Online rudeness vs cloying conformism

This is how I feel as well. However as someone who JB has personally addressed in what appears to be a very negative manner, I have no issue with him whatsoever. He's entitled to his perspective, I may not agree with it, and sometimes it may irritate me, but not to the point that I would ever report him, or anyone else. As I see it, I'm a big girl and if I can't handle a written confrontation from a man on a forum, then I might as well curl up in the fetal position in the corner and suck my thumb. Seriously, it's one person expressing a differing view point, albeit in an often abrasive and inflammatory manner, but it's still nothing more than his point of view. I don't believe in censorship, I don't care what you say, or whether I happen to agree with, I still think you have the right to say it. Just my two cents.

 

Espy, I love you - but:
If he adressed everybody as he adressed you, I dont think he would have any problems. I think you are the only one he is acctually somewhat nice to.

He has resorted to plain bullying and verbal abuse to the rest of us.. for no good reason other than dissageering with him.

I think you are the only one that speaks Jaybee

 

Indeed, it's the very core of this thread. And when you move away from that, you start down the slippery slope from democracy, to dictatorship. Groupthink, the herd mentality, call it what you will, must always be challenged, even for that reason alone.

 

That may in fact be pretty accurate FG.

That's likely because he and I have a lot in common. I can actually see a lot my younger self in JB. I simply left my 'you want a piece of me' attitude in my early twenties where it belonged. You live and learn, or at least I did. Some people evolve, some people devolve, and some people just stay stuck in the same place all their lives. But I don't believe anyone is hopeless or a lost cause. No one is born an asshole, that's learned behavior, just like hatred and prejudice. If you can learn it, you can also unlearn it.

 

Very true. But herein lies the problem: that person has to want to unlearn it....

 

Everyone wants to unlearn it Bookie, some of them just don't consciously realize it. No one truly enjoys making themselves miserable, of that much I am certain, despite the fact that some people appear to be very good at it.

 

I respectfully disagree. I respect your optimism that all humans can be good, but time and again, history and modern day people prove over and over that there are just some bad seeds out there.

Yes, maybe some of those people deep down want to unlearn it, but I would venture to say that for those that do want to unlearn it there are just as many of them who will never see that their way of thinking as wrong....

 

Espy, I don't believe in censorship either. I think that I may need to elaborate on my reporting of posts. First of all, I can probably count the number of posts that I have ever reported on one hand, and I've been here a little over a year and a half. Even though I do not agree with a majority of JB's post, I do not report them if he is stating his opinion on a thread subject and is just being offensive in general. However, I do not agree with a post that its sole objective was to re-victimize a rape victim. For him to ask a rape victim to post every last detail of her rape so that HE could determine if she was really raped is completely unacceptable in my opinion. There have been others that were just personal attacks that involved degrading comments and name-calling where he was not contributing anything to the thread other than the attack. Espy, if you feel these are posts that should be allowed on this forum with no disciplinary action, then I guess we will just have to agree to disagree on this issue. Even if we do decide to disagree, I still love ya.

 

GG, I know you wouldn't advocate censorship, and it wasn't my intention to imply that. Furthermore, you don't owe me or anyone else any explanation as to why you do or don't report posts. You should always do whatever feels right to you, and the rest of the world be damned.

If you find something objectionable, by all means report it if you feel that's appropriate. For me personally, I wouldn't simply because I think that should be left up to the person it was directed at. I wouldn't want anyone championing my cause, so to speak. If I have an issue with something said to me, I'll just take it up with the person straight on. So reporting a post, regardless of its content, is something that I simply would not feel appropriate for me personally. That in no way means I think it my place to 'judge' whether others should report posts. That's up to them.

So essentially I think you and I agree, we just each do things our own way.

 

I don't necessarily disagree with you on this Bookie, I think we just look at the issue and see different things. Anytime I run across someone who would typically be tagged an asshole, my first thought is always 'I wonder what makes him/her that way'. It's intriguing to me because there is always something that causes that type of self-destructive behavior. I think most people are too offended or put off by them to want to take any time to actually try to get past the gruff exterior and find out what's on the interior. I literally cannot help myself from wanting to find out, I can pick people like that out of a crowd and I'm just drawn to try to figure them out. I actually have a number of really good friends who started out in the asshole category, and some of my favorite people in this world are people other people really don't take to at all. To each their own.

 

You know, as an artist I take issue with censorship.

I don't believe in censorship. I believe in respect and personal accountabilty. Part of having free speech is understanding that if you misuse it there will be consequences. All too often people act like free speech entitles them to be as horrible as they want. Sure it does, but if you can't handle reprecussions then you should keep your mouth shut.

That's how I feel about it.

People too often confuse being controversial with being an asshole. Controversy is when my artwork was vandalized because it made people uncomfortable. Asshole-ness is what the people who spat and stomped my painting were using, not freedom of expression. Censorship is what I suffered afterWard because I was unable to showcase the pieces I wanted due to fear of them being destroyed by idiots who didn't understand how to maturely handle artwork that made them feel emotions they couldn't handle.

 

Ah DH, that's awful. Why people cannot peaceably express an opinion is beyond me. I vehemently agree with you that freedom of expression is a precious right, but what happened to you isn't appropriate under any circumstances. :smt011

 

Best post of the new year. artyman:

 

I certainly agree that it was nowhere near appropriate, but that's what you get when you express things dumb rednecks can't handle. I knew the piece wouldn't be all that well received, but I had never dreamed they would go to such extents. But it's been years since it happened, and in the end I believe it was a good thing, because it blatantly showed me that if I ever wanted to do anything with my art it would have to be far away from there.

The funny part is the painting was more of a personal piece than anything, and it was rudely misinterpreted to mean something it didn't. It was a self portrait of myself as a toddler...I think I've even posted the reference photo in the baby pictures thread. Only I painted it to reflect the pain I had felt during so many years of physical abuse from my father (which had been going on during the time the photo had been taken, even). The end result was a shocking image rendered quite well in watercolors that pissed off small minded people.

It's just another illustration of how ignorance can turn people into monsters. At least it was only art, and not a person.

I think it's a great example to show how non-comformist I am, though. lol Even following the event I wasn't really afraid to paint what I wanted...I just wasn't -allowed- to show it anymore. All my work had to be kept under lock and key unless I was working on it.

It's nice not to have to deal with that anymore, though. If people don't like my work here they just don't look at it. lol

 

Potential customer.

Good, let's examine the guidelines. They make great mention of not posting spam, adverts to pornographic websites etc, as I trade the markets it is unlikely I've ever made a few pennies slapping links to porn. This is what remains:

Of which I've only ever been original victim, not instigator. My crime, if any, was retaliating when "attacked", instead of reporting it.

Perfectly fine. Then instead of "giving as good as I get", I'll follow the system and report "personal attacks" I receive. Though it goes somewhat against my nature (as someone who has never expected justice in the world except that which I make for myself), and although I am skeptical of your ability to make attacks between members stop, especially via negative reputation comment, I admit I actually quite like the idea of following procedure to the letter.

Be advised, however, that none of this, including the committment to avoid "personal attacks", in any way reduces or diminishes my rights to disagreement, dissent, or lawful query, and I shall continue to exercise these God-given rights with the vigour befitting a free man.

 

You two cucks deserve one another.:smt042

 

LMAO!

 

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