FaceBook art WARNINGS?!?!?!?

[kelly x]

Has anyone received this warning for your paintings?!? I just got a warning from Face Book about some semi-nude paintings I did and posted on my blocked page. I was warned to take them down due to children on Face Book... I have no children as FB friends. Here's the warning I got:
Hello,

You uploaded a photo that violates our Terms of Use, and this photo has been removed. Facebook does not allow photos that attack an individual or group, or that contain nudity, drug use, violence, or other violations of the Terms of Use. These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children who use the site.

If you have any questions or concerns, you can visit our FAQ page at http://www.facebook.com/help.php?topic=wphotos.

The Facebook Team

When I went to see what they were talking about there is no place to respond to.
Here's my response:
I got a face book WARNING on my photos?!?! But they didn't tell me which photos were warned, these are paintings. Photos of my paintings do I have to remove them or tag them as risky to one's health and well being?!?!?!?! Do I have to take all of my paintings down. What is art? should they remove all nudes from Museums that children step foot in also then?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? Hi and HELLo.

I have many friends on CA.Org as artist FB friends already, all of our pages can be blocked to anyone who does not appreciate what we paint as artist's. I'll join your FB art page and if there is trouble we can ban together to fight art censorship and support eachother.
List your FB here: (I know Randis did this FB page thing but I can't find it) if anyone can find the link put it here or I'll post this on his link)

[Jason Rainville]

Damn that really sucks Kelly :(

I have 8 nude paintings in my facebook gallery but I haven't been contacted at all for them.

[Peter Coene]

I don't use facebook for my art but this pisses me off. I went to facebook because there are too many children on myspace.

Facebook is meant to be a social networking hub for mature individuals; its NOT meant to be a babysitting service for kids. As such, we should not have to curb our behavior there (especially as it pertains to how we choose to speak and express ourselves) just to avoid letting kids (who shouldn't be there in the 1st place) see things that their parents may not approve of.

edit: I think that we need to start making Facebook pages dedicated to famous Renaissance artists, and show as much marble, paint, and frescoed cock (and other nude figures) as is humanly possible. Then point said pages out whenever asked to take our work down.

"Hey, if I can't show this then you'd better get Michelangelo over there to remove his pic of that David sculpture. And I'm fairly certain that nude baby Jesus in this 'Madonna and Child' over here counts as child pornography! Holy shit, you better call the FBI and make sure Brunalechi gets V&'d for that one!"

[tobbA]

I was kinda expecting it would be that way so I haven't uploaded any nude stuff... Although I agree it's totally unnecessary. But with a big site like facebook I suppose they're pretty concerned about the content on their site as someone might get the idea to sue them or something if there's 'unappropriate' material on there.

[kelly x]

I don't know, but if this is the case I know about 1,500 artists who will have to take down their paintings also!! I'm not taking down my paintings that's all I know.

[TASmith]

Is this the same facebook where people, like for example the students who've found me and "friended" me, go and post their questionnaires regarding favorite kamasutra positions? I find that far more disturbing than a simple painting.

[Peter Coene]

Following your 1st link I got this:
"This portion of Answers is currently down for maintenance. Please try again later."

Either this means they got some common sense and are changing their rules about art, or else are worthless little worms and are hiding their policies so that people won't get pissed at them.

[Krato]

i defiantly think that you should be able to keep your nude paintings on facebook, but where do they draw the line? Plus if they allowed nude paintings allot of places would block facebook for explicit content. I dont really think they have much of a choice, i doubt the founders of FB have anything against it but if they do allow it they are risking being blocked.

[kelly x]

the problem is there is no place to respond, they didn't tell me which one was "bad" they also referred to them as photo's... I refuse to take anything down, sorry but I am so so so fucking pissed off!!!!!!!!! Art Bistro censored some of my dressed pin-ups too so I banned them and canceled my account.
I know and have seen almost all of my artist's friends pages and most have nudes on them. Most artists paint and study nudes and I only put up the most tasteful nudes so far, this makes me want to put all of my work up. ;) they may have a heart attack then.

[Shantih]

There's nudity in some of the art I've got on FB have recieved no warnings, I don't know how the system works but I suspect it's a case of having the bad luck to have someone on your friend's list anal enough to report it.

