Eliminating Gun Terminlogy From Photography

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fraley said:
There is a similar use of terms in computer slang that can be disburbing to some. Familiarity wears off the other associations, it needs to be looked at with a fresh eye to find the other connotations.

a program 'aborts' (fails to finish successfully)
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Funny you mention this. At the company I work for (mutual fund recordkeeping/processing software) we regularly refer to COBOL programs abending. For the longest time I didn't put 'abnormal end' with abend, but that has been the accepted terminology around here for years. I guess it's a more pleasant way to say things about faulty programs! 🙂
 
anselwannab said:
The PC thing being a right wing conspiracy is a hoot. (Are you sure it isn't a vast right wing conspiracy?) Maybe it is different here in the States, but PC and Hate Speech codes were far more likely (or at least in the 80s & 90s) to be used to silence conservative view points. Maybe it is different over there.
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Just in the interest of combating silly talking points, there was in fact a "vast right-wing conpiracy" in the particular milieu of which Hilary was speaking. And it's proudly admitted by its organizer, Richard Mellon Scaife. It was pretty much just a tabloid-style campaign; he paid anyone who came forward with "dirt" about the Clintons, and published it with little-to-no fact checking, with the express aim of having these stories picked up by the conservative press (such as the American Spectator) and in turn the "mainstream media". It worked. This is no secret; the only stretch is in calling it a "conspiracy", but it certainly did exist as a planned effort to push stories with little factual backing into the evening news and major papers. The people who funded and participated freely acknowledge it. Scaife also worked with groups in Arkansas who paid witnesses for their testimony in court and at congressional hearings; this, likewise has been admitted to and resulted in successful lawsuits and criminal convictions.

For the record, Larry Flynt spearheaded a similar effort aimed in the opposite direction in response.

This has been a standard practice in American politics and journalism for a long time. It's worth reading about the history of the tactic. While I hate, hate, hate Hillary's politics, you should be deeply distrustful of any pundit or journalist or politician who tries to tell you that there was no "vast right-wing conspiracy". They are lying to you, flat-out.
 
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anselwannab said:
Sheesh, did someone pee in your Wheeties this morning? I never knew Scotland sold chemical weapons to anyone.

Were you supposed to stop the NAZIs in WWII with harsh (though PC) language?

The PC thing being a right wing conspiracy is a hoot. (Are you sure it isn't a vast right wing conspiracy?) Maybe it is different here in the States, but PC and Hate Speech codes were far more likely (or at least in the 80s & 90s) to be used to silence conservative view points. Maybe it is different over there.

Well, that enough time shooting the s**t with you guys for one day.
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Well you could argue that England doesn't sell chemical weapons to anybody either, but collectively the countries that make up the UK do. So there you go, learn something new everyday, huh? Though sure I'd love to be able to say we had now't whatsoever to do with it.

The Nazi's, ww2, well like most conflicts it could have probably been avoided. But lets not get into ww2 and all that, though sure a lot shooting when down in that one.

The right wing PC thing? Well I almost lost count of the number of twisted, or plain made up stories I saw in the tabliod press during the run up to Christmas this year. Hard hitting stirring stuff about the PC brigade trying to outlaw our traditional Christmas. Of course Christsmas went ahead as usual.

Shooting the ****? That sort of ****ing language ain't allowed round here! Stop it!

This is going to get ugly. Lock this thread anyone?
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Ach away with you, it's just a bit of fun. Time for a whisky wi Irn Bru.
 
I've noted the similarity in terms and never been bothered by it. Like a lot of folks here I have applied what I have learned in using guns to advantage in shooting my cameras. I guess I am one of those less sensitive left wingers.

Bob
 
gareth said:
The right wing PC thing? Well I almost lost count of the number of twisted, or plain made up stories I saw in the tabliod press during the run up to Christmas this year. Hard hitting stirring stuff about the PC brigade trying to outlaw our traditional Christmas. Of course Christsmas went ahead as usual.
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El-bingo. Anyone whose Christmas is going to be affected by whether Wal-Mart says "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" must have a poor sort of Christmas, indeed.

Our family merrily carried on with our animatronic penguin and santa-emblazoned stockings and said "Merry Christmas" to each other and "Happy Hannukah" to our Jewish friends and couldn't possibly have cared less what greeting someone was spouting at any national monuments to (decidedly un-christian) consumerism. Merry merry!

On-topic: I shoot animals, but only for eating. I figure at least they've had their run at freedom, and I'm minimizing my contribution to grisly factory-farmed beef demand. Not that I don't still eat a burger at McDonald's sometimes. But every little bit helps, I hope.

