Sumo

[JulianoL]

A few candids from a Sumo demonstration:

<removed>

[Mills]

Just my opinion but I wish I had not looked at these shots. I may be the only one who feels this way, but they seem wrong to me. Not trying to start a ruckus, just my two cents. Maybe I am too tired right now.

[DocFrankenstein]

Just my opinion but I wish I had not looked at these shots. I may be the only one who feels this way, but they seem wrong to me. Not trying to start a ruckus, just my two cents. Maybe I am too tired right now.
Nope... I am not tired, but have the same opinion. :lol:

Cool pics man, but you really should put a disclaimer. lol

[tim]

I like them, and I rekon you should ignore people who don't - each to their own. They might have been more effective if you'd shown the whole sumo guy, his large size and heigh vs the kinds might be an interesting shot.

[skimmilk68]

disturbing... but its good candids

[chris.bailey]

He's a bit lightweight for a Sumo Wrestler. Hes in need of a few portions of Poutine!

[Jemook]

some of you guys have filthy minds. the only reason these pictures have a sexual connotation to them is because of your minds.

to me these are perfectly normal candids and you did a good job taking them.

gosh you know what this reminds me of, how photographers are sometimes mistaken for terrorists. same thing here where this innocent man is putting on an entertaining show for the children while THE PARENTS are watching, and you guys are making it sick..

shame on you but shame on me too because lets be honest they do look wrong lol

way to contradict myself :)


actually i completely changed my mind. it seems as though the photographer posted these to get a reaction!

[berto]

i saw this a couple of hours ago and didn't feel like i should comment because what people have been writing so far is what i was thinking.
for ME, what makes it weird isn't the guy in the sumo outfit. i like sumo wrestling. whats freaky is seeing the kids around the guy like that, ugh. creepy.

[poke]

Its an unfortunate reality of todays world... it doesn't look right. I would have been much more comfortable seeing the sumo without the kids. I don't think there is anything going on there that is specifically wrong, but we are conditioned to be wary of the way kids interact with adults... praticularly men... in this case a mostly naked man.

I don't think anyone should feel, or be made to feel bad for being uncomfortable with those pics... its that reaction that keeps kids safe, and hopefully will help stop some poor kid from being abused.

[JulianoL]

actually i completely changed my mind. it seems as though the photographer posted these to get a reaction!

I can assure you that wasn't the idea.


As far as I could tell there was nothing wrong with this guy behavior. He was just playing with the kids and their parents were overlooking everything all the time. Even the parents were sending the kids to play with him.

To avoid any further discussion on the subject I removed the shots. I understand everyone has a different point of view. I'm sorry if a offended anyone.

[jgbeam]

If this hadn't been a "hands-on" demonstration I wouldn't have been so put off, but WHY were small kids allowed to touch this guy, especially WHERE they are touching him. WHAT is the point? I wouldn't have allowed my grandchildren anywhere near this guy. I wouldn't have even taken these shots, let alone post them! Excuse me, but I hate these shots. :evil:

Jim

[D Boone]

Damn! I missed it! But whats the uproar about? Are the kids digging around in this guys croch or something, or are they just poking the fat to watch it jiggle?

[Geeeyejo]

What's up, was it Michael Jackson in a sumo outfit???

[Moppie]

Talk about a conservative over reaction!

Bloody hell.


JulianoL there was nothing wrong, or offensive about your photos, while they were not technicaly perfect, they were very good, and showed a side of the sport that I have never seen before. The fact that its performed outside of was also Japan was something I didn't know.

I see no reason why you should remove the photos, there is nothing offensive in them, if there was Im sure a mod would have done something about it instead.


For those that were offended, Sumo is an old Japanese sport, and is part of a culture far more conservative than even the more backwards parts of the US. The idea that something overtly sexual was going on would be highly offensive and IMO somewhat ignorant.

