Perhaps the awareness that something you enjoy has an undetermined expiration date makes you appreciate it all the more. There was nothing all that special about yesterday’s group hike other than it felt greater than usual to be out and about. I even enjoyed appreciated the relatively big hill climb we undertook. The fact that I’m feeling stronger these days contributes to the overall enhanced satisfaction with my walking adventures. Hopefully, I’ll have many more hikes like this one to come.
Next on my Friday agenda was attending the SOB dance competition at Queen Victoria Bar. I arrived early to secure a good seat for Swan and me. I was a little surprised that beers were 120 pesos at QV, among the highest in town. When the show started at six and drinks were free, they wouldn’t serve Swan wine, saying it wasn’t a “local drink.” No problem, we just won’t attend a QV SOB in the future. Other than that, it was pretty much the same as always. I was a judge again, and my top four choices were all called up on stage at the conclusion of the competition. The other judges disagreed with my rankings, however.
At the conclusion of the event, I was more than ready to head home, and that is just what we did.
Facebook had a surprise for me this morning:
What’s the fuss all about?
I submitted an appeal as a matter of principle, but I don’t expect favorable consideration. Here it is:
Facebook deleted my photo and restricted my access, claiming I violated community standards based on a display of nudity. The picture was taken in the Philippines, where I reside. It was taken during our weekly “candy walk” when my girlfriend gave treats to the poor children in a nearby community. I was frankly shocked to be notified of my alleged violation because I hadn’t seen any “nudity” when I took the photo. These are very young children, and it was a hot and rainy day. Guess what? In the Philippines, kids of both genders don’t routinely wear shirts when playing outdoors. If you saw mothers hand washing clothes in a bucket, you’d perhaps understand why wearing tops on a hot and wet day is not a normal practice. Again, the kids in question were outdoors playing when we walked by and gathered around my girlfriend when she offered them some treats. It’s a sad day when an act of charity like this gets you suspended on Facebook. I also think it disrespects the cultural norms of the Philippines. Not everyone lives in a rich country. Poor children can be happy children. Why anyone on Facebook would see these young people and think of nudity is pretty disgusting. Yes, a couple of girls are without tops, but they are not exposing breasts because they don’t have any. I think the decision to punish me reflects poorly on Facebook.
I appreciate your consideration of my appeal.
I can still access my Facebook memories. Here’s one from eleven years ago.
Today’s YouTube video has a vlogger listing his top five choices of places in the Philippines to retire. As I say, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I’ve been to four of the five he cites, and they all get a big “no, thank you!” from me. Manila? Seriously? What a shithole. The first time I visited Cebu, I liked it, but a few years later, it was a mess just like Manila. Davao and Baguio have some pluses, but both are isolated and have Nazi-like mayors (I’m glad I wasn’t in either place during the scamdemic). Nope, I made the right choice for me when I picked Olongapo. No regrets.
How about some humor?
That’s all I have for today. I’m scheduled to travel to Angeles City on Monday morning for additional heart scans. It will be good to know the way ahead.
John mate where do the ladyboys hang out during the day mate? Asking for a mate cheers mate
You pervert showing that naked , uhh topless , wait how do you know it’s a female. Or is Facebook worried about topless guys too ? it would be funny if it were not so 1984ish.Like they say “you can’t fix stupid” .
Have you heard back from Facebook?
I agree: what a shame they can’t see the difference between local color and actual salaciousness.
Or were they finally after the SOB pics?
Kev, Facebook denied my challenge to their decision, so I’ve forwarded my complaint to a third party, the “Oversight Board,” for consideration. I doubt it will make a difference, but at least I took a stand against an unjustified and possibly racist attack on Filipino culture.
Nope, the SOB pics are fine. What’s weird is I’ve gotten advertisements for things like erectile dysfunction meds in my FB feed that were flat-out pornographic. I guess since FB makes money on those, it is okay.
Terry, Precisely. It is just so natural and common, I hadn’t even noticed. And how dare they assume those little girls don’t identify as male! It takes a perverted mind to look at happy children playing outside on a hot day and see “nudity or sexual activity.” Shame on them!
Sorry, Aaron. I have no expertise regarding ladyboys. They are rarely seen in Barretto. You might tell your mate to check out Johm’s Resto Bar. I’ve never been inside, but I understand they employ ladyboys there. It’s next door to the 7/11 on National Highway (across the street from Sam’s Pizza).
If a “girl” says to him, “Let’s get something straight between us,” there’s a good chance it’s a ladyboy!
I seriously doubt that the decision at Facebook was made by a human. There are probably millions of pictures uploaded every day to the platform, and whatever algorithm or AI that is used spotted a child and recognized that it was topless so it was automatically flagged. Their concern is child porn and Im sure that the algorithm is designed to very much err on what they think is the side of safety.
Appealing the ban means some guy (or gal) sitting in a third world country maybe will have about 0.1 second to look at it and make a decision, with the default being to deny the request. I dont have any hope that they will make a logical informed decision.
Brian, the enforcement of “community standards” is definitely inconsistent. I mentioned in another comment that I’ve had the equivalent of porn (dicks slamming into pussies) in some ads on my feed, but I guess that’s okay by FB standards. The initial review I requested was denied, most likely exactly in the manner as you described. The appeal I made goes to an outside group. supposedly not controlled by Facebook. They only selectively accept appeals to review, so I don’t expect mine to make the cut. That’s why I raised the cultural insensitivity issue, figuring that a woke panel might not want to be viewed as racist. I really don’t care, it just seemed beyond ridiculous to suspend me over this.