These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

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Freightdog
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by Freightdog »

The subject of the article in Vice, and therefore that article is what is offensive. The CEO thread about it isn’t offensive in itself. I think it serves as a timely reminder of how history could be sanitised of the ugly facts if people aren’t careful. Taking down the thread could be seen in the same way.

I’m surprised the Ministry came up with such a good response, so quickly. I think the priority of their objections could have been better ordered, maybe.

As for the colorising techniques in photography and film. I’m in two minds. Very old black and white footage restored, then colorised. As has been done with some WW2 and even WW1 film is one thing. It most likely serves many purposes, beyond simply making them more appealing. Good old black and white movies might lose some of their feel, though.
Manipulating images is a whole other aspect. Tasteless, offensive and disrespectful in this case, adding smiles to faces and trying to explain it away with some dodgy psychology. (I want to shout at that moron- If the subjects had felt like smiling, I’m sure they would have done so). But from a forensic point of view, ( not for artistic publication) again I’m sure there’s some validity.
It wouldn’t have surprised me to learn if this ‘artist’ didn’t actually work in such a field. (I’d also half expect him to be a sociopath to some degree.
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by snoink »

This hipster "Matt Dickhead" is a fucking disgrace.

Quite amusing how the shitter™ crowd strings together adjectives based soley on race almost losing the noun.
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by SternAAlbifrons »

There seems to be some confusion here.
The Vice article and the OP did contain the offending photographs. (not the original photographs as we see them at Toul Sleng)
The post was not just commentary about them. We did "republish**" the offending photographs, and they were left up for a while.

I am not try to hang Richard here - just having a discussion about the issues around the photograph's circulation - including our own contribution.
My view is that CEO needs to make it's own judgments about what it will publish, reprint - or provide links to.

You cannot post a link to something offensive on a public site and then say -
"Here it is folks, take a look everybody. Oh by the way it's not my work - not my responsibility".
I call that weaselling.

Personally, i feel quite strongly that we should not provide extra accessibility to stuff we would not publish ourselves.
- however i am willing to accept that some people think differently about it.
atst's post/question a couple of pages ago is a valid one.

(nb, "publish**", as in the practical definition, if not some legal definitions)
Last edited by SternAAlbifrons on Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by FrankReynolds »

I read the original article before it was taken down, and understood he had permission from families to do this. Was that a lie? I also saw that his response to the outcry on twitter is to double down on his standpoint that he worked with families of the photographed.

The article was shameless self promotion of his business and vice should have done their homework first, but Cambodians do love to get outraged. Remember the Hungarian diplomat's webcam misunderstanding? Fuck the facts, we want blood.

My personal view: if the families wanted smiles, so be it. Perhaps the images are better kept private and not for public display. Short sighted to think the images would not offend. Also I they they were overly beautified and look like glamour shots.
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by phuketrichard »

SternAAlbifrons wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 5:53 am There seems to be some confusion here.
The Vice article and the OP did contain the offending photographs. (not the original photographs as we see them at Toul Sleng)
The post was not just commentary about them. We did "republish**" the offending photographs, and they were left up for a while.

I am not try to hang Richard here - just having a discussion about the issues around the photograph's circulation - including our own contribution.
My view is that CEO needs to make it's own judgments about what it will publish, reprint - or provide links to.

You cannot post a link to something offensive on a public site and then say -
"Here it is folks, take a look everybody. Oh by the way it's not my work - not my responsibility".
I call that weaselling.

Personally, i feel quite strongly that we should not provide extra accessibility to stuff we would not publish ourselves.
- however i am willing to accept that some people think differently about it.
atst's post/question a couple of pages ago is a valid one.

(nb, "publish**", as in the practical definition, if not some legal definitions)
my original post is as i posted it, nothing has been deleted, did NOT contain the photos from the vice article. nor did ceo post any except for my quoted twitter texts and the one from the khmer times which is NOT the full photo

Note this "artist" never visited Cambodia so how was he able to contact the families he said he did?
plus
“Colorizing the photos as requested by some of the family members of the victims is completely different from editing smiling faces on them making it seem like they were enjoying it! This repulsive sense of humor is degrading and undermining the pain of the Cambodian people.”
never did anyone request smiles on their faces.
As stated by the National Cambodian Heritage and Killing Fields Museum, "This was done without the consent of family members who lost loved ones in the prison
i am 100% against this representation of the victims, and the article promoting his so called work

I am also 100% against changing any artists images/work, ( be they photographs or paintings) without the express permission of the original artist or in the case he /she is dead, her estate.
Last edited by phuketrichard on Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by Apollo91881 »

I wonder how many people have google "Khmer Rouge" since this controversy kicked off?
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by Kammekor »

Cancel culture victory once more:

Image
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by Apollo91881 »

Kammekor wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 7:47 am Cancel culture victory once more:

Image
Cancel culture or accountability ... it's so hard to be an asshole these days without being held responsible for one's actions
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by Kammekor »

Apollo91881 wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:48 am Cancel culture or accountability ... it's so hard to be an asshole these days without being held responsible for one's actions
Well, the guys was held accountable, wasn't he, he received a lot of flak. And rightly so.

So cancelling this story is the solution? Problem solved now?
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Re: These People Were Arrested by the Khmer Rouge and Never Seen Again

Post by Apollo91881 »

Kammekor wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:56 am
Apollo91881 wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:48 am Cancel culture or accountability ... it's so hard to be an asshole these days without being held responsible for one's actions
Well, the guys was held accountable, wasn't he, he received a lot of flak. And rightly so.

So cancelling this story is the solution? Problem solved now?
Only if people don't learn from it. Are you more or less inclined to post something offensive without thinking about the consequences? How about Vice news?
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