Yes, I've noted the similarities in terminology, and there's a great deal of crossover for me personally. If the freezer is full I'll still go out for the experience of it, and use a camera instead of a Winchester. The crossover doesn't bother me, partly because I'm not bothered by guns and partly because, as has been observed above, "shooting" and the like predate firearms and have many other applications in this language. I understand the thought, because words are indeed powerful things and that is worth meditating on; but in this case I'm just not concerned.
 
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Nikon Bob said:
I've noted the similarity in terms and never been bothered by it. Like a lot of folks here I have applied what I have learned in using guns to advantage in shooting my cameras. I guess I am one of those less sensitive left wingers.

Bob
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Well I like my game, and somebody has to go out and shoot it for me. Much more preferable than factory farming.
 
anselwannab said:
Sheesh, did someone pee in your Wheeties this morning? I never knew Scotland sold chemical weapons to anyone.
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I'm not so sure about that, they have something at the local supermarket which looks scotish by what's printed on the label and judging from how I felt the day after it may be poisonous or something close to that.

And some people south of scotland think about Haggis as biological warfare.
 
NB23 said:
It's all BS and it's starting to be totally annoying.

Over here, one cannot say Merry christmas no more because the Jews might be shocked. Pathetic!
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I really don't know of any Jews who would get offended by being told Merry Christmas. The media just loves to stir up trouble. Some freak who happens to be a Jew says he's offended and they take down all the Christmas trees in an airport. Another one sees the news, tries the same thing, and down comes a Nativity scene. I don't think that a few freaks represent the feelings of the entire Jewish population.
How's this one. I'm required to take sensitivity training at work. We aren't supposed to use the terms "white out", has to be correction fluid or liquid paper. Can't say "black board". Have to call that a chalkboard. Our lockers have been searched and anything that someone somewhere may possibly be offended by had to be removed from not only the outside but the inside of our lockers! That even includes pics of your family! Reasoning is that someone without a family might be offended!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwaanza, Happy Festivus. Stu
 
Socke said:
I'm not so sure about that, they have something at the local supermarket which looks scotish by what's printed on the label and judging from how I felt the day after it may be poisonous or something close to that.

And some people south of scotland think about Haggis as biological warfare.
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Next Christmas day share your bottle of malt, don't drink the whole bottle yourself!

Haggis, yum yum!
 
The silliest s____I've ever heard of. Must be some plot by the Handgun Control International weirdos. It's not the gun that's the problem--it's the deranged or criminal mind operating it.
 
AusDLK said:
>Just go out and SHOOT,

I had a photography teacher that had a real problem with the gun (ie. firearm) terminology that infiltrates photography. He would have said:

Just go out and PHOTOGRAPH

I have thought a lot about this over time and try to follow his lead as best I can when I speak and write about photography.

But it is difficult since these terms have become so engrained in language. Without a doubt, using the multi-syllable word "photograph" as a verb in place of "shoot" is awkward. It takes practice to say that I have x "frames" left on a roll of film rather than x "shots".

It's hard to argue with the similarity of hunting for photographs and hunting for prey. Except in the later case, something -- or someone -- dies.

I personally don't think that this is just another case of political correctness at work but I'm curious how my teacher's philosophy resonates within RFf.
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It's the suppression of the word that gives it the power, the violence, the viciousness. Lenny Bruce
 
Its the addition of the haggis juice that gives it the power, the violence, the viciousness! Robert the Bruce (after his first taste of Irn Bru)
 
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Earlier this month I went to my fiancee's kindergarten to photograph her students for the Christmas cards they were going to make. As I was leading the first group of kids out of the room I told my fiancee, "After I get through shooting these kids, send me five more." No sooner than the words had crossed over my lips did I realize that the statement was in need of revising and clarification. So with a sheepish grin I quickly said, "I'm going to photograph these kids."

Michael
 
mwooten said:
"After I get through shooting these kids, send me five more." No sooner than the words had crossed over my lips did I realize that the statement was in need of revising and clarification. So with a sheepish grin I quickly said, "I'm going to photograph these kids."
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It's a story to which we can all relate, but do you really think the clarification was necessary? All parties involved knew you were using a camera. Context took care of it. If there was someone not in the know involved in the coversation, it might make sense to clarify ... but I feel like we are increasingly afraid of letting people think through a statement before reacting. We instead underestimate their cognitive process and do the work for them. Not flattering in my opinion.

Regardless, my counterpoint to the original post was already made in a previous response... I just wanted to throw in my $.02 here. Thanks. 🙂
 
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