[TASmith]

All I can say is it's just facebook. It's the dregs of the internet. None of us would touch it if it weren't for the fact we can at least have a bit of conversation with friends long distance.

I mentioned earlier that a friend of mine recently hung himself. Part of it was/may have been that he'd canceled his myspace and facebook accounts for a week and no one noticed. I hadn't because I honestly don't look there very often and if it even tells you you've been unfriended it'll be in tiny little letters stuck between two useless questionaires someone littered your wall with two days ago. Point is, you can't take these sites seriously or you go crazy - no one's popular on these things. Everyone's talking and hardly anyone's ever listening.

Just make yourself a nice website and link it in your profile. Then you don't have to worry about being censored, and you can make a much more professional layout.

This isn't a big deal. Remember, there's orphan children with HIV starving in Africa, and Asia, and probably also in the US.

[Nrx]

i dont think its really there fault, there not a museum there free to do as they please with whats dispalyed on there site, but again i doubt there sat there at facebook hq saying WE MUST CENSOR ALL NUDE IMAGES EVAR. its just the way things are these days, makes more sense to remove there liablity or whatever

[kelly x]

TASmith, I read your post on another thread and this was a tragedy so sorry about your friend!!
NRX, There is an option to have your page blocked on FB and mine is, it is not a public page to be blocked with warnings and we are free to post our art work if we want. It's the principal and the fact that art should not be censored, ever!!

Shantih, You may be right and just in case it was someone I added I wrote this hysterical message as a "friend warning"
Warning, to you my friend!! If you don't like my art, please remove yourself from my friends list and never step foot in public or walk past a magazine stand, never go to an art gallery, a fine art museum full of nudes, shelter yourself from all that is art... Read More!!!!!!!! I feel sorry for you and your narrow mind. Don't read anything on or about art it may suggest up an image in your mind, don't dare to dream or create either, this is my warning to you!! Teach your children this also and move to an island full of sparrows that carry small twigs and with little ribbons of pure white. Live sheltered and get off my face book page NOW!

[Brashen]

Why post it in the first place? And dont tell me it's for networking...:D

[Jazz]

Hmmm, I don't put nude pics on FB myself (I don't really have much of any :P), but I was always under the impression that there weren't kids on there. o_O Silly me! Weird too that kids might see the pics if, as you said, you haven't friends kids on FB anyway. My, my my, I don't get FB sometimes. :P

Posting it in the first place...I'm sure one reason is to share what you're doing, Brashen. ;)

[Baron Impossible]

But think of all the benefits Facebook brings! Before Facebook, nobody had any friends. It was impossible to communicate with someone who wasn't in the room and therefore everyone was sad. Now, with Facebook, everyone is friends with everyone else and consequently we are all happy! Surely for the privilege of being part of such a marvelous social revolution it's possible to forsake your dignity and integrity.

[Irishdrunk]

What is art? should they remove all nudes from Museums that children step foot in also then?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

It's funny you should say that. (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/30/education/30teacher.html?ei=5090&en=72efd1846b3947bd&ex=1317268800&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print)

But Ms. McGee, 51, a popular art teacher with 28 years in the classroom, is out of a job after leading her fifth-grade classes last April through the Dallas Museum of Art. One of her students saw nude art in the museum, and after the child’s parent complained, the teacher was suspended.

[instinct]

This isn't art censorship, this is Facebook calling you on you violating their TOS.

They are providing a service and you agreed to abide by their rules, they have every right to ask to you remove things that are in direct violation of their terms, because YOU AGREED TO THEM.

Just upload things to facebook that don't involve nudity, is that so hard?

[TASmith]

That's Texas. No wait, that's America. I guess it's a good thing I'm teaching in Europe now. No one sues in Slovakia. In America, a court case drags on for years only when you go up against a huge corporation, and the loser pays all the costs. In Slovakia, every case takes years, and everyone shares the costs. In America, a little kid can kill and rape in a videogame, can run around the neighborhood with a bb-gun, can watch all sorts of movies either online or in theaters, or can even train in the use of a real gun - but he can't see people naked! God forbid!!! We have to pretend in the stork, because it's the only way to preserve their innocent little souls.

