So here's the thing...

 

*Please be advised that this post does include some adult language.*

Growing up I was taught that I was not allowed to start fights, but if one was started with me I could finish it and would not be punished for it. I'm not sure if that was a rule in other households or not, but it makes sense to me. So this post is not to start a fight, it's not to start drama, it's simply me stating my bitchy opinion. If you don't like what I have to say, please remember that you always have the option to click that exit button at any time.
Over the past few months I've sat back and watched a few things unfold around me without putting my two cents in. I've kept quiet as problem after problem popped up in my newsfeed on Facebook, and some of it crossing over into my everyday life. I stayed quiet, mainly because I'm usually known as the sarcastic, always happy girl, not the bitch. Today my inner bitch is screaming to get out. That part of me is opinionated, loud, and sometimes hard to take, but the words she's screaming out tonight need to be said.

Livelihood

~A means of securing the necessities of life.~

Just incase you weren't sure what that word meant, I figured I would give you the definition as well. It's what puts food on your table, gas in the car (that it also pays for), and clothes on your back. It pays to keep the lights on and the internet that keeps you connected so you can play whatever game Facebook now has you addicted to. Some people love what they do, some dread it, but it is a necessity to make it through life.

So here's a question for everyone. Would you appreciate it if people came to your work and reported everything you did to the higher ups? No? I didn't think so. So can someone please explain to me why people feel the need to do it on a social media site that they VOLUNTARILY became a part of and have the ablitlity to walk away from at any time? Hell, you have the option to scroll past, block, unsubscribe, and ignore something if you don't like it, but instead choose to report. Do you know what you are doing when you hit the report button on that fantastic photo just because you don't like the content? You're taking away someone's ability to gain an audience and secure future jobs. You're messing with their livelihood. I don't know about you, but that shit would piss me off.

If you don't want to see it, look away. It's that simple.

I love Facebook, I admit it, but I'm also a big girl and know that if I don't like something I should just walk away. The reason I love it is because I live over a thousand miles away from 99.9% of my family and friends. Facebook is my way to stay involved with their lives and vise versa. I'm also an author and have a business page that allows me (when Facebook allows it to be seen) to interact with the pages followers. If something on my page gets reported and taken down people won't know if I release a new book. If they don't know I released a new book, I don't sell said book. If I don't sell books they shut my lights off, and if they shut those off I can't charge the computer I use to write. It's a chain reaction with a bad ending. It's something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy because I've seen the bad side of it.

I really hope you guys are getting what I'm trying to say...

Which brings me to this issue. Censorship. It's a ridiculous issue that shouldn't even be an issue in todays day and age. A few months ago it was Amazon censoring authors by removing books that they didn't feel followed their content guidelines. It caused more headaches than it was worth. On Amazon you have the option to not buy something that you don't want, just like you have the option to hide something you don't want to see on Facebook.

That was months ago and life was quiet for a while, at least I think it was. Now Facebook is censoring photographers because of what they choose to use to promote their work. People became overly excited with that report button and it has lead to ridiculous things. I'm friends with multiple people that are dealing with this issue right now and it infuriates me beyond belief. A few that come right to mind are Furiousfotog and Michael Stokes Photography. They come to mind quickly because their work is phenomenal and I follow it closely.

Golden with Furiousfotog has been getting reported for posting his work of male fitness models. Covered male models mind you. There is nothing pornographic about the amazing work he posts on his page. It resulted in either the photos being removed, or him having to add a black bar across the image to cover something that was ALREADY COVERED.

The issues with Michael Stokes went even further. As of January 22nd the fact that he was reported so many times resulted in him being restricted from posting anything for thirty days. It also resulted in him removing ALL of his work from a page that has over two hundred and thirty-five THOUSAND followers. None of which were sexually graphic images.

Two hundred and thirty-five thousand people who think his work is fantastic and love to see it. They all lose the opportunity because some people don't know how to act like an adult. I know damn well you know how to hide something if you know how to report it.

All of this happened why? Because you don't like them, or because you saw a side view of a toned ass cheek? Or was it the photo of the police that are almost kissing that was taken by Stokes that got to you? Neither one of the mentioned photographers post porn to their Facebook pages. Their work is art, and it's beautiful. It's their livelihood. It keeps their bills paid and food on their table. On top of that, it's part of the models livlihood as well. So now you're not only screwing with one person and their family when you report, but two or more.

I'm sorry, but aren't there more important things to do in life than to bring other people down?

I can't help but sit here and wonder about a few things. If you report these photos, do you stand in line at the store and throw away the magazines with covers of women that are half naked? Do you report the teenage girls who are constantly posting photos that show off more clevage than a swimsuit model? Or are they your child and you just turn the other cheek instead of handling it? Do you turn the channel when someone comes on television that isn't covered from chin to ankle, or do you continue watching? When you go to a museum, do you cover the artwork? I didn't think so.

The double standards are mind blowing.

Just today I recieved a message while I was working from a good friend asking if I had been on Facebook today. Off the bat I could tell she was upset, and when she filled me in I understood why. There was a page floating around promoting how we should rid the world of all autistic people. Seeing as she has an autistic son, I understood why she was ranting about this page and how it needed to come down. When I opened my Facebook, my newsfeed was flooded with people stating they reported it because of it's content. Here's the thing... when you share the page and state that you reported it, it draws the page more attention. Good or bad, it's what happens. In a short period of time this page went from less than sixty likes to almost six hundred. Exactly the opposite of what should have happened.

Some people are sick in the head. I get that, but the response from Facebook floored me-- they didn't find anything that broke their standards.

I'm sorry, what?

So let me get this straight, and please, if I'm wrong feel free to correct me. You can post photos with your tits or ass hanging out. You can post videos of a chick jacking off a horse. You can create pages to promote ridding the world of people because of a disability. You can share posts including graphic videos of child and animal abuse. All without being reported, blocked, or shut down. But you can't post artistic photos of male models that don't show anything graphic?

Yeah... I think I must be missing something here.

It clearly states in Facebooks Terms of Service section (yes, I did read those) under safety that you can not post content that: is hate speech, threatening, pornographic or graphic or gratuitious violence.

Talking about ridding the world of people because they are autistics is hate speech. Abusing children and animals on video is graphic violence. And excuse me but a video of a woman bringing a horse to a climax is pornography. Disgusting pornography, but still. Even Kim K.'s ass photo was floating around a while back. Did I report any of these? No. I scrolled past and went on with my life because I'm an adult and Facebook won't do anything about them anyway.

What I don't understand is how Facebook doesn't think that those break their terms but the photos of male models that are being reported do. I think they may want to rework their Terms and Conditions...

Here's what I'm going to leave you with.

Grow up and quit screwing around with peoples livelihood. They don't come jeopardize your job,don't do it to them. Learn to utilize the scroll button, or the hide option instead of the report button.

If you can't act like an adult, you shouldn't have social media pages. There is an age restriction for a reason, unfortunately it applies to physical age and not mental. If you're reporting them because you don't want your children to see them there is an easy fix... Don't allow your children to have unrestricted access to the internet! Be a parent and monitor your childs page, because if the photos are popping up in their feeds there is a reason for it.