Respect, Tolerance And Manners

Yes this may well have been better suited in a journal rather than a news article but I figure it just might hit a great audience this way.
dA is a huge site, possibly too big at times and within its size a lot of things may go unnoticed, not surprising considering its size. This means the place relies on self policing and members acting in a way that befits all that use the place. Sadly this is not always the case.

Respect.

Respect is esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.

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Whether you like a piece of work someone has submitted does not really matter, it can a be a fluffy hamster with pink bows in or a spellbinding landscape, its someone’s work, if it took them 10 minutes or 10 weeks to complete its their work. You don’t have to like something to respect it and the member that took their time to upload it. If it fits into a genre that you dislike then out of respect for the people that do like that genre simply stay away. Too many times members seem to want to get off on having a go simply for the sake of it, its disrespectful to think that your opinion matters on everything when the reality is it simply hurts the feelings of those you aim it at. Don’t get me wrong, criticism makes us all better at what we do, it makes us strive to improve and we judge this by the reaction of others, the criticism should though make the artist want to improve and encourage them to do so, criticism for criticism sake will do neither, it will simply turn them off. Think before you post, its that easy, dA has made it even easier for you, comments have three categories.

No Comments: Tough, you can’t say anything

Comments: Its asking for just that, your comments, nothing more, it does not need a three page dialogue on what is wrong with the piece of work, just a comment.

Advanced Critique Encouraged: Go for it, the artist is asking to look deeply at their work and pass criticism, they are not asking you to blow the whole thing apart, find a way to show them how it can be improved and encourage them to make the improvements so that they learn from it.

Leave the ignorance to the complete art snobs who’s idea of art is a few millions miles away from everyone else’s (you know the ones, all talk and no ability )

Tolerance.

Toleration and tolerance are terms used in social, cultural and religious contexts to describe attitudes and practices that prohibit discrimination against those practices or group memberships that may be disapproved of by those in the majority

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As above dA is huge, we will always have a lot of different forms of art, members, attitudes etc and along with that comes a real need for tolerance, both ways, you may have views that others do not hold but do not need them ramming down their throats and conversely you should have the right to your views without a reaction from others. This though has a need to be tempered, remember your views have to be tolerant of others, if you go on a rampage that is say anti gay then expect (and I might add deserve) a reaction. We need to apply this to others works too, just because its something you don’t like does not mean others will not, I have on many occasions come across works with a few thousand favs and wondered why but I have no doubt some have come across my works and wondered how it gets any. I accept this as I do in life in general. dA is big enough to encompass many different views and genres, its not like we have sit next to each other, allow others the room to get on with their thing and they will leave you with the room to get on with yours.

Manners.

In sociology, manners are the unenforced standards of conduct which show the actor to be cultured, polite, and refined.

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Is it so hard to have some simple manners? Should someone take time out to comment, fav or feature your work is it so hard to simply say thank you? I know some of you can easily get a few thousand favs for an image in a short while so thanking every fav is nigh on impossible but those that don’t fav and run, those that take the time out to say something about your work, is it so hard to replay with a simply “thank you” Maybe I’m simply too old and come from a generation when manners were expected but you can have the most stunning gallery on dA but if you simply ignore the people that give you your recognition I for one will not stay around to look. Your work might be beautiful but if your attitude is ugly then your work will suffer.

This is not aimed at anyone here, it’s a reoccurring theme that goes through dA on a regular basis, I’m no one special and I have no doubt a lot will say “who the hell are you to preach” well I’m just a member like you.