[nauvice]

This does suck, but I cant hate them for it. There's a lign that shouldnt be crossed, and if they let artistic nudes slide, than everyone else who would abuse that passage would just call their crap "artistic". ever heard of lamebook.com? A site that exposes the idiots on facebook, and there are some really questionable pictures that people put on facebook. So Im glad that they're being so strict, to prevent it from turning into myspace. Well that, and there are some crazy parents who'd try to sue because their kid found artistic nudes on a family-friendly site.

[kelly x]

!We all have nudes up on FB, many of the best artist's on this site have their anatomy studies and art work up on their private FB pages, I may be closed down soon for keeping mine up and now adding more, I do not have any children looking at my pages at all, what is the privacy policy for, none of the nude work I have up is not distasteful, they are pieces that have been in public galleries that any family can walk into and see on the walls, even seen from the street. This is not porn, this is art, human form, Mentler has a wonderful FB page for teaching anatomy, WTF!!!

[Black Spot]

Sounds like the problem I had on Photobucket a while back. I contested their ruling, citing classical art, and they backed down. You should be able to reply their original warning.

[TASmith]

Kelly, everything you're saying makes perfect sense. You're absolutely right. But in the end, it's just facebook. You're expecting a large, behemoth of a website/company to act intelligent and rationally. They won't, they'll act like a company, concerned with protecting their own ass. You've got CA, and you're rockin your sketchbook like no one's business. Just put this behind you and keep producing. If it makes you feel better, anyone who'd censor your work must have a seriously sharp stick up their ass.

[N D Hill]

It's funny you should say that. (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/30/education/30teacher.html?ei=5090&en=72efd1846b3947bd&ex=1317268800&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print)



Before I click that link and read your article, I just want to venture a guess and say this incident occurred in texas.

edit: I must have the shining.

[c-hsu-run]

Children, on Facebook? Man, times have changed since FB was a college student social network. :\

[kelly x]

It's funny you should say that. (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/30/education/30teacher.html?ei=5090&en=72efd1846b3947bd&ex=1317268800&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print)



Irishdrunk, This is going on my Face Book page too, I should be in jail for taking my five year old son to the Met every other week, bring me a cake with a file!! This article makes me sick!

TASmith, A sharp stick would be cool!!

[kelly x]

I never saw this link from Jason M:
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=162578&page=5

[Sorknes]

I've never posted any art on facebook because of the dodgy read and accept stuff, but that there's photo and image controversy in FB is nothing new. There's a huge mass of users that grouped together and started a movement where they keep posting themselves or their close relations breastfeeding because FB keep taking photos of breastfeeding down, even if they're all decent and not a nipple showing.


Just FYI.

[smugbug]

Well I know what I'll be doing now: posting a playful newdy sketch on my fb from here on out. Who's with me?!

Aw I keed....well, maybe not. Heeeeee

kelly, as what was said, it IS just facebook; however since I can read your mind, you're thinking, "it's the principle, dammit."

And why I'm with you on this. I mean Facebook, really. The children??????

[Pigeonkill]

I don't understand why it takes Facebook sometimes months to ban adult videos and pornography posted in groups. Yet...they zap semi-nude paintings pretty fast from the sound of things? Actually in the facebook group I'm hosting there is a lot of members posting semi-nude paintings. I guess haven't had the same warning issues yet.

Kelly meanwhile you can still find a good web domain and host your images there. I agree it does feel silly to censor semi-nude art on facebook when artist want to network and share their work. Wish the rules were more flexible.

[Brashen]

Jazz: There are a billion and one ways to show people your work (there are whole sites dedicated to that :P) Also people post these on their private pages..soooo that means only a very finite amount of people get to see it...want people to see your work....use links.

In any case Fb is bat shit crazy....ever since I found out people knew when I was taking a crap from my Fb notifications page I stopped using it.

[shamandalie]

You uploaded a photo that violates our Terms of Use, and this photo has been removed. Facebook does not allow photos that attack an individual or group, or that contain nudity, drug use, violence, or other violations of the Terms of Use. These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children who use the site.



funny thing is that they don't allow photos, but they allow groups like this to be made. (http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=100000422715957#/group.php?gid=3533915614&ref=search&sid=583929474.3065925539..1)

Personally, i don't really put up art on facebook, it's more of a network thing. And whatever bad in that site, ignore. D:

[velderia]

Interesting that some of the other people posted here said that they haven't had their semi-nude paintings removed. Maybe the mod was just strict? It happens. It could happen anywhere.

