VickiB says that the OP throws down the gauntlet and then "feigns shock that someone accepted the challenge. . ."
Friscoron says:" You made this bed, you sleep in it." Each congratulates the other for being neutral and objective.
There is nothing neutral about these comments.
Both of you impugn the motives of the OP. You don't know why he labelled the image the way he did and either do I. One of the hallmarks of the FM forums is that we assume the positive of members and treat them with respect. I think you owe the OP an apology.
Kohala wrote:
VickiB says that the OP throws down the gauntlet and then "feigns shock that someone accepted the challenge. . ."
Friscoron says:" You made this bed, you sleep in it." Each congratulates the other for being neutral and objective.
There is nothing neutral about these comments.
Both of you impugn the motives of the OP. You don't know why he labelled the image the way he did and either do I. One of the hallmarks of the FM forums is that we assume the positive of members and treat them with respect. I think you owe the OP an apology.
"You made your bed, you sleep in it" is a metaphor that says the OP has responsibility for introducing a controversial topic, and therefore should expect that some people in this world will have strong and conflicting opinions.
Basically, VickiB was saying the same thing, only better than me.
Placing subject matter and a photographer's feelings toward it off-limits is not really sensible to me. Should one try to discuss "A Farewell to Arms" without addressing Hemmingway's attitudes toward war and heroism, one will wind up with a rather stilted discussion. The single most fundamental artistic choice of the photographer is selection of subject matter. The art of photography is offering a fully-devloped and interesting perspective on the subject matter.
By combining this image with the provided context, the artist has chosen to make a statement. Restricting the discussion to grammatical analysis misses the point. And in such a discussion, people will have different viewpoints. Respectfully-offered viewpoints should be met with courtesy, even if one cannot agree with them.
This is a photo of a child smiling now. Now realize that this same child has a much higher risk of committing suicide or attempting to commit suicide than the general population. Studies have suggested that the transgender phenomenon itself does not increase suicide risk, but rather the internalized transphobia that is resultant from social stigma placed on these children from a very young age. Think what you may about the transgender but realize that it's the society around them that most likey causes their feelings of ostracization, abandonment, shame, fear, and low self worth. Our society is finally starting to accept the fact that transgender people suffer some very real, very painful emotions as a result of everyone else telling them how they need to act or feel, despite the outcry from this population stating that they have no control over their feelings.
My neighbor got a sex resignment in his 50s and when I saw him for the first time afte his surgery, he stated that he was finally happy. I can't imagine living 50 something years not being happy because the people around me fought amongst themselves about my personal feelings.
I digress. My thoughts on the photo are just that...I see a happy child and I hope for this child to remain happy. Childhood is such a precious time and no one's child deserves more happiness than the next. I'm not a fan of the background as it just doesn't offer much to the photo, but I love the genuine smile. Cheers!
I think it is healthy to have conversations with people who have different views than I do, as long as those conversations are civil, courteous and genuine.
Like some others, I don't care for the background, I don't think it fits the little guy's mood. Something more cheerful would be better.
Even an adult grows up creating a fake personality via their ego from the age of 2. Its an identity that says: "this is who I am" but after its all said and done, a person does not know who He is.
So to suggest that a child be left to his own devices does not help the child.
We each have the fem and masculine part in us. Its about balancing them within us. J
This is what adam and eve is!
Even an adult grows up creating a fake personality via their ego from the age of 2. Its an identity that says: "this is who I am" but after its all said and done, a person does not know who He is.
So to suggest that a child be left to his own devices does not help the child.
We each have the fem and masculine part in us. Its about balancing them within us. J
This is what adam and eve is!
The burning around the wig is a bit too evident. Was the intention to darken the background or remove the fly away hairs? Also, I think raising the highlights and shadows around the velvet blanket that the subject is sitting on would help the overall photo. I like the expression.
Transgendered community is perhaps the most needing community of our collective human kindness. The lack in self acceptance is a brutal war being wage their minds on a daily basis. That warfare is exasperated to devastating degree with social unacceptance. Transgendered human beings who have the support of their family and friends are still 7 times more likely to commit suicide than non transgendered. The number climbed to 13 times more likely when they are rejected by their peers and family. This makes me incredibly sad.
Did reading the last paragraph cause empathy in you towards them? Perhaps many of us on this thread haven't read this saddening statistic about this group until today. Posting this photo brought about awareness. Awareness is a large part of the solution for these folks. The butterfly effect caused in viewing this photo and reading the post of "Åke the boy who wants to be a girl" might have just help save a life.
