My OperaWhat's going on MyOpera...?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 9:31:46 PM
I've been a member of Opera for several years, and a really proud member of this community.
But, let me say, something strange is going on in here.
A few months ago I found my page had been blocked and banned without absolutely any explanation or reason given from the administrators. I inmediately contacted them asking for those reasons. The answer was that I had several pics which were supposedly inconvenient for the site. The albums contained erotic and artistic nudes with no sexual or explicit content.
Now, all of you who had visited my page know that I am an admirer of beauty in all of its ways. Human body is one of my focus of atention. It doesn't matter if it is a male or female body, it is beautiful if it's trated artistically and with a sense of good taste. All of the albums in my page had a warning about the content, explaining that the content was artistic nudes. In no case they had porn material at all, since I really find that kind of expression absolutely disgusting and innaproppiate for a site like this. We can discuss the concept of art and maybe we won't agree, but we all know what porn is and that's clear for everyone. So, believe me that my albums did not contain porn at all and all photos were publicly available on different sites on the net.
After a few messages to administrators discussing the topic, we finally reach at an agreement and they gave me back "my" page. I had to erase those albums. Was that right? I don't know and I really don't care about now. As I told Aleksander, who was very kind to me indeed, I don't set the rules here.
But what happens now?
Every time I open MyOpera I see LOTS OF PORN AND EXPLICIT SEX PHOTOS DISPLAYED IN THE MAIN PAGE!!!! Just have a look at the Popular photos section or at the members sections and you'll confirm what I say. Of course I have reported this but all I got was a "You are not allowed to see this page" when I tried to see the page again to see what happened. Can you explain me what's going on in here? Has it gone out of control? Has this happened to me because of some discriminatory or homophobic feelings coming from people who have still not found their place in the world and all they have to do is to bother other people?
I know it must be difficult to administer a huge site like this, but would you be happy if you were in my shoes for a second? Surely not. I'm not complaining, I'm just asking for clear rules for everybody.
And the rules don't seem to be the same for all of us and intolerance seems to be spreading around us in spite of all our good efforts to build everyday a better world.
Finally, as I always say: Thank you MyOpera, this is still the best place to be when I sit in front of my computer.
But, let me say, something strange is going on in here.
A few months ago I found my page had been blocked and banned without absolutely any explanation or reason given from the administrators. I inmediately contacted them asking for those reasons. The answer was that I had several pics which were supposedly inconvenient for the site. The albums contained erotic and artistic nudes with no sexual or explicit content.
Now, all of you who had visited my page know that I am an admirer of beauty in all of its ways. Human body is one of my focus of atention. It doesn't matter if it is a male or female body, it is beautiful if it's trated artistically and with a sense of good taste. All of the albums in my page had a warning about the content, explaining that the content was artistic nudes. In no case they had porn material at all, since I really find that kind of expression absolutely disgusting and innaproppiate for a site like this. We can discuss the concept of art and maybe we won't agree, but we all know what porn is and that's clear for everyone. So, believe me that my albums did not contain porn at all and all photos were publicly available on different sites on the net.
After a few messages to administrators discussing the topic, we finally reach at an agreement and they gave me back "my" page. I had to erase those albums. Was that right? I don't know and I really don't care about now. As I told Aleksander, who was very kind to me indeed, I don't set the rules here.
But what happens now?
Every time I open MyOpera I see LOTS OF PORN AND EXPLICIT SEX PHOTOS DISPLAYED IN THE MAIN PAGE!!!! Just have a look at the Popular photos section or at the members sections and you'll confirm what I say. Of course I have reported this but all I got was a "You are not allowed to see this page" when I tried to see the page again to see what happened. Can you explain me what's going on in here? Has it gone out of control? Has this happened to me because of some discriminatory or homophobic feelings coming from people who have still not found their place in the world and all they have to do is to bother other people?
I know it must be difficult to administer a huge site like this, but would you be happy if you were in my shoes for a second? Surely not. I'm not complaining, I'm just asking for clear rules for everybody.
And the rules don't seem to be the same for all of us and intolerance seems to be spreading around us in spite of all our good efforts to build everyday a better world.
Finally, as I always say: Thank you MyOpera, this is still the best place to be when I sit in front of my computer.
PainterWoman # Wednesday, July 1, 2009 12:35:11 AM
I too see all the 'popular' photos that look to be porn. I've only reported two albums and they were banned. One was of horrifying pictures that no one should see. The other was explicit porn. Now, I don't bother looking. I don't want to give those albums any more hits than they already get.
I don't know the answer. 2.5 million members is too many to police.
Gothic.O # Wednesday, July 1, 2009 2:34:02 AM
slackwrdave # Wednesday, July 1, 2009 2:34:20 AM
Maybe flickr or picasa would work, though flickr is also known for capricious blocks and bans unless you self censor and rate your albums a certain way that I think shouldn't apply to artistic works.
