Like so many conundrums of morality, censorship only pops up when there is something that makes us uncomfortable.... We have the opportunity to just censor it ourselves but would rather declare that it is a thing of discomfort and therefore a valid target for censorship..
I personally find Chris's writing fascinating, if not a little terrifying. Like a brilliant photograph, it forces our eyes and minds to see where we might not want to look.... I think the discomfort comes from knowing how perilously close to reality it is... It casts a glance at the thin veneer of civility that coats our lives.
I commend Andy for choosing to do the right thing over the popular thing. ...How easy it would be to just remove him...
As for those that left, when they could so easily delete the offending posts... I'm sorry to see them go... Are they offended or scared to look anywhere near that direction? No great photographers ever came out of such fear of observation.
Herschel
On Sat, Nov 7, 2015 at 10:47 AM Bob <w8imo@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
Andy,
While it is easy to delete Strevens' posts his ramblings are damaging the list causing members to leave.
In light of the damage and people leaving I do not feel that removing him is censorship. So remove him and lets get back to the intent of the list.
Bob
On 11/7/2015 11:43 AM, Andrew Davidhazy wrote:
9 subscribers departed from the list today as a result of Christopher Strevens’ posts. List participation is, in my opinion, affected by patently off-topic and disruptive messages. The list was established to serve as a communications venue for the friendly exchange of information. comments and hints, etc. related to photography and its practice. While it is recognized that it is easy enough to delete troublesome messages it would help the overall effectiveness of the list if one did not have to do that. Same for blocking messages from a particular individual. OTOH, he could be blocked from the list. We have discussed “censorship” in the past and the general consensus was that we should not engage in this practice. It is disappointing, however, when members decide they’d rather leave than have to deal with stuff such what Christopher Strevens has posted recently and also in the past. Andrew Davidhazy PF list coordinator
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Never trust atoms..... They make up everything.
