Political correctness and "human rights"

[Pen Simon]

Ok, so not a subject you might initially think was concerned with underwater photography - but you would be wrong!

We were members of a certain dive club and it had pool sessions in the local municipal pool once a week.

The local council got twitchy about cameras being taken into the building and introduced a ban apart from specific permission for things like news shots etc - now this is fine for an open public session.

Our club decided that this too was a good idea and stopped the use of cameras in the pool itself whilst it was discussed at committee level. - this was all back at the begining of the year.

A descision was taken to ballot members on their opinion.

Months went by with no such ballot. In July, it was decided, quite sensibly to opt for a compromise where once every couple of months, cameras coulld be taken into the pool. Great! - but then it all went on hold and a complete ban was voted for at the next committee meeting due to "human rights" being violated and the implications thereof.

This was despite my explaining that no-one had any interest in taking pictures of anybody other than the buddy they were with or even to stay in one corner of the pool well away from any delicate and nervous types.

Needless to say we both voted with our feet and left the club.

I am concerned, that, with the increasing popularity of underwater filming - be it video or stills, that this could spread to other groups - people are aways taught the importance of knowing their equipment and safety being primary, a warm, confined, good visibility area is the best way to learn what all those controls do. Would you go straight out into the sea with a new BCD etc without maybe trying it in shallower, safer water?

Its a sad world that we now live in that people are so wound up in political correctness etc that a group of supposed like minded people with the same end objectives - ie diving, ban people from using cameras within their own closed pool sessions.

I am curious to know if anyone else has encountered this problem - or, as I suspect, are most groups more level headed and live in the real world....

[Mr T.]

Originally Posted by Pen Simon

Our club decided that this too was a good idea and stopped the use of cameras in the pool itself whilst it was discussed at committee level. - this was all back at the begining of the year.

A descision was taken to ballot members on their opinion.

Months went by with no such ballot. In July, it was decided, quite sensibly to opt for a compromise where once every couple of months, cameras coulld be taken into the pool. Great! - but then it all went on hold and a complete ban was voted for at the next committee meeting due to "human rights" being violated and the implications thereof.

....

Err...yours wouldn't be a BSAC club, perchance, would it?

[Pen Simon]

Originally Posted by Mr T.

Err...yours wouldn't be a BSAC club, perchance, would it?

No names, no pack drill, but no it was not....

[Zdu]

Originally Posted by Pen Simon

In July, it was decided, quite sensibly to opt for a compromise where once every couple of months, cameras coulld be taken into the pool. Great! - but then it all went on hold and a complete ban was voted for at the next committee meeting due to "human rights" being violated and the implications thereof.

Do you have any further info on what they meant by this? I understand hy the council would implement this in light of the compensation culture that is rife. But I can't understand why a club would do it.

Surely, a compromise could have been met on a consensual basis.

[Pen Simon]

Originally Posted by Zdu

Do you have any further info on what they meant by this? I understand hy the council would implement this in light of the compensation culture that is rife. But I can't understand why a club would do it.

Surely, a compromise could have been met on a consensual basis.

Tell me about it Zdu! - we thought we had got a good compromise with the once bi-monthly session idea.

It was down to only a few individuals - who ironically had not used the pool themselves for quite some time up unitl then, that made all the noises and protests.

Sad, very sad!

[Mr T.]

Originally Posted by Pen Simon

No names, no pack drill, but no it was not....

Sorry, I'm not interested in the NAME of your club: but with all the mention of ballots, committee-level meetings, being strung out for months before any decisions are made and general norz, just to get a decision...

[Jules]

most swimming pools have a no photography policy to prevent slimeballs from taking piccies of kids. That's fine. I wouldnt have thought a closed session for a dive club would incur such problems. What was the rational for the exclusion? Seems barking!

[Pen Simon]

Originally Posted by Mr T.

Sorry, I'm not interested in the NAME of your club: but with all the mention of ballots, committee-level meetings, being strung out for months before any decisions are made and general norz, just to get a decision...

Thats OK. I did not do this as a name and shame excercise anyway - more to alert people to what I think is an insideous creep into sane society of paranoia and general insecurity.

The nicest thing is that we were welcomed with open arms by another branch of the same organisation that had no such problem with cameras and were happy to get on with what we all enjoy most - DIVING!!

[Pen Simon]

Originally Posted by Julia C

most swimming pools have a no photography policy to prevent slimeballs from taking piccies of kids. That's fine. I wouldnt have thought a closed session for a dive club would incur such problems. What was the rational for the exclusion? Seems barking!

And I completely agree that children should be safe and secure. These were closed, club only sessions! Their rationale, was that it was against peoples human rights to have cameras in the pool full stop as it might make them uncomfortable and they could not complete their training. There was an early teenage girl who was niece of one of the objectors at a very early stage of dive training, but I spoke with the woman and pointed out with the aid of some previously taken stills that visibility was not good enough to see people from one end of the pool to the other, and, even with assurances from us that we would not even point any cameras in that general direction it was not good enough for them - they "would feel uncomfortable knowing that cameras were in the pool anyway".....

[PW1664]

I'm not sure why your former club comittee would even consider such a ban or even have an issue... why?

It is however clear that municiple swimming pools have a duty of care to youngsters and as such, within their child protection policy require you to register your name, address etc before using a stills or video camera on their premises.

It may seem a bit OTT, then again there are some real weido's about...

Ig uess if you've found a better more accomodating club, the whole experience has been worth while!