Helen Hill finally says Ciao ... it's been Fun

[Yokosuka Mike]

Ray T is actually my real name. But I think everyone should coin for him or herself an alias for the internet like a porn name. If I had to choose a porn name it would be Huss Hardan but that’s taken. (Sorry Huss just a joke to lighten the mood but I am sure you have heard that one before).

Good one! Very funny!

Yokosuka Mike is only half my real name. I don’t use my real last name because it’s hard to pronounce. And, when it’s mispronounced intentionally it can be used as the butt of a joke. In grade school I was teased mercilessly by the other children. In high school it was worse. I remember when Johnny Cash came out with the song “A Boy Named Sue”. I thought that I’d gladly swap names with Sue. Some people have fond memories of high school, I don’t.

All my life whenever I’ve been asked my name I not only have to tell it but then I have to explain how to pronounce it. That is until I left the United States and moved to Japan. Here in Japan nobody gives a hoot about my name. I’m judged strictly by my behavior and character.

So, I’ll be sticking with Yokosuka Mike.

All the best,
Mike

 

[KM-25]

This episode at/on Photo.net more or less immediately led Jorge Torralba to create RFF. The reason the Photo.net rangefinder area has never been the same is that most of the participants migrated here.

As I recall, there was a new and fairly young moderator (Josh Root I believe was his name) who felt the need, over a couple of days, to show a critical mass of stalwarts who was boss. Others may remember more.

Hi, I understand it was likely an honest mistake but could you correct the quote? It is not mine but the one from Bill Blackwell.

Thanks!

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

A question to responders to my comment above: Why would anyone have a problem being recognized on the web if all their posts were thoughtful and unhurtful??

Speaking for myself, there’s two reasons... First, as part of my job I’m required to adhere to a code of conduct which significantly restricts what I say online, if I am identifiable. If this (or other) forums required a full name I just wouldn’t interact.

Secondly, I plain and simple value my privacy. Same issue as surveillance (‘why does it matter if you’re doing the right thing?’)...

 

[Michael Markey]

My little observation or opinion about the politicization in todays world, Western countries especially, is that its a result of mounting problems. Most people would prefer to be nonpolitical through their lives (I believe), but when bad news increases, sides are beginning to taken, echo chambers form, and laws and old norms are getting ignored.

Not a little observation at all but rather a profound one .
Reading through this thread has been rather depressing .

 

[telenous]

I also remember the time when Helen first arrived in RFf. It was a fractious time, rife with trolling, multiple same-person avatars and thinly disguised abuse. Some altercations were funny; most were sad. To have someone like Helen appear all of a sudden seemed unreal. I actually thought for a while she *was* unreal - just another troll mocking us with faux kindness, I thought. That's the situation we had then. But she stayed on and slowly I realized that a gentle person like her was possible in a community like ours.

It's difficult to underestimate the civilizing force a woman usually brings to the table. The street photography genre -- the kind of photography Helen loved doing -- is often beset with overt machismo, chest-beating and a locker-room humour mentality. The very downfall of the genre in the 70s can be (partly) attributed to a reaction to the insecurities of "the angry middle aged man" with a Leica. To have someone like Helen in our midst lifted us all above that. To lose her because we crave going backwards is a small tragedy. Not for her though, of that I'm sure.
.

 

[Richard G]

Recently Helen got unfairly flamed, returned fire firmly but with considerable humility and generosity at the same time. That resulted in a sincere apology, drawing immediate forgiveness. Quite an unusual thing to see on a forum. We’re pretty solid here, but we can’t take it for granted that it will last. The loss of Helen would be a very big loss.

 

[jarski]

... The street photography genre -- ... is often beset with overt machismo, chest-beating and a locker-room humour mentality ...

Interesting description, I don’t recognize this at all. But have to admit am not following these genres much, RFF being only place, and even here its mainly gear related discussions 😱

 

[Bob Michaels]

...... Anonymity on the web seems to give a lot of people license to be rude or worse. When people are a bit more exposed by using their real name, I expect they will think twice before turning to ill behavior.

It seems that many people's introduction to active participation on the internet, especially discussion forums, is in the era of anonymity. Realistically, that is not going to change. The days of most of us identifying ourselves as real people being responsible for our own words are history.

Personally, identifying myself as a real person, not some screen name hiding behind a keyboard, keeps me civil. It is like that old trait of not saying anything about someone that you would not say to their face. However, we are a minority in the modern era.

I am sorry that Helen Hill, a real person, was offended by the statements of amorphous blobs who did not have the courage to stand up and be responsible for what they said. I find them easy to ignore but we are all different.

 

[Horatio]

Hmmm. The use of “pen names” is long-established in literature. Some of us choose to remain private. Doesn’t mean we don’t contribute something meaningful.

