So, Nana's last set...
I'm probably way too late for this in Internet time, and nobody will read this anyway, but it's poked into my mind and I feel like I need to say something.
When the set was posted, I clicked on it and checked it out. Read the intro, thought to myself "what do 'rape blossoms' have to do with... oh." That would be where I noticed the pictures. Kind of offensive. Since I don't have any experience with the subject, my reaction was to close it. I'm offended, so I won't look at it. It then left my mind.
Later on (maybe not even the same day, I don't remember), I see someone's comment regarding it in another thread, and I go back to notice that it's gone. This is understandable. The subject matter was... controversial, and pretty inappropriate compared to the rest of the site. Part of me was saddened that the site didn't stick to its guns and fight for freedom of expression or whatever, but like a lot of people here, I do think there should be a line somewhere and this crossed it.
Then I got to the thread.
It was locked by the time I got to it, but holy shit, what a clusterfuck. First off was Missy's explanation. "We didn't understand everything in it," she says. Bull shit. I can get that people missed the Nazi stuff in it. I missed it, it was subtle. But seriously, you didn't pick up from the pictures that it was about rape? Really? Are you fucking retarded? Again, I have no problem with them taking it down, but show some fucking balls. At least come out and admit that you didn't expect the amount of controversy it generated. An apology is fine, but if you're saying that you missed the context of the set, then you're either liars or idiots. Possibly both.
That's not the worst of it, though. I could accept the staff's joke of an apology, but the vitriol spewed forth from the site's membership really bothered me. I should note that while I hadn't read Nana's response to the whole thing, I know that some people have stated that her reaction was that of a petulant brat, and if you want to fight her fire with fire, that's fine by me. What was disconcerting was that so much of the anger was with dissenters in the thread. There were some intelligent arguments made as to why pulling the set and banning Nana was the wrong course of action. There were not a lot of people coming to weigh in on Nana's side, but most of those that did presented their arguments fairly well. I disagree with them (as one poster said, just because someone makes art doesn't mean that every gallery has to display it), but I could see where they were coming from. The pro-removal side, though, sweet merciful crap. While there were a few people who had well thought out arguments, they seemed much fewer compared to the number of posters. Too many of the posts were the kind of snarky, arrogant dicketry that permeates any kind of discussion on "the issues" on this site. I find all too often that even the people whose views I agree with on this site, I want to grab, shake like a baby, and scream "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" at.
So basically I find that my ever more negative perceptions of this site are confirmed once again. The site doesn't "reinvent beauty", since all the models have basically the same body type and style. The "art vs. porn" argument here is moot, because sets that can be construed as artistic are pulled if they generate any controversy while generic photoshoots continue to dominate. And the community is unwelcoming, being little more than an angry lefty echo chamber. None of this really bothers me, as I like porn and I'm happy to give my money to pornographers provided I enjoy the product. SuicideGirls isn't a movement, it's a porn site, and I really wish they'd stop pretending otherwise.
I'm probably way too late for this in Internet time, and nobody will read this anyway, but it's poked into my mind and I feel like I need to say something.
When the set was posted, I clicked on it and checked it out. Read the intro, thought to myself "what do 'rape blossoms' have to do with... oh." That would be where I noticed the pictures. Kind of offensive. Since I don't have any experience with the subject, my reaction was to close it. I'm offended, so I won't look at it. It then left my mind.
Later on (maybe not even the same day, I don't remember), I see someone's comment regarding it in another thread, and I go back to notice that it's gone. This is understandable. The subject matter was... controversial, and pretty inappropriate compared to the rest of the site. Part of me was saddened that the site didn't stick to its guns and fight for freedom of expression or whatever, but like a lot of people here, I do think there should be a line somewhere and this crossed it.
Then I got to the thread.
It was locked by the time I got to it, but holy shit, what a clusterfuck. First off was Missy's explanation. "We didn't understand everything in it," she says. Bull shit. I can get that people missed the Nazi stuff in it. I missed it, it was subtle. But seriously, you didn't pick up from the pictures that it was about rape? Really? Are you fucking retarded? Again, I have no problem with them taking it down, but show some fucking balls. At least come out and admit that you didn't expect the amount of controversy it generated. An apology is fine, but if you're saying that you missed the context of the set, then you're either liars or idiots. Possibly both.
That's not the worst of it, though. I could accept the staff's joke of an apology, but the vitriol spewed forth from the site's membership really bothered me. I should note that while I hadn't read Nana's response to the whole thing, I know that some people have stated that her reaction was that of a petulant brat, and if you want to fight her fire with fire, that's fine by me. What was disconcerting was that so much of the anger was with dissenters in the thread. There were some intelligent arguments made as to why pulling the set and banning Nana was the wrong course of action. There were not a lot of people coming to weigh in on Nana's side, but most of those that did presented their arguments fairly well. I disagree with them (as one poster said, just because someone makes art doesn't mean that every gallery has to display it), but I could see where they were coming from. The pro-removal side, though, sweet merciful crap. While there were a few people who had well thought out arguments, they seemed much fewer compared to the number of posters. Too many of the posts were the kind of snarky, arrogant dicketry that permeates any kind of discussion on "the issues" on this site. I find all too often that even the people whose views I agree with on this site, I want to grab, shake like a baby, and scream "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" at.
So basically I find that my ever more negative perceptions of this site are confirmed once again. The site doesn't "reinvent beauty", since all the models have basically the same body type and style. The "art vs. porn" argument here is moot, because sets that can be construed as artistic are pulled if they generate any controversy while generic photoshoots continue to dominate. And the community is unwelcoming, being little more than an angry lefty echo chamber. None of this really bothers me, as I like porn and I'm happy to give my money to pornographers provided I enjoy the product. SuicideGirls isn't a movement, it's a porn site, and I really wish they'd stop pretending otherwise.