Posted by Ed Williams on September 11, 2015 at 2:20 AM
I am wondering if it is appropriate to post photos of other people you may or may not know, and may not have permission to post if they are in a public place to illustrate a point in our critique galleries. I was amazed this summer when traveling to national parks in Canada how bold and frankly irressponsible some people were in running up to bull elk and literally running over to get better looks at grizzlies. What was worse they often encouraged their young children to run up and pose near the wild animal to get a cell phone photo, or even worse, turned around and took their own selfies. At times my wife and I wondered if the ranger with the gun was there to protect the people or to shoot the stupid and improve the gene pool. Thanks for any input you are willing to provide on this.
Posted by Jim Erhardt on September 11, 2015 at 6:41 AM
Ed, I feel your frustration...
Generally speaking, photos taken in public places are OK to post. In this case, as critical commentary of peoples' ignorance of proper wildlife etiquette, as long as none of the people in the photo are recognizable, it should be fine. If in doubt, apply some blur to the faces.
In regards to the gene pool, ignorance has become a protected right that a growing percentage of the population appear to be taking advantage of. This is certainly bad news for wildlife, being approached in such a way as to view the situation as a threat and instinctively taking defensive action. With natural selection taken out of the equation, the ignorant will then demand destruction of the "dangerous wildlife" and sue someone, because after all, anything bad that happens to them is entirely someone else's fault.
Ed, I think we've all seen the stupid stunts taking place while out in public places including many of our state and national parks. Overall, I do think the rangers should be allowed to protect the environment & wildlife from the idiots and hopefully improve the gene pool at the same time. The rash of graffiti damage & formation damage over the last several years in parks is sickening. Sadly, with little consequences unless caught in the act. Investigations on the poaching and property damage is impossible at times.
All one has to do is read the book Death In Yellowstone to get a glimpse into how foolish people can be while out in the wilderness. There are those poor souls who do fall prey to bad luck accidents too, for those there is true sadness, but for the most part it is all around stupidity that kills the many.
Obviously, park law enforcement cannot cause bodily harm without cause (even though cleaning pollution from gene pool is warranted in some cases) they can, and have arrested people for being a danger to themselves and others.
As Paul says, it's sad many perpetrators of damage to natural or cultural resources go unpunished due to lack of evidence. If we do observe someone doing something dumb or illegal, we have a choice as to whether or not to intervene, and/or contact the authorities.
I agree with Jim that posted images of people doing dumb stuff is fine as long as they can't be identified, especially those that include children. On the other hand, images that have clearly identifiable people submitted as 'newsworthy' to an appropriate venue, are legal. The bottom line is, doing so may be a slippery slope, and it's best to err on the cautious side.
Or as a good friend stated to me once, "stupid people are too stupid to know they're stupid"......
I guess it's up to us to let them know then....
Posted by Genny K. on September 13, 2015 at 7:49 PM
Personally, I would add even more face blur. You don't need to see the face clearly to tell the story here; it's pretty obvious that this is a case of stupid human tricks.
Discussion
5 repliesI am wondering if it is appropriate to post photos of other people you may or may not know, and may not have permission to post if they are in a public place to illustrate a point in our critique galleries. I was amazed this summer when traveling to national parks in Canada how bold and frankly irressponsible some people were in running up to bull elk and literally running over to get better looks at grizzlies. What was worse they often encouraged their young children to run up and pose near the wild animal to get a cell phone photo, or even worse, turned around and took their own selfies. At times my wife and I wondered if the ranger with the gun was there to protect the people or to shoot the stupid and improve the gene pool. Thanks for any input you are willing to provide on this.
Ed, I feel your frustration...
Generally speaking, photos taken in public places are OK to post. In this case, as critical commentary of peoples' ignorance of proper wildlife etiquette, as long as none of the people in the photo are recognizable, it should be fine. If in doubt, apply some blur to the faces.
In regards to the gene pool, ignorance has become a protected right that a growing percentage of the population appear to be taking advantage of. This is certainly bad news for wildlife, being approached in such a way as to view the situation as a threat and instinctively taking defensive action. With natural selection taken out of the equation, the ignorant will then demand destruction of the "dangerous wildlife" and sue someone, because after all, anything bad that happens to them is entirely someone else's fault.
I'll stop here....
Ed, I think we've all seen the stupid stunts taking place while out in public places including many of our state and national parks. Overall, I do think the rangers should be allowed to protect the environment & wildlife from the idiots and hopefully improve the gene pool at the same time. The rash of graffiti damage & formation damage over the last several years in parks is sickening. Sadly, with little consequences unless caught in the act. Investigations on the poaching and property damage is impossible at times.
All one has to do is read the book Death In Yellowstone to get a glimpse into how foolish people can be while out in the wilderness. There are those poor souls who do fall prey to bad luck accidents too, for those there is true sadness, but for the most part it is all around stupidity that kills the many.
Well, like the sign says, "You can't fix stupid."
Obviously, park law enforcement cannot cause bodily harm without cause (even though cleaning pollution from gene pool is warranted in some cases) they can, and have arrested people for being a danger to themselves and others.
As Paul says, it's sad many perpetrators of damage to natural or cultural resources go unpunished due to lack of evidence. If we do observe someone doing something dumb or illegal, we have a choice as to whether or not to intervene, and/or contact the authorities.
I agree with Jim that posted images of people doing dumb stuff is fine as long as they can't be identified, especially those that include children. On the other hand, images that have clearly identifiable people submitted as 'newsworthy' to an appropriate venue, are legal. The bottom line is, doing so may be a slippery slope, and it's best to err on the cautious side.
--P
Or as a good friend stated to me once, "stupid people are too stupid to know they're stupid"......
I guess it's up to us to let them know then....
Personally, I would add even more face blur. You don't need to see the face clearly to tell the story here; it's pretty obvious that this is a case of stupid human tricks.