[ikken]

it's perfectly reasonable to allow posting photos (http://www.lamebook.com/bloody-hell-let-the-comments-begin) like that and ban art, containing nudity
FFSbook

[ArtZealot]

this thread offends me. too much usage of the word "nudity".

[velderia]

this thread offends me. too much usage of the word "nudity".
Aww. I is sowwy.

Have a cookie. :)

[insert tele-cookie here]

[Hookswords]

You uploaded a photo that violates our Terms of Use, and this photo has been removed. Facebook does not allow photos that attack an individual or group, or that contain nudity, drug use, violence, or other violations of the Terms of Use. These policies are designed to ensure Facebook remains a safe, secure and trusted environment for all users, including the many children who use the site.

I found this on their "safety" page
Children under 13 years old are not permitted access to Facebook. In addition, parents of children 13 years and older should consider whether their child should be supervised during the child's use of the Facebook site.

Despite Facebook's safety and privacy controls, Facebook cannot guarantee that the site is entirely free of illegal, offensive, pornographic or otherwise inappropriate material, or that its members will not encounter inappropriate or illegal conduct from other members. Consequently, you may encounter such content and conduct. You can help Facebook by notifying us of any nudity, pornography, harassment or unwelcome contact by clicking on the "Report" link located on pages throughout the site. Facebook will use its best efforts to review reports made through this site reporting tool within 24 hours and remove any content that is deemed to have violated the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. If warranted Facebook will also warn or disable the user responsible for posting the abusive content. Where complaints about nudity, pornography, harassment or unwelcome contact are made by independent email to abuse@facebook.com, Facebook will acknowledge receipt of the complaint and begin to address it within 24 hours. Facebook will respond to the reporter within 72 hours of receiving the email complaint to inform them of the steps Facebook has taken to address it.

Now right off the bat I can tell you that under these terms probably a good 77% of pictures on facebook should be removed. Children under 13 are not permitted. That's what...7th grade? They start teaching human growth and development at 3rd grade at least? So the impressionable youths we're concerned about are starting at age 13 right? I'd say your average 13 year old can figure out how to use a TV remote wouldnt you say? There is much worse on there, or the rest of the internet for that matter. But I digress, lets focus on Facebook. I work in higher education and I've seen the facebook pages of a lot of my students workers. Most of them are pics at parties or bars. Alcohol is a drug right? You can see it right in the pictures. Or what about the barrage of inappropriate slutty halloween costumes that we just got? Or all the girl on girl drunk shots? These are some how more appropriate for "kids" than a nude painting? I think what happened to Kelly is a case of the system going too far just in case. Like how we have braille on drive up ATM machines.

Out of curiosity, I did a google search to see if I could find any collections of facebook pics. I googled " Hot facebook chicks". Here's a selection of the hundreds of options I found. You tell me if these are better or worse than a nude painting, or if they may violate terms of use.

http://thechive.com/2009/04/hot-chicks-of-facebook-youre-welcome-41-photos/

http://thechive.com/2009/02/girls-in-lower-back-problemsfacebook-group/

http://www.socialnetworkbabes.com/most-viewed

http://funnyhot.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=106&Itemid=28

I'm sure the actions taken by facebook are more to prevent it from being shutdown for kiddy porn than anything else. Most young users dont have the where with all to not put up pics that are potentially dangerous in that regard. Shame and common sense are endangered species now a days. I dont think that nude paintings should be taken down if pics like those above are allowed. Those are perfectly wankable pics for a 13 year old, or even a dirty 60 year old. So what's the difference.

[Katfayheirti]

Out of curiosity, I did a google search to see if I could find any collections of facebook pics. I googled " Hot facebook chicks". Here's a selection of the hundreds of options I found. You tell me if these are better or worse than a nude painting, or if they may violate terms of use.



Good god those links are depressing! Now I can't even put up a profile pic of myself without the fear that some creepy guy will archive it on a website and jack off to it later. A lot of those girls are just dressed in normal tank tops and posing for normal photos. agghhhhhhhhh. Sometimes I hate the internet.


