cheekymunkee wrote:And AO, no one is saying coming from privilege is a bad thing, it isn't. I a very happy that your family was able to provide well for you. Just dont pretend to know what people like BL & others have to go through while your parents were able to pay for your VERY expensive education. I had to pawn my dyson the other day for gas money until payday. Have you ever had to do that? Would you ever have to do that? That my friend, is the difference
I never pretended to be like what some of you went through. Demo threw those words out there. I merely stated that I didn't have enough money to donate to people that I thought needed it. Again, you guys are right, I didn't have to go through college paycheck by paycheck, and I'm glad I didn't. I've heard too many horror stories about having to pay off student loans. Again, to make my point clear, I NEVER pretended to go through college paycheck to paycheck. I NEVER pretended anything of the sort. I stated:
Do you want to see a screenshot of my bank account... 88 bucks in savings and 100 in checking. I really don't think i'm at a point where I can donate to a lot of people, although thanks to you guys and many of your conservative views I did make a decent donation to Barack Obama's campaign, just to be sure to help.
There is no mention of college or anything otherwise. I'm merely talking about donating to people that need it. Again from my other post, I'm NOT going to give away my parents money. If they feel they need to donate, they can do it for themselves.
Additionally, I donated to the Obama campaign instead of underprivileged families because if he was elected, I believe that his plans would be a better solution for them. So compare my $160 donation directly to them vs. the millions that would go to them if he was elected. I weighed out this option. I have yet to pawn something off and hope that I never have to.
Liz, I'm glad you made it through your tough time and are on your feet now. However, simply because I haven't had the years of experience that you have doesn't discount my argument.
Also, I know it's been several (dozen) posts since you stated this, but I am really irked by your post about how you're aspiring to be a well-known photographer and therefore you needed the best equipment. Do you think Michelle is just aspiring to be a mediocre photographer? Of course not, no matter what you do you should aspire to be the best. However, most people have to work their way up to the best equipment - they start with what they can afford and save for better. So please don't insinuate that Michelle is not a good photographer or aspiring to be one (as she is extremely talented) just because her camera has noise in low light (and yes, I know what that means). It's condescending, and it annoys me as she is my friend. So I'll say something even if she doesn't.
And yes, I could have gotten worse equipment, but I worked the entire previous summer at a newspaper, building my portfolio and earning money to be able to buy what I did. You're right, I could have gotten a lesser camera, but image quality in my line of work is essential, it's crucial, its the difference between a job and unemployment. If you have the opportunity to get a new computer or an old, outdated one, you're going to get the new one (financial aspect aside, considering I addressed this earlier). Also, you're right, Michelle does have some good work, but she has a FT job, and photography has been a small side business and serious hobby for her. Of course no one aspires to be mediocre, but she has a full time job in another field. Photography IS my profession and poor image quality, or not being able to capture a moment because your shutter speed is 1/15 of a second (extremely slow to those who aren't photo geeky like i) is unacceptable.
I did a story at DOTCORNY a while back, and I wasn't able to get virtually any good images because my camera's low light was crappy. My teacher told me it was unacceptable, as would any editor or serious photographer. That story sucked, I'll be the first to admit it, and it was because I was limited by equipment (note, it was multimedia and the audio was stunning). I told myself that day that if I was able to get the equipment needed to succeed, and that I was going to be able to perform at my highest level, without technology holding me back, then I was going to do it. I'd liken it to being a cop, but not having a car, only a golf cart while criminals had ferrari's. It would be extremely difficult, if not almost impossible, to succeed at your job. That's why I made the investment I did.