Is photography not cool?

JeffreyG wrote in post #16580824
When you use the actual name of a group of people to disparage something, you are revealing yourself to be a bigot.

When I was a child, it was very common among my friends to refer to things we thought beneath us as 'gay' and things we felt to be illogical as 'retarded'. But I can see that these kinds of terms are obviously offensive.

If you don't think they are offensive, go ahead and use them. Try out the phrase "That's really retarded." in front of a person who has a developmentally disabled child and see if they flinch. Say "Man, that crappy pink car is totally gay." in front front of a gay person. See if that impresses them.

Oh, and actually implying that all gay men are effeminate is also offensive. A lot (most?) of them are not. So even that gray area isn't very gray.

The parent of a disabled child would probably be offended, sure, but the gay person would probably agree with you except in a delighted way.

I know a lot of gay people and they're not as sensitive as you make out. All the ones I know actively engage in self-deprecating humor just like I do about my height (or lack thereof).

Somebloke wrote in post #16580720
Why in the heck is everyone only focusing on the gay comment lol?

Everyone isn't. People have made this point: Your boss knows that photography is meaningful to you. He's a jerk for slamming it just because it isn't meaningful to him.

OhLook wrote in post #16580954
Everyone isn't. People have made this point: Your boss knows that photography is meaningful to you. He's a jerk for slamming it just because it isn't meaningful to him.

Ummm yes they are-my OP also commented on how some people think photography may be 'wanky' and douchy-I dont there has being a single post in refernce to those comments...everyone has dwelled on my boss and the gay comment....not that there is anything wrong with that lol

Anyways thanks for the comments. I love photography and thinks its freaking cool-many friends, families and aquaintences are amazed at my pics Besides what could be cooler than a moment captured intime for ever....unless that moment in time is a flower or a bird, then that would be pretty gay jks jks

Somebloke wrote in post #16580978
Ummm yes they are-my OP also commented on how some people think photography may be 'wanky' and douchy-I dont there has being a single post in refernce to those comments

I looked back and found some about photography being nerdy, or perceived as nerdy. Those count!

OhLook wrote in post #16581077
I looked back and found some about photography being nerdy, or perceived as nerdy. Those count!

And being a nerd, I find that offensive.

Never knock nerds, because nerds own the world. Sure, jocks wind up owning car lots, but nerds own the banks that finance them.

20droger wrote in post #16581132
And being a nerd, I find that offensive.

Never knock nerds, because nerds own the world. Sure, jocks wind up owning car lots, but nerds own the banks that finance them.

And the software that runs them.

And the photos that sell them.

yep, nerds run the world. That iphone? invented by nerds. That big TV? nerds. That medicine keeping you alive? Yep, nerds. That fancy fast car? Yeah, you get the drift.
Nothing a chock ever did was of lasting value, once the spilled beer was cleaned out of the sports bars

And while I don't care what others think of my hobbies, I never encountered anyone calling photography nerdy or "gay" (in the non-sexual-orientation (i.e. original meaning of the word)). Yes, people look if I show up with a white lens on the playground, everybody sees a perv in everybody else. I ignore them and shoot my kids. The pervs use their iphones anyway. I get the "that's a big camera" comments at school, I either ignore them or say "mhm" and continue shooting. Just as I wear what ever tshirt and socks I like, I "wear" what ever camera I like. Those that matter to me don't mind, those that mind don't matter to me.

Love the original exchange between the OP and his boss though, seems people "down under" are a lot less uptight and PC than here in the US!

Somebloke wrote in post #16530184
My boss gives me grief about enjoying photography because he thinks its 'gay', I have friends who think its a bit of a 'wanky' hobby and I have met people who have a impression that photographers are...well how do I put it...douche bags...

I think it stems from the fact that photography, beyond point and shoot, is a mystery to most people. Your boss is probably just compensating for that fact alone. It's simply easier for him to demean your interests than to admit his own lack of knowledge or even ignorance in that area. I am strictly an amateur/advanced beginner. However, it is amazing how much more I know and can do than the average individual with little or no interest. Most of my friends are amazed and think I am a professional.

When I was in my teens and 20s, I thought hobbies like photography and vegetable gardening was for old farts.

Guess what my two hobbies are now?

Perfectly Frank wrote in post #16592525
When I was in my teens and 20s, I thought hobbies like photography and vegetable gardening was for old farts.

Guess what my two hobbies are now?

Well you're an old fart now so you were correct.

Perfectly Frank wrote in post #16592525
When I was in my teens and 20s, I thought hobbies like photography and vegetable gardening was for old farts.

Guess what my two hobbies are now?

So does that mean you are now an old fart?

RandyMN wrote in post #16592538
So does that mean you are now an old fart?

You figured it out!

I shoot some great stuff (not bragging, just making a point for your pinhead boss) like NFL, NCAA, NASCAR, concerts, etc, etc, etc. This past month I also rode in an Aston Martin at 120mph, and landed in a river in a completely restored deHavilland Beaver float plane. I can't think of any other job that would allow me to do these things. If I get comments from my friends, it's usually, "Do you need someone to carry your bag?"
Photography is pretty cool for me (and my friends who like the photos). Ask your boss what interesting stuff he's done this past month.

I don't think I've ever received negativity towards the practice of Photography in all of the time I've been doing it. I think the most common response is precisely that it is "cool", and generally people are really interested in what it is that I photograph, seeing pictures, or sharing their own experience/interest in Photography or a friend or sibling that they have who also does it - that may be that I meet polite people good at making small talk.

Without wishing to dwell too much on the gay comment, my personal favourite quotation on the notion and perception of 'gay' comes from a dancer friend of mine, as camp as a row of tents, when told that his large bag (something common to all dancers) clearly made him gay.
-"The bag doesn't make me gay, nor does anything in it ... putting myself inside other men makes me gay." Delivered with total pride and conviction in a full Tube carriage.

Owain Shaw wrote in post #16593199
as camp as a row of tents

Never heard that one. Thanks!