Zero Tolerance

I just deleted a thread that was completely ridiculous and reminded me

of the worst of USENET. It is an embarassment to be publishing such

vitriol and tripe on the Web.

 

From here on, there will be zero tolerance for ad hominem attacks on

other members of the forum. If I am obliged to delete one of your

posts because it is an ad hominem attack on another poster, I will

suspend you from the forum for one week. Subsequent incidents will

result in longer suspensions, and after a couple of repetitions, you

will be banned completely from the site. It won't matter if your post

is the one that "started it" or is just continuing it. It won't

matter if you are a subscriber, or have a hero icon. It won't matter

if you have been a member of photo.net since 1997.

 

If someone posts an attack on another member, do not respond to it.

Do not even mention it. Ignore it. If you respond to it, and I

have to delete your comment, you will be suspended from the forum as

well. Instead of responding, send me an email letting me know what is

happening.

 

To those of you who are actually children -- you are welcome to

participate on the site, but only if you can keep up a facade of

mature adult behaviour. Those of you who are actually adults, despite

appearances to the contrary, it is time for you to start acting your age.

 

I am also posting this on the Leica Forum, where a lot of the

offenders seem also to hang out.

Thank you.

Sweeping "ad hominem" attacks which generalize a person's

whole being (as in calling them an idiot) end up being dead

weight to your argument; in the end they're really of no use in

trying to communicate a point of view. I've been trying to live by

that lately.

 

I've had people call me whatever they felt like at the time just

because I expressed an opinion they didn't like. I just roll with it

because it's pretty obvious to me that any thinking person

reading those kinds of attacks will see that the person making

them has actually done nothing more than weaken their own

credibility.

Looks like I missed a funny thread :(

I am confused.

 

You start by saying that ad hominem attacks on other people will lead to a suspension and eventually to a ban. Fine.

 

Then you say that any response -- ANY response, even if it only says "Guys, take this elsewhere" -- in a thread with ad hominem attacks will lead to suspensions and a ban.

 

So what is it?

WTF??

i tell ya wha it is, da man say shut yo mouth and send me some mo' money, some mo' cheese in mah pocket dat what he be sayin.

...<div></div>

Good one Brian.

 

A hard and fast "don't-even-respond-or-you-will-be -deleted-too" rule will result in a lot of members getting suspended and not even knowing why, unless it's posted at the top of every thread for a while.

 

However, last night I saw some of the ugliest stuff I've ever seen on this site. Hard not to overreact to that.

Wow.

 

I guess I am pleased I missed some of the ugliest ever seen on this forum.

 

Also, I generally trust the moderator's judgement in these matters and appreciate action being taken.

 

That's all I have to say about that.

USENET was anarchy... anything else is dictatorship -<br>

any of 'em failed over time. what's next?

Wow! I missed all the fireworks too. Just as well as I have better things to do then read personal attacks on others if this is what this is all about. It's perfectly ok to disagree but at least have some sort of different side to present. Attacking somebody in a personal way is never acceptable or effective.

You have my full support, Brian. Every institution/club has its rules. This community exists to propagate photography. Personally directed invective can only diminish it.

Now maybe I can participate. I tend to avoid anarchy.

 

I was out on the street today, trying to take a wonderful, amazing street photograph of a guy on top a photo collection box, a beer sign in the background, a woman atop another 'box' reclining in front of him against a telephone support guy wire, bar signs in the background and a baseball neon sign above the guy's face.

 

From behind me as I sat streetside in my car was a psychotic whose photo I had just taken from across a four-lane street, who had crossed the street and followed me a block and a half yelling at me demanding to know if I was the police and if I was not, threatening to take my life because I had appropriated his image without his consent -- he was deranged and had the shuffle of an ex-con out on parole, and both an user and a guy off his meds. At the same time I ran out of film and was trying to keep my eye on my subjects while changing film in my F-5, and not get shot there in San Francisco's Tenderloin District.

 

I don't need ad hominem attacks in this or any other forum or to participate in them -- life's difficult enough on the 'street' on such a day, although such scenes are sometimes in a day's work.

 

That was followed by an angry Vietname school official running across a street (equally as large) demanding why I was taking photos (with a 200 mm telephoto) of school children on a sidewalk in SF WITHOUT HIS PERMISSION there on the midtown public sidewalk of those kids, happily playing away, and refusing to believe he didn't have the power and threatening to turn me into police as a child molester (as I sat there in my car, five cameras at my side, telling him to Google my name before he got hot -- do it and see what you get).

 

Life in the fora should be about helping those of us who get into such circumstances or who want to take better photographs, succeed and nothing but.

 

Whether or not someone wants to snipe at someone else should be beside the point, and I have avoided these fora because of such sniping.

 

Maybe now I'll participate.

 

Right now, I need some bail money . . . though.

 

And a steak to put on my eye.

 

John (Crosley)

And don't get funny with yer rangefinder-style-ad-hominem-attacks, either.

<i> heh ad hominem attack sounds like a phrase used to describe some form of sexual

assault ... </i>

<p>

ePter,

<p>

this is not the place to air your sexual fantasies.

I thought ad hominum refered to ad hominum grits, a very tasty cereal. Needless to say, I

don't think I've particiated in too many "attacks", but the response rule here is a little "fuzzy"

if I may say. It sounds like what you are saying Brian, is if you retaliate to an attack with like

intent, you're bounced. If that is what you mean, makes sense to me.

If I (hypothetically of course) accuse myself of adhominemophobia, do I get bounced?

Isn't ad hominem a hip-hop artist?

Fine by me, provided it's a consistent--and considered--policy. As a "hero" and member since '97, I've seen a few sociopaths, one in particular fond of multiple names and racist/sexist brick bats across several forums.Want names? I'll provide 'em. The case I'm recalling required a bit too much dynamite under the moderators to prompt action but action was finally taken--all to the good. Here's hoping this prompts some civility.