I have a lot of friends who live all over the country, so in a perfect world I'd love to be able to upload all of my nude figure drawings to Facebook without the silly puritanical "ooooOOooh! But think about the children" police freaking out about it, but I'd ALSO love to be able to upload a photo of myself and my friends at the beach, chilling in our bikinis, without fear that it might leak out onto a softcore porn site somewhere where I have no control of it.

Ugh. I guess I'm just asking too much.

[bleupencil]

I thought there was an option that let you choose who could view your pictures, just like who you let view your profile. If that's the case, wouldn't that stop said creepy people or small children from viewing the images? If you show them publicly, however, I guess you're in for all sorts of mischief from random stupidheads :(

Also, just read that article about the teacher... I wonder how she's doing now. Better and still doing what she loves in a more open-minded environment hopefully.

[newman]

hmm. I had a similar thing happen with FB over the weekend. I thought someone had stumbled across my stuff and reported it, but maybe FB had some sort of mass check/cull? The weird thing is that there is no nudity in any of the pics I've got up there, just suggestiveness... I just ignored it and reposted!

A lot of people (me included) use facebook for business networking rather than social, so it's irritating, but then I don't think anyone who's going to like my stuff is going to be put off by a content warning.

goddamn morality police!

[kelly x]

hmm.

goddamn morality police!

I hear you and my point is not Face Book in general, as Patricia said, she can read my mind and what the point is being able to show art work to friends and fellow artist's without being censored. The only thing that could possibly be censored that I have up on my page is one topless piece, not even a full nude. The entire thing makes me sick!
bleupencil, Yes, there is a privacy setting and I thought it was to keep creeps and young kids out also... maybe some creeps got in by accident?
I'm actually most upset by the school that fired this art teacher!!! WTF is this???????!!!!!!! This is teaching censorship to young people. Get em' while their young and narrow their sponge like brains while you can, is this their theory??? So, wrong, so, stifling!
To All artist's: Don't let anyone censor your work! Grow, learn, study and share your work with your friends and other artist's, it will help you to learn.

[Craig D]

As I recall, there was a lot more to the story about the art teacher than just what was mentioned above.

[kelly x]

CraigD, I read the story too and tell me what you remember, what I remember is that the only reason they fired her and not the other teacher's on the trip was because she simply read the museum descriptions out loud describing Rodin's nude? She wore flip flops to school? I found the article very vague and if anyone has read anything else pass it along. I really think they just wanted to get rid of a teacher who made $56k. Also any conversation can be taken out of context and be made to sound filthy. We will never really know in this instance what really went down, it's all hearsay at this point and I feel this teacher of thirty years should have been given her fare say in what really happened, the true circumstance's and not just thrown away. Even if say, she were out of line in their eyes, a warning or reprimand at the very most. Smells of all kinds of BS to me.

[TASmith]

Craig, if there's more to the story do tell. From the one article posted, it sounds like the principal okay'd a school trip, and since this is America, every single parent had to sign a permission slip as well. So then these kids with full parental knowledge and consent went to a museum, and god forbid saw something that each and every one of us has between our legs. And the kids went and told their parents, who apparently never visited a museum before and didn't know what it was. So then a couple stupid Texan parents go ape shit, bitch the principal, and then she goes in crisis mode and suspends the teacher, just to save her own ass.

That's what it sounded like from the one article. If there's more, do tell.

[Earendil]

This Dallas incident is just another example of the increasingly schizophrenic nature the West has towards the human body, sexuality, and sexual expression in general. However did "The Children(TM)" cope when we were wandering around the Savannah nude or mostly nude? Surely the race would've died out, or the children, having seen a peepee, would've grown up into sex-crazed adults.

Even Hitler recognized the amount of bullshit and rights removal a public would endure in order to Protect The Children(TM). This recent pedo-craze and "zomgs nudity!" is no exception, and is just the portal to further removal of internet rights, rights to privacy, government surveillance (http://www.boingboing.net/2009/11/09/how-eff-saved-indyme.html) (for the children!), and attacks on freedom of expression.

