From: Marco Milazzo (mmilazz1@elp.rr.com)
Date: 09/21/02-06:29:05 AM Z
Warning: ethical issues ahead. Hit "Delete" key if they bother you.
A few days ago, I raised a simple question on this list - "A question we
should all ask ourselves. . .," about the fairness of street photography to
people who don't want to be photographed. My question was jumped on by one
person who threw a few illogical assertions at it, said I was trying to
impose my morality on others, called me "pious" and "sanctimonious," and
said if I didn't want to exploit people, no one was holding a gun to my
head, etc. I didn't deserve that treatment, and my question didn't deserve
it either.
I wasn't proposing this as a doctrine, and apologize if I gave that
impression. I was simply trying to raise, and possibly discuss an issue that
seems consequential to me: Is it fair to use people for our purpose when
they may not want to be used? I've done street photography, but one day I
decided "I don't like having my picture taken without permission -- maybe I
shouldn't do it to other people." (Yes, I know that some people like it, but
many don't. Yes, I know it's been done from the beginning, but that doesn't
change the question).
This isn't a legal issue. It's perfectly legal to take street pictures, and
it's not a MORAL issue so please don't accuse me of inflicting my morality
on others. It's an ETHICAL issue, which means it's voluntary. It's
literally "A question we should all ask ourselves."
Why ask ethical questions on a photo list? First, because some of us want
to be good people as well as good photographers. That doesn't make us
plaster saints. Between "bucaneer" and "choir-boy," there is a territory
called "Decent Human Being." This is the mark I'm aiming at.
But I also raise it because we deal with ethics everyday. Questions ranging
from plagiarism to disposal of spent chemicals are about ethics. To ask
these questions isn't being pious or sanctimonious, it's simply about
respecting the same rights and wishes we want for ourselves.
This may be a new issue for this list, but that doesn't mean it doesn't
belong here. I also recognize that it's not an issue everyone will care
about. But why go out of your way to kill it at birth by stigmatizing it
(and me) as ridiculous? If questions of ethics or fairness to people bother
you, then please hit your "delete" key. Some people may want to discuss
it - difficult to do when it has been mislabeled as pious and sanctimonious
and slam-dunked into the trashcan.
I think of this as a discussion list. If it's a debate list instead, then
please say so, and I'll go away because I don't want to "debate" anything.
Discussion is a cooperative endeavor like mountain climbing, not a
competitive sport like Sumo wrestling. My idea of discourse is a Socratic
dialogue where both "sides" refine each other's ideas and help each other
arrive at a correct position. That's what I'm trying to do.
Marco Milazzo
(Sorry for the delay in responding. I've been busy.)
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