"Respectfully-offered viewpoints should be met with courtesy, even if one cannot agree with them."
loxoco wrote:
Even an adult grows up creating a fake personality via their ego from the age of 2. Its an identity that says: "this is who I am" but after its all said and done, a person does not know who He is.
So to suggest that a child be left to his own devices does not help the child.
We each have the fem and masculine part in us. Its about balancing them within us. J
This is what adam and eve is!
Yet you show no problems about telling others how to live.
It's not up to anyone to tell another "how" to live. We have to live in balance and harmony if we as a people are to survive? Transgender folks have an internal battle within their own mind! Simply said, in order for anyone to be of help to them is not to condemn them but make them realize that if they or anyone else does not strike this balance of both energies within, they will live in confusion for a long time. Where I am now, there is no male, no female, Jew or Greek or anything but a complete stature of a Man! (Not males)We do start as angels though!
I think the comments here indicate that this photo fits my definition of "art" perfectly. It certainly provokes thought and discussion.
As far as the photo goes, I assumed that the slightly harsh lighting, sharp rendition, stark background and slightly manic expression are all part of the artistic statement here. As such they're very appropriate, although I'd personally want this to look different if it were my child and I was paying.
I've personally learned a lot from this thread, not least that there are people out there that believe that gender confusion arises from the purposeful efforts of parents to distort their children's identity for political ends. I've learned a lot the last few weeks, people out there believe things I didn't previously imagine. Please don't delete this thread, future historians may find it intriguing!
KristinSmall wrote:
I agree with you, Lisa. I don't believe in gender "identity" and certainly don't believe that anything is settled by age 3. You can get any number of experts to declare *anything. It's all politics now. I was the biggest tom-boy going until age 12. I literally wished I was a boy for a long time. I am far, far from being a boy. My parents would have really hurt me if they encouraged such thinking. Adults can do or say whatever, but I also oppose celebrating and encouraging such ideas in young children for the agenda of adults.
In the 1950s the hot issue in psychology was lobotomies. Today that procedure is rare. In the 1980s we were bombarded with stories about "multiple personality disorders" from various pseudo-scientists. Today, the "disorder" is mostly discredited by medical professionals. All in all, I agree with Kristin. You never heard of any of this until recently. I believe it too is a fad. I probably wouldn't have taken the assignment as I would have had some guilt about encouraging possibly destructive behavior, again for the reason Kristin mentioned. (I do have a professional degree in medical science, and have worked in several mental health settings in the past.)
friscoron wrote:
If you had simply posted the pic and not titled it the way you did, or given the background -- all of which is irrelevant to the quality of the image -- you would have gotten comments specific to the photo itself instead of the social commentary. You made this bed, you sleep in it. Next time you want comments specific to the image itself, don't provide provocative context related to social issues. Just sayin'.
How can the backstory be irrelevant to the quality of the image? Pictures tell stories. At least, good ones do. The backstory adds context to the image and a dimension that cannot be fathomed just by looking at the image in a vacuum. A photograph is successful, in my opinion, when it spurs reflection and discussion. I would much rather look at images that tell stories and provoke an emotional response than an image that is technically perfect but is otherwise sterile and lifeless.
Lisa_Holloway wrote:
Well, some of us do unfortunately believe that allowing or encouraging this type of behavior in a young child *is* indeed causing manifest harm to the child.
I have to concur. I don't think it has anything to do with the child expressing his inner desire to be a female or feminine. I think this is a child "playing." With enough misdirection the child definitely has the chance of growing up confused, isolated, and depressed.
Moroni wrote:
I have to concur. I don't think it has anything to do with the child expressing his inner desire to be a female or feminine. I think this is a child "playing." With enough misdirection the child definitely has the chance of growing up confused, isolated, and depressed.
It may very well be a child who is simply playing. It may also be the result of a real physiological condition that makes the child identify as female. Gender and sexual identity is not always black and white tied only to the organs we are born with. Labeling a child as abnormal and forcing him or her to conform to a rigid, narrow minded view of what is considered acceptable behavior by some elements of society can be immensely damaging in the long run. I think children should be loved, and encouraged to express themselves and figure out who they are or who they want to be when they are mature enough to do so.
Anyone who believes that allowing ...this type of behavior in a young child *is* indeed causing manifest harm to the child really needs to see a doctor who specializes in this.
Geez I guess I'm just old fashioned. I always thought that if you were born with a penis you were male, and if you were born with a vagina, you were female. Silly me.
Archive 2016 · Åke the boy who wants to be a girl
