to be…
While this platform is primarily a cultural ones with personal overtones remains I have reserved the right as it relates to the mission of cartographizing to use my right as a human to express how I feel. As such, I believe that even in our hyper digital age of sharing, we, as individuals still have the right to how much we choose to tweet, post, gram, publish, share and at what times or if even at all.
Therefore, for a human, a governing body, an agency, a platform to impose upon another human to perform an expression outside ones will, outside their choice, outside their timing is like a thief, taking what belongs to someone else for themselves. The decision by the SCA in regards to the 2018 competitions in Dubai and the “Deferred Candidacy Policy” is that.
“I think it only makes sense to seek out and identify structures of authority, hierarchy, and domination in every aspect of life, and to challenge them; unless a justification for them can be given, they are illegitimate, and should be dismantled, to increase the scope of human freedom.” Noam Chomsky
I and we all have at some point in our lives made decisions that we look back on and have regretted, even with well informed information. We are human, we are fallible – at times nearsighted, money sighted, one sided. It is my hopes that in these times, as individuals we can see where our vision needs correction and fix it. It is my hope here too. However, given the decision by the current governing powers that be, The Coffeetographer’s stand will be as it has been, an independent documenter of culture, including the specialty coffee competitions to the best of its creative ability. My coverage on behalf of The Coffeetographer has never been sponsored by a governing body, coffee company, brand or external media outlet or any other major entities besides a lot of love, and family and friends rooting on a webzine whose founder believes that voices telling stories in coffee, about coffee have the right to do just that without their origin story becoming one that super-cedes them all.
To be human is to have a voice. To disenfranchise a voice is inhuman – and a gift that no one has the right to revoke, alter or postpone.
Long Live Being Human,