Also have a look at comments for the One World One Peace logon by the same author.

https://www.wincustomize.com/window.asp?Cmd=COMMENTS&Lib=26&SkinID=1156

David Mandle, got rid of that one...

They are not comments on the art, but personal attacks, name calling, and death wishes.

good grief...I have never been so....pissed, mortified, embarassed, whatever. What in the world is the matter with these people.

I just got through the login section (I am normally not interested in it) and found some more. I am again not sure if I like this 'trend' here on my favorite site...

Jam: thanks

c242: Almost everything would be offensive to someone. That would be kind of like imposing hard-line Islam's "non-representational art" rule. All you would end up with is abstract or geometric stuff, which is too prevalent already, imho. It would be Bryce and fractal hell... The art isn't the problem, the inappropriate comments are. Address the comments, not the art.

**

The problem is that there has never been an established purpose for comments on skin sites. Are they there to present constructive criticism *to* the artist, or op/ed-style criticism to the audience as a whole?

No one lets people stick post-it notes under the art in a museum, and no one complains about it being a limit to their freedom-of-speech. They can always go somewhere else and publish their criticism without riding the art's popularity to further their own visibility.

If it functions like a messageboard, I'm afraid they'll use it like one. I think the artist should be able to moderate to a point, or the physical structure should prevent people from (ab)using it that way.

Of course...political 'messaged' works or not, the 'War debate' isn't really appropriate on the skin comments...there's a number of related threads on the board for that.

So....some will be excised...

I mean : A political sysmetrix skin... Hello ???

Me ?

"Unfortunate subject matter to start with"; so much for art.

So in the end, art can't contain political statements, but art criticism can, and not even bother to reference the work in question... I'm not following how this issue is 'grey'. If the site feels flags or military images are "asking for it", post such and let people go elsewhere. Bullets are bullets. I didn't see hell raised over Russ's combat vehicle.

re: the item linked in post #4, all that is is a US flag, and look at the comments he has to look at...

saito80 is exiled, but his "death to the United States " and "I hope that your friends die in combat or are taken like prisoners death to all the North Americans around the world " statements are still there.

That author has to either delete his work or tolerate all that hateful diatribe when he gives someone a link to his work here. If I had to delete a work because of inappropriate comments, I dunno if I would bother to reupload it.

The issue isn't whether or not the work is troubling to you, art often is. The point here is the ranting arguments in the comments are inappropriate, and some are purposefully offensive. I mean, how often do we see the word "faggot" allowed here, regardless if it is used for irony or not. As much as I have seen DevArt dissed for its chaos, I would have never supposed there'd be this much 'tolerance' here.

Not usually, goodmorphing. We have had stern warnings recently about using the word 'gay' in a derogatory manner, and here we have someone saying "I say we go kill those faggots!" and going on their merry way untouched. I don't care if it is for shock value or for irony's sake, that sort of behavior has never been allowed here, and for some reason in this case it is.

I mean "stupid login, stupid war" is bad enough, but it is a shame that guy has to tolerate much worse when all an admin has to do is delete them.