...and I know if there were emoticons, there would have been a smilie
You're trying to be the tough austere designer-type, but you don't fool me.
It's ok, I really *do* like, really like, most of the regular posters here. And I understand that artistic people can tend to be tempermental and (easily provoked?) sometimes they post terse comments that don't feel too good, I know, I know.
And for me, the only way to deal with it is to bring it up and speak out. So, until whoever runs this place (whoever that is, because I really don't know) bans me, that's what I'll do.
Since you brought it up, Dashes--
I admit that I find it irksome when people post pictures of mediocre (or worse) furniture, when done for the sole purpose of "identification". Obviously, the poster is hoping that they'll be told that it's an "important" piece by an "important" designer.
When the piece in question is plainly at odds with the basic precepts of modern design, as they often are, the request for ID seems absurd-- designers of inferior, copy-catty, dishonest furniture just aren't remembered, years later.
Such posts betray a genuine lack of understanding of what modernism is about-- ignorance is forgivable, but ignorance coupled with a mercenary motive is kind of unsavory.
If one has a new-found interest in modern design, their time might be better spent reading and looking at examples, rather than asking people if their latest find is "valuable". If you're able to recognize what's valuable aesthetically, you're far more likely to score financially, if that's your aim.
It's not snobbery, it's exasperation! When a photo of a mediocre piece of furniture is posted here with, say, a repair question, the poster is never jeered. But, a sad wood-grain laminate table in need of "attribution" tends to antagonize.
(P.S. My remarks aren't aimed at you, Dorieg. As it happens, I was rather snappish with another poster a few weeks ago, on this same subject. I'm taking this opportunity to explain and defend the perceived "snobbery". Dashes did, after all, encourage discussion in this discussion forum.)
'Dashes' is being somewhat di...
'Dashes' is being somewhat disingenuous here as of course he is none other than the 'Dots' of recent fame on this forum amd memorable for throwing a very major tantrum when challenged over one of his (many) id threads where he didn't want to reveal exactly what the item was for fear that a viewer would bid against him on Ebay. In a rather nice Ministry of Truth style manouever he deleted all his 'Dots' posts and returned as Dashes (geddit?). I really wasn't going to mention it but as dots/dashes ('colon' would be better) himself uses this forum as a place to id any and every bit of junk he sees on ebay and craigslist I though I would.
.
I will not get into any slanging match at all but these angry posters really are very tiresome and aggravate a lot of other people here. I think they must like doing it.
I'f you'd like to know who runs the forum why don't you have a look at this link?
Maryann Scott, Stephen and now Dashes. Its as if they were invited to dinner and begin to explain to everyone how awful the other guests are, which of course isn't very intelligent.
Charming people, I do wish they'd bugger off.
http://www.designaddict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/about/
Oh, fun, it's time to play dogpile again
Mixed messages are sent when the forum claims to be all for helping identify items, and yet if the item in question does not satisfy whatever criteria certain people here have, then rather than just ignore the post, or even just post that you think the item is crap, you proceed to castigate the poster for asking questions that you deem unacceptable to this forum. And then of course, accuse the poster of all sorts of dark motives.
Let me boil it down to a simple question, and let's see if the discussion can focus on this question: what is the problem with people posting ID questions, no matter how many and how often and from whatever source, why does it matter? Either readers will know the designer or not, and can post yea or nay or nothing at all. If there are no replies to a thread, the thread soon sinks off the page to be soon forgotten. So why keep attacking people who post such questions? I just don't understand.
re: oops!
well, I started this, so I guess I'm obliged to return. one problem with the internet is that it's hard to express subtle or mild affects--everything gets hot. i was mildly irritated, by what I took to be a mildly irritating demand. (why not at least buy the $20 table (if it's structurally sound, and a table, it's worth $20), take a decent photo, then ask about it?) but i was only mildly irritated. so i should have kept my mouth shut. rereading, the tone of the initial inquiry still rubs me the wrong way, but evidently I'm in the minority, so it's just my problem....
Dots & Dashes
In answer to Dashes' most recent question: whats the problem with ID questions: There is nothing inherently wrong, but I think a number of factors affect why some react the way they do.
Issues with Newbies:
1) Lots of people assume ALL MCM/Modern design must be designed by someone famous. To those who know otherwise it can be tiresome to be constantly asked about anonymous designs.
2)Using DA as a first resort. (see #1 below also) Any design book will do a decent job separating the wheat from the chaff. A little research is better than the seemingly lazy "ID Please"
3)There are postings that just smack of profiteering. Some folks are more apt to help out a poor student who made a miracle find than an established dealer eeking out more dough by adding a brand name.
Issues with Old Salts
1) lots of the knowledge here is very specialized. It can be seen as a waste of time & energy to deal with 'petty' questions.
2) Some posters want, as they should be allowed, to have cerebral discussions. It can be disheartening to someone wishing a meta discussion to see a forum flooded with amateur questions. Caveat - not every poster has to weigh in on every discussion.
3) A forgetfulness that knowledge needs to come from somewhere. We all started by asking the same questions.
A little flexibility, humility, and respect on both sides should be encouraged. And definitely a sense of humor.
robert1960 I think that's a great idea
And LuciferSum, good points in your post, very well articulated.
I can only speak for myself, but it would be a very rare occasion if I were to use DA as a first resort, like something that is time critical, but even then, I'd be doing research in parallel. I tend to spend hours exhausting all the sources I have and know about before asking here. But sometimes, even just posting here gets another clue that eventually leads to the ID.
Sometimes I'll see a design that for the life of me, I cannot identify or find another one - and after awhile, I conclude that if it were by an "important" designer, then it wouldn't be so difficult to determine, because there would be documentation somewhere. But I know that this is not always the case, that some designs just are not well documented, maybe because a piece was commissioned and is unique (which is what I suspect is the case with a table I posted about awhile back, a (maybe) Paul Laszlo)
But I know that I have learned an awful lot just in the couple of months that I've been reading here -- I've learned how to carefully examine the design and construction of pieces, things to look for, things to avoid, and for that I thank so many of you for contributing your knowledge and expertise here. I'm in the process of exchanging the furniture in my household to MCM, but I'm on a thrift-store budget, so it helps to not be exchanging one piece of crap for another, lol.
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