Can we keep THE POLITICS off the front page?

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GeorgeC

Can we keep THE POLITICS off the front page?

Post by GeorgeC » February 15th, 2012, 12:02 pm

I'm speaking about this => http://animatedviews.com/2012/studio-gh ... ear-power/

It's an innocuous little headline but that's how these things start...
Is this an animation website, or somebody's political punditry?

Why should I be concerned about a cranky elderly Japanese animator's opposition to nuclear power? Does he have an alternative to things? What's his solution for energy shortages in Japan? Or is this just protest for protest's sake because he's an old crank???

Forgetting the fact that the lead gentlemen (including this "internationally acclaimed" animation director) at said company are millionaires in an industry that is known for bone-crushing hours and paeon pay --- ! Why should I care or have to read about what these guys think on something that shouldn't be covered on this site????

Honestly, I don't care to read about Opposition Wall Street or the political disintegration going on around the world; it's the same story I've heard already over my entire lifetime. (To be blunt -- I really DO care... just not enough to read this stuff on this site. We really shouldn't be concerned about World War III unless it actually happens. Keeping things in perspective!) The same old short-sightedness that's built into human character. War, greed, poverty, etc. They're not going to be wiped out by one wave of naive, manipulated political dissent NOR by the same stuffed shirts that promise the same thing over and over again.

It's just not going to change in our lifetimes unless enough people get out of their self-imposed Dreamlands to take responsibility for their own lives and stop depending on everybody else for their existence AND stop voting in people who promise the world and act like there's unlimited money(!)... Don't see that happening all over the world, and frankly all any of us have direct control over is what we do in our immediate circle, our own lives. If you depend on somebody else all the time, you buy into the party line that big media (especially the government-subsidized kind) everywhere feeds you, you get nowhere... BIG FAIL.

Please, focus on the animation business and leave it at that.

Keep out of the gossip and trivial "reality stories." There are entire 24-hour channels on television and the Internet devoted to that crap already!

Start another unrelated website if the "nuclear problem" and "OWS" concern you that much!

************

GeorgeC

Re: Can we keep THE POLITICS off the front page?

Post by GeorgeC » February 15th, 2012, 12:04 pm

ON A RELATED NOTE --

If you've been around for more than 20 years, you can see what's happened online between various animator factions and the ideological divide that was fostered by two animation "experts/historians" and especially the like-minded individuals (the same people who lead the unions) who claim to be improving things/maintaining a living standard for the animation industry. The same website regularly flips its middle finger off at the rest of us and pretends to be middle-of-the-road when it's anything but polite and centered! You can't be friends with these guys unless you drink their Kool-Aid. They don't tolerate "political dissent"; they don't respect you unless you tow the party line completely. Even then, the veil of respect is just that.

One of these jokers started talking recently about a production company he doesn't work for... He doesn't know the situation firsthand but wrote a story anyway and pointedly said some of the people working there were being exploited... This is not only an ethical breach in any form of writing but it's also legal grounds for a lawsuit over slander/libel that could cost that company business. He hasn't backed down one bit (last I read -- he NEVER apologizes for doing things like that) NOR apologized for factual errors and accusations. And some of the contributors here want to quote from that site????

His partner in the site, was video-taped recently at an animation union meeting in California. I looked at the tape online because I was interested in what goes on at these meetings. There was serious questioning being done by an animator who was not part of the union himself BUT was eligible to attend since it was an open meeting. Now, I don't agree with everything that animator says, but he has a right to ask those questions and frankly I thought that he didn't say anything unreasonable or rude to the union leaders. He was asking pointed questions that NEEDED to be asked. This animation expert/partner of the site-in-question, who's written many books on animation and has curated several home video collections of animated shorts, flipped the animator off on-camera. Real classy. And I'm supposed to buy and support product from a guy who's that disrespectful to a fellow that works in production regularly??? I may not have a choice as far as the DVD/Blu ray collections are concerned of films that I appreciate but I'm certainly not going to buy history and critical reviews books from that expert again. He's lost the remainder of whatever respect I had left for him by dismissing another human being so callously.

I try to keep my mouth shut about these guys and their website because frankly talking about them too much gives them power, and, frankly in the big scheme of things and life, they're little fish. They may act like sharks but they're guppies -- not even minnows -- when all things are considered. I only speak about this because you have to be careful about who you keep company with. I'd much prefer to associate with moral, nice individuals. These guys aren't that and I want to be clear on that.

I've kept my mouth shut -- until now -- about some news contributors quoting that site and some of the overwhelming naivety I've read. I can't say enough to some of you; some of you are just going to have to get your butts kicked and handed to you before you face reality.

It's not hard to find and dig up the stories I mentioned online... but some of you just will not believe me until you get your trust and hearts broken in front of your eyes.

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Re: Can we keep THE POLITICS off the front page?

Post by James » February 15th, 2012, 2:05 pm

Yikes! I probably would not have posted that story either since it is completely unrelated to our standard news "theme" here. But your response seems way over the top! Especially as we here have never done anything politically oriented on the site before!

If I had seen that post before your response I would have removed it on my own as being off topic. Now I'm afraid if I remove it people will see it as me caving to you, or agreeing with everything you wrote, or disagreeing with the Ghibli people.

But I'm not going to bow to pressure from you or worry about how it will appear to others and instead just do what I would normally do which is what's best for the site. It's off topic, it shouldn't be there. No ulterior motives or meaning should be read into it.

I'm going to lock this thread because knowing the internet like I do I can see it devolving into pointless political debate. But if you want to start a new thread discussing the animation aspects of your above post I am cool with that.

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