Hey, Princess Bitchypoo, I eat people like you for a midday snack. Garnished with cilantro, of course, to heighten the taste.
Okay, this entry is to be filed under “Bullies Get A Knee To The Nards” or “Hey, Lookit, More Sheeple Are Being Churned Out Daily!!”
On Sunday I was scheduled to do a family visit for a child that lives a ways down the road. I happened to have my camera with me, and as there are some interesting Bammy Sights along the way, I figured I’d snap off a few photos for my own enjoyment while I was out. Blah, blah, you’ve all seen me do this before.
Plus, there is this really cool waterplay area in the park I was headed to; it has a huuuuge metal daisy (twenty feet tall or sommat) that spouts water and has bugs painted on the underside that I had a mind to photograph to publish on this here blog.
So we got there, and the kid’s family was a no-show (typical); I asked if he’d like to stay and play a bit anyway, as he’d brought his trunks and towel in anticipation. He voted yes, and I dumped all my work stuff and phone and camera on a table under a gazebo. I pulled the lens cap off the camera and shot the metal daisy, a couple signs, and I noticed this very cute, squishy-cheeked toddler playing in the water. She was wearing a yellow shirt and jeans and was stomping errant puddles with her bare feet. I asked the two adult women with her if they minded if I shot some frames with her in them before I ever raised my camera in her direction.
The women conversed actively with me as the children played and I tried to frame up a decent picture; difficult, as they were excitedly and happily zooming around the waterplay area.
I got three, maybe four shots of the baby and her older brother playing in the water before my batteries died. D’OH! I had neglected to bring spares, so I put the lens cap back on and told the woman if she had e-mail access, I’d be happy to send the photos to her once I got them offloaded from the camera. She did not, so she inquired of the other woman: Did she have e-mail access? She didn’t either, but the first woman volunteered that the child’s mother did and I offered to give her my e-mail address; she could give it to her daughter and the daughter could e-mail me for the photos.
I sat down at the table, did a little paperwork, then made a phone call. I was on the phone when the woman approached me for my e-mail addy, which I gladly gave her. She asked me what I was doing there in the park that day, and I told her that I could not go into a whole lot of detail, but I worked for social services and was presently working. She asked a couple more questions, which I declined politely and smilingly to answer, explaining that I was bound by confidentiality.
Then tonight, I opened my inbox to this shitty e-mail:
From: ******@*********.comDate: 2004/08/24 Tue PM 08:11:34 CDT
To: ************@*******.net
Subject: concerned parent about pictures in park
hello, i was informed upon my arrival from out of town reguarding sunday august 22 at ******** park. my mother was caring for my children in my absence and was enjoying a day at the park with her grandchildren whom she does not see often, and after this incidence she and i are very concerned! i was informed that my mother asked you what your purpose and job was and you told her that you were not able to let that information out, well let me tell you something i am very upset, you do not take pictures of someone else’s children for one thing , and another not offer explanation and comfort for the questions reguarding the purpose of these photos! with the world that we live in today, you of all people should know, being a social worker i believe that you told my mother that you were, that this type of action should not have even took place. i want those photos and your name and who you are and what those pictures are being used for. if not i will report this to the proper authorities with your email address and the other mother there that day will do the same. i just dont believe in this society today to ever let your guard down when it especially involves MY children, and as a mother i hope that YOU would feel the same, otherwise you are just one of them.
Just like that, one big rambly, threat-and accusation-filled paragraph with no sig. Bullshit. I did nothing wrong! I was in a public place shooting photos which I did not intend to publish (save for the aforementioned daisy) or use commercially; as a matter of fact, I didn’t even have to ask permission to shoot those kids, but I did it out of courtesy. It’s what I –as a mother– would want done were the situation reversed.
I sat, slack-jawed and shocked, for a couple minutes. Let me tell you, these are difficult reactions to pull from me. I was appalled at the shitty way this woman chose to handle a situation that she was ‘uncomfortable’ with. So, after that couple minutes-worth of consideration, I shot back a fancypants ‘fuck you‘:
From: ************@*******.net
Date: 2004/08/24 Tue PM 08:50:06 CDT
To: ******@*********.com
Subject: Re: concerned parent about pictures in park
WOW.
I was just out shooting some photos in the park, as I had taken a little boy there for a family visit. As a hobby, I often carry my digital with me and shoot my surroundings, with or without people.
I asked permission before I included ANYone in the photos, and was given clearance to do so by the accompanying adults. I even approached them after my batteries had died and offered to send copies of said photos if they liked. You say now that your mother is very concerned; she was not at all concerned that day. Allow me to repeat: NOT AT ALL. She gave me permission more than once, in fact.
If I did not tell your mother my job, then how do you know what I do? You are not making any sense. I am bound by certain confidentialities, so I cannot legally give details about my clients.
I offered (the operative word here is OFFERED) the photos and my e-mail address in good faith. I also asked permission before including those children in any pictures I was taking (which also included signs and landscapes and a myriad of other things withOUT people in them).
At this point, you have no legal leg to stand on. Plus, with your threatening, ugly tone in this e-mail, you sound like a raving psychotic. *I* can file charges for harassment based on your conduct and threats. Contact the authorities, I DARE YOU. I have every photo shot that day saved (I haven’t even had time to download them from the camera as of yet) and any authorities will see the digital date and timestamp of ALL the photos I shot that day, most of which had no people whatsoever in them.
I would have been happy to address your concerns civilly had you taken that approach. You have set the tone for this exchange, which will culminate in my laughing at your foolishness.
Ta-ta!
P.S. did you know it is a LEGAL OFFENSE to use e-mail to harass, intimidate and/or threaten people? Just so you know. Those cops you plan on contacting? I’ll have a copy of your e-mail –with full headers– to display to them if they come knocking. No sweat, report away! At this point, with your threats being what they are, I could even contact your ISP and have your account suspended. This isn’t the Wild West; you don’t have liberty to go about slinging grandiose threats at a whim. You might want to think about that in the future.
P.P.S. running your correspondence through a grammar- and spell-checker might lend your arguments more credence in the future. You sound like an illiterate fool.
I’ve yet to hear back from her, the doucheface, and it’s been three hours now. People like this should rot in hell.
And I should get to point and laugh.
21 worked it out »