While I certainly understand your feelings, I'm afraid I don't agree with you.

It seems to me that this community is more about "what we make of it" than anything else. While tensions often rise and fall here, and certainly different people have different motivations for their continued presence here, I don't think that it's necessary to breed hostility based upon how others express themselves.

In a book called Illusions by Richard Bach, the author points out that in many ways, we each have complete control over our own live. We determine how we feel about things. While some people prefer to view life as a series of catastrophes and injustices, it often does them little good, and brings little happiness.

Personally, I wonder why it is so important to be included in the Hot 20. In my time here, I have made some strong connections with good and intelligent people. When I produce a work, it is their opinions that I ask for, not the community at large.

In doing so, I have seen my efforts with Poser improve, so that much of my current work is now often indistiguishable from some of the works my friends are producing in softimage.

I understand that you are upset, but I think it is important to understand that nothing you can say, no political movement or well-intended campaign, will change the community. People are who they are, and you cannot change them.

However, you absolutely can change how you interact with the community. You can put less priority on acknowledgement and more priority toward accomplishment.

You can take a negative feeling away with you after every gallery search, after every topic reply, or you can choose to see something positive around every corner.

It is very nice to hear your thoughts. I certainly agree with you on many points, but knowing that things are the way they are does very little to improve my work, or further my goals.

I hope you can step away for a time and find a good reason to continue within the community. Every voice helps us to grow and change.

Just my 2 cents.

Peace,
Jean