EROTIC SPINTRIA

The rules are the rules. I am a guest here, and I respect and honour the rules that I agreed to comply by when signing up, and also those who own this house and this forum board. I see no reason to argue with that.

That being said, we should really protect the the various groups who visit the forums. I definitely wouldn't want my children learning about their sexuality from coins, when I have them. But I would love them to be a part of this great community. Thank you to the moderators for their concern and work to make this house a safe place for everyone.

I really hope no member leaves the forums because of this. This community is valuable. Let's not break it apart.

 

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SA wins this thread with the best effort at peace making I've seen in a long time. You're a class act my friend.

 

The image in question was gone before I had the misfortune to come across this unpleasant thread; I've now looked for and found it, after you and Arnold posted. As you say, the act in question is described as heterosexual. That isn't fully obvious to me, despite the catalogue description, but perhaps so; more to the point though, based on his subsequent comments, I don't think it was obvious to the user who originally objected. Even more to the point, while some aspects of my comments would of course be different if the act depicted is heterosexual, their gist would change relatively little. My questions as to why rape and assault are acceptable here while consensual sex is not remain unanswered.

A final aside to the pseudonymous mod participating in this thread: no, I'm not "owed" any explanation of the policies of this private forum. I fully recognize that my recourse is to vote with my feet (or more precisely, with my fingers, in the case at hand.)

Phil Davis

 

Aw shucks, thank you (though realize that we Canucks have to pass an exam in this)... but @Volodya is right that I didn't address the sexual violence aspect of his comments at all. Phil, I avoid coins that depict sexual violence, and sometimes feel rather uncomfortable about some comments made about these coins. But am I right to suppose that this is less an issue about any double-standard, and more a question about how depictions of sexual violence should be handled in the forum? It's a good question to raise, and I don't know the answer.

To clarify, you ask why depictions of sexual violence are OK but depictions of consensual sex are not. If I'm right the latter are often regarded as OK by the mods so long as they don't cross a line of explicitness, then that's not quite the right way to ask the question.

I agree that the coin is unclear, and the original complaint may have been discriminatory in part (I don't know). I just hope & believe that the mods' response wasn't, which is the more important thing. There was a less explicit spintria in a recent Berk auction that I found very interesting because it clearly depicted a homosexual act. I wonder how it would have been handled here.

 

This is an excellent, thoughtful comment SA, which warrants a better reply than I can give this evening. One would hope the mods would address it also, but I have no real expectation of that.

 

I saw the OP coin, and found it to be more acceptable than the tetradrachms of Thasos. Consensual sex is what I hope to teach my children, not rape.

@Volodya, I greatly appreciate all your comments in support of intellectual freedom. As a librarian, I oppose censorship.

 

I second this opinion!

 

I am appalled that a spintria wound be deleted. This is a democracy! If this sort of hard handed misguided censorship continues, I will walk away. Censuring ancient art is a long way from censurinfg someone like Maplethorpe who a weak case could at least be made against.

 

Wossip... you have gone way too far now, confirming the suspicion that I hinted at in my first post.

You applaud the removal of the coin's images (which you posted in the first place) and then you post the images again?

I think that speaks louder than your other words which followed.

 

Agreed. The words don't match the actions and it feels like somethings trying to be sold... coinsploitation much??

 

I have been watching this discussion with interest. Censorship leaves a gap in our quest for knowledge so may I make a suggestion! If an image may depict an act or display that may be objectionable to some, perhaps a link to the image with a warning rather than a picture would allow the viewer to decide to proceed or not.

 

I was, logically, trying to explain that, although personally I find the image distasteful, I find modern-day criticism to the point of censorship on this issue unjustified.
These spintriae exist; they are a fact. They were part of Roman history and are of numismatic interest.
Keep personal feelings out of it. I and many, many, others who find the image repugnant, are able to do this.

 

I've not engaged in this discussion, but I have to wonder why you posted the image again even after it was removed yesterday. It appears to me that you may just want to keep the controversy going. Or am I wrong?

 

I see a banishment coming....

 

And locked for no further comments.. Which should of happened yesterday.

 

Whether we agree with the sentiment or not the decision has already been made. If you want to talk about the reverse I'm sure the mods won't will mind you posting that side.

My advice, given in honest goodwill, is to remove the obverse image yourself before the mods do or else you are very likely to get banned! Interesting coin btw.

Edit: Too late... he got the ban hammer.

 

Actually, to the mods' credit, this thread isn't locked. Why should it be?

 

Now?.. For reposting the picture of the coin!