Tran Sitransi # Saturday, July 4, 2009 4:11:16 AM
Gothic.O # Saturday, July 4, 2009 12:58:03 PM
Tran Sitransi # Sunday, July 5, 2009 1:28:58 AM
Gothic.O # Sunday, July 5, 2009 2:21:44 AM
Tran Sitransi # Sunday, July 5, 2009 3:33:46 AM
dana johnsondanajohnson0 # Tuesday, July 7, 2009 5:15:00 PM
In the U.S., and many cultural social orders, it is the 'swing' of the mass intolerance pendulum, or in some social orders, the 'sword of "Law"', which rules with a tightened or lessened grip. The individuals are left alone to run the daily events, or, the hidden and/or organized first degree networks run the social show daily in other timings through history. Many cultures swing widely, others, by many laws and a static formal demanding method. The 'art' of orderliness, is often the rule of daily life and is often a planned act by the first degree networked headline grabbers.
Art has usually had hard times in regard to the content of varied types, including nudes, the body, social political statements, and cultural challenge/humor/critical opposition, and boundary transition attempts. Many have been imprisoned or even died during art expression and organization.
In the U.S., many networks cause the sweeping waves of injury set against individual art type expression, but a careful vigilance of separating children from the exposure is a safety factor to calculate even before the networks can attack art product.
Placing a cover on every book is not a bad approach to an exhibition, as in a front door on each home we live in. Observing a careful look to human safety for observers is really a valid social concern. Within a home, the 'art' of Law becomes the argument of who rules the domain of the individual, in life and in art exhibition's.
On a website, the access to art, simple or socially challenging, presents a clear front door opportunity, a posted notice option or requirement setup, and as you point out, an injury may may be the final social or networked response, at times.
I pass all things in interest, without personal injury, unless others are suffering injury. I have never needed the networks to act before I pass my judgement, and I always look to judge whether a network acts to protect persons from injury, or is keeping me from my judgements instead.
The networks at heart, don't have to sell us nature, they are selling us fancy front doors, window covers, walls, and fur coats, multi-layered clothing adornment, opaque vehicles, secret and public memberships in 'clubs', and a thousand variations in economic and social bindings. Until we are bound in total sum, the efforts will probably continue.
Hiding our natural history, and denying it's placement in our lives, is very motivating for many.
Gothic.O # Tuesday, July 7, 2009 7:34:55 PM
Of course I know, Giordano Bruno was burned alive because of his ideas but I don't try to end up as he didi! I mean, if I personally consider something as art, you don't have to agree with me, you have the right to disagree. Voltaire said "Maybe I don't agree with your ideas, but I'd give my own life to defend your right to express them" (not literally, of course, but this was the main idea of the thought).
As you say, we're given here an opportunity to express our concept of art here and this just like a front door to show it. The rest is our responsability. What will I include in my albums? Should I put an statement warning about the content? This is a matter of social responsability to others, since the concept of art as we say is totally subjective and not always sahred by all viewers. But once you entered the site passing through all warnings and get yourself exposed to the content, that's your responsability because you took the risk, if there was anyone.
As I said in the post, art can be a diffuse concept for many of us, but not "porn". I think that is clear for everybody, and I've even seen children in some photos here which are suspecteddly pornographic. This, and not the fact of having been banned is what bothers me.
Who sets the agenda in these kinda sites? Is it set by moderators? By outsiders? By a formal or informal group of people who defend their own moral interests without taking into account that the others have also the same rights to express themselves?
It is this sensation of incoherence what makes this issue so bothering for me, mainly because I fear it'd be connected to other negative attitudes like intolerance and discrimination, and our societies need many things but not those, for sure.
Anyway, I've got many important problems in my life such as paying my bills, working hard to pay for my daughter's education, fill my fridge with healthy food so, let the things go their own way... And of course, if I can help making the way easier I'll do.
slackwrdave # Tuesday, July 7, 2009 10:07:04 PM
Originally posted by Gothic.O:
I have a feeling that at myopera and flickr, a moderator, or admin, looks at something for about half a second before deciding "yea" or "nay".
I have an account at flickr and an admin mistakenly rated all 3000 of my images as unsafe. It took a volley of e-mails to get a block off of my account, then they couldn't be troubled to change the unsafe rating back. I had re-rate each one myself as there's no way to batch change them.
Gothic.O # Tuesday, July 7, 2009 10:47:35 PM
Magsintothedeep # Sunday, July 12, 2009 1:36:59 AM
Life is what it is. We're all at a different place, can we not respect that?? Support those differences, and be there to be Christ's presence some how in the world that disagrees.. *sigh*
I think your're cool
Peace, my friend in whatever is happening in your life!
Gothic.O # Sunday, July 12, 2009 1:43:15 AM
RedJavaredjava # Friday, August 14, 2009 9:20:14 PM
onearth1hominidonejimen # Tuesday, August 18, 2009 11:04:44 PM
How does one machine/program/appliance selectively filter for the entire human race? What is "art" and what is "smut"? A personal choice...back to the finger and mouse...censorship, in house.
Unregistered user # Thursday, January 7, 2010 2:41:42 PM