.

campaign promise

So do these pictures at least start to make such discussions worth while?

If we had more pictures in those threads, would that make them more appropriate?

Finally, Ken, OPF has to serve you the photographer and help to generate the best images. If political and social issues work to that purpose, then can you find value in it?

Can we use an open forum responsibly?

Thanks for your impressions and opinions. They are important. This forum is a community for photography. Everything must therefore serve that purpose. Ultimately our measure is the photography and each photographer's new work.

Asher

[Asher Kelman]

I have found this thread again. I am still so impressed by the high level of photography recently presented in the political threads. Does this make up for the shortfall in knowledge or wisdom on politics ?

Asher

[doug anderson]

1. the decision to NOT be political is a political choice. There's no way around it.

2. our situation in the world is grave, and if we want to have the freedom and means to make art, we need to pay attention to politics. What will happen to photography if the economy collapses, or the internet is seized by the government and restricted, or laws are passed which make it impossible to do photography anywhere but the studio?

3. as a titular democracy, we should be able to discuss issues without resorting to rage or name calling among ourselves.

In conclusion, I'm grateful to the people who run this site for giving us the option. I don't think that political discussions detract from the imaging discussions, although I wish there were a larger participation in those discussions.

[doug anderson]

I would like to start a thread about the politics of the artist. It would involve things like freedom of expression, the fate of artists in a revolution, etc. etc. I believe that people should know about these issues in order to be able to protect certain freedoms.

[doug anderson]

Why are people upset enough to leave because somebody has a different opinion?

[doug anderson]

PS - I can still think of no place better to live than the United States, no matter who is president.

I do to, but I think we're in danger of losing it.

[doug anderson]

Asher: I love the bad hairpiece on that secret service agent in pic 3 (just behind Carter). Is this one of Gary's photos?

D