Big Brother is Watching

I have been censored.

Again.

By Facebook.

Again.

I don't understand.

No, truly. I don't understand. I don't know what's going on. Do they have little closed minded Facebook Nazis who patrol the profiles of artists and kick them offline if something remotely sexy turns up on their profile? Because my friend, Thomas Synnamon is a photographer who shoots beautiful photos of men in a state of undress; they are sexy pictures, to say the least -- but nary a penis has turned up in any of those photos. I'm not even sure a buttock has appeared in any of his photos. Nevertheless, he has been booted off Facebook a few times now.

Speaking for myself -- I haven't actively or with knowledge posted any penises, breasts, vaginas or sexually active photos on my profile. Once, I accidentally posted a photo of Pat, shot in the nude, where his junk was showing. I was so busy looking at his face that I didn't notice that his penis was peeking out from the back of his inner thigh. It was deleted by Facebook and I apologized profusely, shame facedly, earnestly. The next time I came up against Facebook, I posted some photos of myself that were shot by Thomas. They are beautiful photos and I am nude in them; but I cropped them above the private parts -- however, I guess a little manly, human hair is too much for Facebook because they deactivated my account. It took much groveling and three days to get the account re instated. I swore I would not post the offending photos again.

I am an artist.

I shoot body shots for lots of people because they know I will do it with taste and respect. I also shoot what I call anatomical landscapes. These are close up photos of body parts that are shot so artistically that the viewer has to really look at them to see what they are looking at. I've been showcasing my body shots and landscapes for years on Facebook, with no trouble.

Today I posted some body shots of a couple; some landscapes of this couple -- and I wasn't even given a warning.

Facebook deactivated the profile.

Then they sent me a notification stating that they deactivated me.

The thing that confuses me is this --

I didn't show one penis. I didn't show any fornication. I showed a couple who was in love, holding each other lovingly and sexily and romantically; but not graphically sexually. There is some buttock action -- but there have been buttocks on my Facebook profile for years -- tastefully photographed buttocks, on my profile, for years.

So why now?

Is it because someone on my friends list decided to report me? It can't be a stranger because my profile is private; and I think the photo album the photos are in is private and can only be seen by my friends. So did someone on my friend list report me? And if so, why? Or is Facebook just concerned with the homosexuality in the photos? Is there someone patroling Facebook who is a homophobe? Some internet gay-bashing bigot who works for Facebook?

And what is more, why do Thomas and I keep getting the boot from Facebook when there are people who are allowed to post photos of themselves on the beach wearing butt floss bathing suits? And why are the little quizzies you can take and post to your profile that show men with erections and women with bare breasts? What is going on over there?

I don't know what's going on at Facebook. I only know that it is a system I cannot beat. If I want to showcase my artwork (of a more adult nature) I will have to do it elsewhere. I would love to do it at my website http://www.stephenmosher.com/ but my website designer went MIA a couple of years ago and we don't know how to make the changes to the site that we want to make. It hasn't been updated since something like 2005 and I want to update it, badly. It is, after all, my name, my website. I would like to change it to reflect my writing, my new photos, my health and fitness passions. Alas, I don't know how and said website designer is just gone baby gone. I'll confront that matter later, I guess.

In the meantime, since blogger allows for adult content, I guess I must begin showcasing my work here. I don't want to keep trying the patience of the team at Facebook. It IS their playground; I must play by their rules. I have tried to get a clear cut answer about what I can and cannot post on Facebook but they don't want to tell me; they prefer to refer me to their list of FAQs, which is so much information, so vague, that I cannot decipher it. So I will not, simply will not, push this envelope. I love Facebook. It hooks me up with my friends from today, from yesterday, from my childhood, from the future (I've made new friends on Facebook!). I love Facebook. I want to stick around. So if the good folks at Facebook want me to censor my artwork, I will. I can handle it. I'm a grown up. I'll stick to the benign and artistic, the non adult and non racy photos, for the sake of playing by their rules.

Nevertheless.


I can't help wondering what is wrong with these photos? These are, by the way, the pictures in question. These photos in this story are the ones I posted this morning. And by four-thirty today I was writing a pleading email to the team at Facebook, promising to lay off the grown up photos and play by their rules.

So.

What is it?

What is wrong here?




It's just a couple.

It's just a couple in love.

It's just some skin.

It's just some arms and some legs.

It's just some chest.

It's just some back.

Oh yes. It's just some backSIDE.

But it's harmless. It's benign.

It's art. It's just art.

Well.

I have always wanted to be the kind of artist who pushed buttons, who pushed envelopes. I have always wanted to be edgy. I guess. with the romantic, artistic, sexy but harmless photos of this couple in love, I have become that artist. I guess it started when I posted my Thomas Synnamon photos of my own nudity (sans junk, sans erections, sans anything offensive), that I found my voice as a controversial artist.

I'm kind of shocked!

I'm no Robert Mapplethorp.

I haven't published photos of nude children. I haven't published photos of myself engaging in sex acts. I haven't published photos of ANYONE engaging in ANYsex acts! And I certainly haven't published any photos of myself with a bullwhip up my ass. (Does everyone remember THAT Mapplethorpe photo?) I just published some harmless, pretty little photos of a couple in love.

A gay couple.


Maybe THAT is what people actually think is REALLY dirty.

I think it's beautiful.

I think it's arty.


I think it's human.

It's a good thing I didn't publish the photos of these boyz that I REALLY liked.
Maybe one day I will.

But not on Facebook.