Europe isn't really that far behind us, and in some ways (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/oct/25/police-surveillance-protest-domestic-extremism) is way ahead of us. (http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/28/council-bans-parents.html)

[Craig D]

Re teacher
There had been some talk about previous disciplinary actions regarding this teacher,
but since I can't find any credible source info I'll have to leave it. Certainly the school board can't really release her personell file to the public.

If she was fired for the field trip I'd certainly be outraged as well, but lets all check the hyperbole at the door just occasionally please.

[Peter Coene]

I think we need to resurrect the "I drew you a penis" thread and we should all post links to it on facebook.

[TASmith]

Craig, I read the article. All their claims came AFTER the fieldtrip. The teacher said she has copies of every report beforehand and they're all positive, and the NYTimes backed it up. Might not be completely reliable, but it's all we've got. The principal of the school is Nansy Lawson. I just found her email and sent her this letter. Anyone interested can write to her here: fisher@friscoisd.org


Dear Principal Lawson, and the Fisher School Faculty,

I was disheartened to read a New York Times article describing recent events at your school. I imagine you must feel the same, or at least embarrassed. You should, and not only because of your actions, but because this exemplifies in excruciating detail how high the odds are stacked against any art teacher who ever hopes to teach in public schools in America.

Principal Lawson, you have failed in your post on two counts. First, you authorised the field trip which was planned by your teacher. So, since the trip went exactly as planned, and complaints were lodged based on the trip as it was planned, responsibility rests on your shoulders. If there really was a problem with the trip, you should have foreseen and stopped it beforehand. Shirking your responsibility and shifting it on to others is a sign of poor character.

Second, the complaint lodged was ridiculous, and should've been treated as such. I assume that each parent signed a permission slip. Any parent unaware that museums display nude imagery has to be so ignorant that their complaints should be dismissed out of hand. The vast majority of parents were fine with the trip. Their children benefitted, but instead of you seeing the greater good, you're worrying overmuch at the legal threat of a few individuals, who would never stand a chance in a court of law. This is a clear-cut case where you should have stood up to defend your teacher, and you completely failed. You're thereby creating an environment of isolation and fear throughout your staff which will have ramifications. Nothing kills teacher morale faster than a lack of administrative support. Your job is to get to know and trust your staff - if you didn't fully trust your art teacher beforehand, you should never have approved the trip, which again is why any blame rests on your shoulders.

Art Education is one of the most difficult subjects to teach because there's no clearly established curriculum. Art Education is unique from all other subjects in that the core knowledge built up over millenia was completely trashed and forgotten in the early 20th Century, and is still ignored by academia. Each teacher must piece together whatever knowledge one can find, and tailor it to their students' age group, mediums, and parental concerns. More than most other subjects, students (erroneously) feel a deep connection between drawing ability, intellect, and self-esteem, which teachers have to help them overcome. Teachers must also jump through hurdles presented by superiors, such as writing time consuming lesson plans, prepping student teachers, and incorporating other subjects into the class. In elementary school, the task becomes physically impossible when students typically only get 45 minutes a week, sometimes for only a third of the year, and one teacher may have as many as 800 students! It's laughable.

Add to this, the every too prevalent lack of support or understanding from administration, and the amazing phenomenon in America that it's alright for children to watch unspeakable violence and fight, but that all nudity is pornography. To quote one of my professors, "Lesson learned from the film Jackass - In America it's alright for men to torture each other, but they can't hold hands." I bet the children who complained are sitting at home right now playing Grand Theft Auto. If not now, they will be in a couple years.

I should add, I earned a masters in art ed because I never received a quality art education K-12, and I wanted to give students something I never had. Following my experiences in American school systems like yours, I decided to move to Europe where people still have their heads on right, and don't have to fret about lawsuits every minute.

[Molly]

Your f'ing joking????

I have a drawing of a devil with a huge cock on my FB photos, and I've tagged the majority of my males friends to it!

COCK IT!

:D

[Craig D]

Here you go TASmith
a 3 pager from 2006

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=78777&highlight=teacher+fired

[kelly x]

Craig D, Thanks for posting this thread by Elwell, I personally had not seen it and I hope people continue to write letters, there are a lot of good comments and links. I still think there is a fiscal under tone to her being fired, what were they thinking coming up with this insulting, bogus excuse. I'm glad to see people are fighting for her and not just laying back and taking it!!