[skimmilk68]

dude, first of all just watching some big guy in a thong is disturbing enough...

it wasnt the typical sumo wrestler pose where the guy is in the football lineback stance.. to be descriptive, in one of the pics (if i recall correctly) the guy lifted his leg so you can picture a 300+ pound guy wearing a white thong with one leg lifted, very disturbing

then you add the kids around him... thats just unappropriate

[elbirth]

from the sound of things, I don't really see what was such a big deal.. then again, I didn't see the actual photos, and I'm not quite as conservative acting as many people. Possible to have the images linked or something?


the guy lifted his leg so you can picture a 300+ pound guy wearing a white thong with one leg lifted, very disturbing
What's so disturbing about that? Sounds like the way Sumo wrestlers prepare to charge one another... and kids are just standing around watching? What's wrong with them enjoying the entertainment?

[Andy_T]

Damn, now you've made the photographs really interesting :twisted:

I haven't seen them, but I think the same thing as elbirth.

Note: If you find it disturbing to watch a big guy in a thong, then better not open any threads entitled 'Sumo' again. This sight can not always be completely avoided at that sport :lol:

Best regards,
Andy

[robvonk]

I saw the pictures and i was far from being offended.

The guy isn't wearing a 'thong'. He's wearing a traditional sumo outfit. They wear that outfit since 8th century A.D. You can find some info about this sport here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sumo

The pictures were from some kids trying to push over a sumo wrestler. It seemed that the kids had real fun doing it.

I find it disturbing that a few people can put pressure on a guy so that he removes his pictures. A sad day for the forum.

[Andy_T]

I find it disturbing that a few people can put pressure on a guy so that he removes his pictures. A sad day for the forum.

I second that.

Best regards,
Andy

[skimmilk68]

if i took a pic of a 60 yera old skin diver in a thong speedo wouldnt you be kinda disturbed by it?

yes i know the sumo wrestling outfit isnt really a thong but thats the closest thing to it

[DocFrankenstein]

I didn't see anything sexual in them. lol And you haven't heard me screaming "think of the children!"

But I expected different things:
1) Two guys
2) Who are asian
3) In that circle trying to push each other out...

But it's a white guy in a sandbox with a bunch of kids. lol

I want them back!

[Andy_T]

if i took a pic of a 60 yera old skin diver in a thong speedo wouldnt you be kinda disturbed by it?


No, I wouldn't.
Why should I ???

Best regards,
Andy

[poke]

I saw the photos, and don't think that there was any reason for them to be removed... although being that Juliano posted them, he has every right to remove them. There was also nothing wrong with how the caucasian sumo guy was attired, or how he was acting. The one thing that has made people uncomfortable was seeing kids heads and hands pushed up into his crotch area. They were just trying to push him over. There certainly did not appear to be anything sinister happening... but that doesn't mean that it doesn't look out of place for normal western society.

I say put the pics back, and let the debate continue.

People having differing opinions on a subject, and being able to express them without fear of being abused, is called freedom... that and tolerance for others opinions, even if you don't agree with them, is what countless thousands have died fighting for.

[JulianoL]

I removed the photos to avoid this kind of discussion. I'm here to talk about photograhy. If anyone was offended, my bad, my apologies, photos removed, end of story.

Let's move on and take some photos.

I just wish I could lock this thread. If anyone out there that can do it, please go ahead.

[Jemook]

I say put the pics back man. There's alot worse out there. I feel really bad if my comment made you feel pressured into taking them down.

[Belmondo]

I saw the pictures and had no thoughts whatsoever beyond the obvious.....a bunch of very small kids were trying to move a very large man dressed in traditional Sumo attire.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

To read any more into than that is an unfortunate consequence of the constant yammering we hear these days about so much of what was once considered as normal now being something perverse.

To my way of thinking, there was nothing perverse in the pictures in question. There was no mollestation, no fondling, no sexual connotation at all beyond that provided by the imaginations of some people who saw the images (and certainly not all).

It is unfortunate that the person who posted these photos has been badgered into taking them down, but that is the world we live in.

Since the photos are no longer here to comment on, I'm going to lock this thread.

Thanks for your understanding.