 

[splitimageview]

There is no practical way to enforce the use of real names. Even Facebook, which has a real name policy, has millions of fake name users.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

It's difficult to underestimate the civilizing force a woman usually brings to the table. The street photography genre -- the kind of photography Helen loved doing -- is often beset with overt machismo, chest-beating and a locker-room humour mentality. The very downfall of the genre in the 70s can be (partly) attributed to a reaction to the insecurities of "the angry middle aged man" with a Leica. To have someone like Helen in our midst lifted us all above that. To lose her because we crave going backwards is a small tragedy. Not for her though, of that I'm sure.
.

Backwards? The above is a perfect rendition of a 19th century cult of womanhood. This comment is headed "backwards" at a healthy sprinting pace. I agree that Helen's leaving is a loss for us all -- but it was certainly not her responsibility to civilize anyone. Responsibility for that is personal -- and no one here (or anywhere) has to be a jerk,

 

[KM-25]

Hmmm. The use of “pen names” is long-established in literature. Some of us choose to remain private. Doesn’t mean we don’t contribute something meaningful.

I’ll keep my pen name and just keep my limited use of forums civil. If for no other reason the potential for hacking and identity theft, I think it is unwise to operate on forums any other way.

 

[Zonan]

Sad that Helen has left, as she was one of the few women who post here. While I have not noted any "offensive" posts involving Huss, it is also sad that Huss has been banned. I have benefitted greatly from his posts re. "DSLR" scanning, Negative Lab Pro, and his film developing/reviews. He and the Colonel helped me get into that form of scanning. I have never noted anything offensive in his posts, though I do not claim to know "everything". It just seems bizarre that he should not be here, as if he was wakened at 3am and taken away. I miss his presence and contributions.

 

[ktmrider]

I know the Constitution of the US does not apply to private sites like this forum. However, the Bill of Rights just as general principle of human rights and behavior is pretty spot on. Call me foolish but one of the reasons I joined the Marines years ago is I believed (and still believe) that our Constitution is worth defending including the Bill of Rights. How many federal agents do you know that are members of the ACLU?

Unfortunately, I see a trend in our society of free speech being over ruled by political correctness. If I want to express an opinion which might offend someone, then I am not allowed to express it. To that I will never agree. And I happen to think that this rule should extend to all places including private forums. Even if I do not agree with your opinion, I will defend your right to express it.

If my expressing myself offends, don't read it or learn to ignore it. Just my two cents.

 

[B-9]

Damn.

Haha.

Been on the edge of that ban a few times myself.

I kept my head low but now that a majority of the old crew is either passed on or moved on... I think I’m ready too.

I’ll park my 11 years here and follow Helen out. See yall on Photrio! Or Instagram!

Photrio: Devin@RFCo

 

[ChipMcD]

I agree with the free speech advocates here. Living in a free society means that Nazis, racists and others with whom I disagree get to say what they want, at least as far as the government is concerned. I can either engage or ignore them. The free speech right also has consequences, some of them unpleasant, like losing one's job. That's part of the package. Also, we hold that right against the government, not private organizations, including Stephen's forum. He can set the rules here and ban anyone pretty much for any reason.

A related, but in some respects distinct, issue is the display of rudeness and trolling. It seems to me that we should treat each other with respect, even when disagreeing. I am not sure why Helen left, but I suspect that rudeness may be behind it. As others have pointed out above, this is just a photo forum. Most of us here read what is here because of our interest in photography. I think that with fairly rare exceptions, the discourse is civil, and I hope that it remains that way. I have learned a lot here over the years, and I hope that RFF continues to be a civil, photocentric place.

 

[Dogman]

I like RFF. I like Helen and her photos/posts, etc. I will miss her if she does not return. There are several people on this site whose work and whose contributions I truly appreciate. Huss and KoFe included. However...there's alway a "but", isn't there? However, I would point out that this is just an internet forum. Some seem to believe this is a significant event in their personal lives. It's just a forum. There's a real world out there that we live in and photograph in. What happens in an online forum doesn't effect world events, political outcomes, the price of bread or the setting of the sun. To borrow a quote from an old Jefferson Airplane song, "It doesn't mean **** to a tree".

 

[NeonKnight]

Should have been banned a long time ago for all those cringy pics of the homeless.

Out of town till next week
So keep your eyes open on The Classifieds
some leica Gear will go up next week, Cool

I'm not sour about HH leaving but I think her upcoming sales are in bad taste.

 

[markjwyatt]

Hmmm. The use of “pen names” is long-established in literature. Some of us choose to remain private. Doesn’t mean we don’t contribute something meaningful.

Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens

 

[MrFujicaman]

Okay....to quote Ron White: "You can't fix stupid"

Somebody was stupid and it upset Helen.

Helen quit

My hope is that the NYC gang will remember to invite Helen to the next "Meet-Up" if they ever get to have one. Like anybody else, I liked some of Helen's work and some just didn't do it for me.