Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/07/18

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Political Correctness
From: Doug Herr <telyt560@cswebmail.com>
Date: 18 Jul 2000 08:26:54 -0700

On Tue, 18 July 2000, Tina Manley wrote:

> 
> Dear LUGnuts -
> 
> The Project Workshop in Santa Fe with Sam Abell was very good.  Sam is a 
> wonderful teacher; however, I learned something that was both enlightening 
> and disturbing.
> 
> My project is "Las Familias" - an exhibit (possibly book) of my photographs 
> of Honduran families.  I learned that many galleries will not accept my 
> project because it is politically incorrect - I am a photographer from the 
> first world photographing people in the third world.  To make the project 
> more acceptable it was suggested that I involve the families in the project 
> by (a) giving them a camera and letting them photograph their own lives (b) 
> getting them to write comments about the photographs.  (a) wouldn't work 
> because the people I visit don't have time to take photographs - they spend 
> all of their waking hours trying to feed their families (b) might work with 
> a tape recorder but many of the people I photograph don't read or write - 
> and several of the families in the project were killed by Hurricane Mitch - 
> do I exclude those photographs?
> 
> What do you think about political correctness?  Gallery owners and 
> publishers who reviewed our work seemed to think it is an important issue, 
> but it honestly never occurred to me.
> 
> Leically,
> 
> Tina
> 
> 
> Tina Manley, ASMP
> http://www.tinamanley.com

Tina,

As many others have responded, this political correctness is total bunk.  Don't waste your time with these people, there are plenty other publishers and gallery owners who will see your work for what it is.

IMHO some of the best communicators are those who are able to bridge between cultures.  Keep doing what you have been doing, and use your past work as a foundation for your future projects.  We're with ya!

Doug Herr
Sacramento
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/telyt
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Replies: Reply from "Craig Roberts" <croberts@zoomtel.com> (Re: [Leica] Political Correctness)
Reply from Mark Rabiner <mark@rabiner.cncoffice.com> (Re: [Leica] Political Correctness)
Reply from Tina Manley <images@InfoAve.Net> (Re: [Leica] Political Correctness)