[TASmith]

This happened three years ago??? Aw, come on, Irish Drunk! Need the Info!!! Now I feel stupid... Still, though, for a teacher after 28 years of service to need "professional development" after one field trip is just BS. Firing her and keeping her from working in any nearby schools basically means she has to move towns or find a new line of work - which means she has to go back to school, get even more debt, graduate again, it's all just ridiculous. Some admin have no idea how much they hurt someone by doing all this.

It's like the teacher in the UK fired for telling students that Santa doesn't exist. Not suspended or reprimanded, but fired. While in the US, police can riddle an anarmed man with over 40 bullets and still keep their badge.

[LearningCurve]

Ive personally always viewed the idea of "PTA" and parents having any say in the public school system as what is at fault for creating the system we have today. Parents have a say via voting for the school's officials, and that's where it should stop. If they have any further interest in education then they should involve themselves in said positions and/or teach. The reason "private" schools do so much better than "public" schools in America is due in large part to uneducated parents controlling the public schools. This is where we get things like the football team's budget outweighing the need for new textbooks, or classic novels being banned for "offensive" material, or teachers getting fired for bringing kids to MUSEUMS.

Beyond the whole teacher thing though I have a funny story about myspace and censorship.

A little back story; while drawing is my "passion" photography is my "hobby", specifically macro shots that don't look like what they are is my favorite form of photography. Back when I actively participated in myspace, it was just becoming big. One of my shoots involved an old leather jacket. One of the shots is a seam on a fold. Apparently someone mistook this for a vagina and reported it. Initially I hadn't really notice the yonnic qualities of the picture, but now that's all I see.

Next thing I know I'm getting warnings about posting porn and that my account will be suspended. Needless to say I emailed them back a nasty but civil response, pointing out the obvious, that there was no nudity and this can be backed up by the other shots of the leather jacket.

Heres my old myspace: myspace.com/maninthevan

and here's the picture in question (which was reposted after things were cleared up).

http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/22/l_c12501db847dc0ba2fb8fbd2f9736eed.jpg

[BlightedArt]

I don't use facebook for my art but this pisses me off. I went to facebook because there are too many children on myspace.

Facebook is meant to be a social networking hub for mature individuals; -snip-

Mature... yesssssss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLd5gC84IBY

[Qitsune]

Actually, I seriously doubt that FB pays people to survey pictures. I think those of you who had trouble are victims of someone who clicked the "report" button. This doesn't even have to be someone you know as albums are open to everyone by default.

I have had life drawings on my Fb for months and never had trouble, they are not very explicit (colored pencil and no defined genitals) but definately nudes.

[kelly x]

Tas Smith, don't be to cruel to Irish Drunk, haha, Yes, very out of date article but all the same still important facts to remember. I'm glad you wrote the letter, their nightmares should never go away, mahahaha!! I wonder what she's doing now?

LearningCurve, that is ridiculous! cool photo, who's anatomy have they been looking at as ref, bah, someone who clearly looked like leather!!
People should never look at O'keefe paintings again either, I'll start posting O'keefe right away!!! Thanks!

[Baron Impossible]

One of my shoots involved an old leather jacket. One of the shots is a seam on a fold. Apparently someone mistook this for a vagina

Remarkable. I can only imagine what genital-based moral perils assailed that person during an average day.

[kelly x]

Here's story on how to make your account more private, it's not full proof at all and in the end the warn to choose your friends wisely, but some of the things are useful.
http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/02/facebook-privacy/

[Qitsune]

I actually have a pretty elaborate privacy settings scheme but last week FB lost my custom privacy settings, I don't know how long it stayed like that before I went to change my settings and noticed. I find it easier to add people who ask me and then severely restrict their access, than to refuse them, I might have to start doing that if FB can't be more reliable with the settings.

[TASmith]

My facebook is so full of glitches. I have to post any comment at least twice.

[FranciscoShreds]

Damn... seems like facebook is just up to their shenanigans again... Ever since they tried to amend their TOS to say that every image uploaded to facebook they could legally take ownership of, I've been pretty much wary of their practices and choosing not to put any important info or work on there.