PPA UPDATE: The Heroes We've Been Waiting For
"We, the Photographers..."
The easiest way for Wrong to win is when it convinces those who call it out to question themselves.
“Is it JUST me?”
“Am I the only one who feels like this?”
It happens all the time, because Wrong is really really good at this. Wrong even came up with a word for this manipulation tactic: gaslighting. Wrong is all into the gaslighting. We could power entire nations with it.
And when Wrong can’t convince those who call it out to question themselves, it morphs. Wrong is sort of like the Incredible Hulk. It gets angry and then turns into a monster. In a blind rage, it will intimidate and manipulate and threaten. I’m not sure if it turns green, but its soul sure is black.
You might have been on the receiving end of Wrong’s wrath recently over the PPA Board shadiness. You might have heard that the Chair and President of the PPA board pulled a maneuver that could have been an outtake in the movie, “Mean Girls,” and invalidated legal elections results, violating the bylaws and Sturgis Parliamentary Procedure.
In short, they invalidated the election results because they didn’t like the outcome.
And as I watched this awfulness, lack of ethics, and power play spiral out of control, it became VERY clear to me that Wrong was once again at work.
But it wasn’t just me who saw this…A LOT of people did. And Wrong came for them in the hopes of shutting them up.
Wrong made a lot of behind the scenes phone calls.
Wrong intimidated those who did not agree.
Wrong threatened.
Wrong acted like the department store Santa in “Elf.” It put on a costume and sat on a Throne of Lies.
It worked on some, but it caused others to speak even louder.
Like TEN PAST PPA PRESIDENTS who said, “Enough is enough.”
Yes, these ten Past PPA Presidents just delivered a 15 page letter to the PPA Council regarding the Wrong of the PPA Board.
They listed the PPA Board and Chair violations. And dear Baby Jesus in a manger…there are so many.
They assert the October election is valid and any attempts to discredit it is in violation of PPA Bylaws.
They assert the failure of staff to stay neutral in Board elections.
They point the plethora of inconsistencies governing the three elections. (Remember, if the first valid election doesn’t go how you want it, you have to keep having elections till you get the outcome you want. Except, that’s not how any of this works.)
They point out key discrepancies in the arguments put forth by the Board.
They refer to the “retracted minutes” from the November 4th meeting, suggesting an effort hide what they were doing.
It’s all very precise and well ordered and documented and referenced. Really, it’s a work of art. Like I said, it’s 15 pages long but I can summarize it easily:
The current Board of Directors followed their own rules and did not adhere to the bylaws or Parliamentary Procedure. They mishandled the process and violated standard procedures, resulting in an unprecedented breakdown in governance and a lack of trust in PPA leadership.
This finely crafted letter is with the Council now and it is the Council who will decide what to do.
But to those ten Past PPA Presidents:
from all of us who want to once again be able to proudly say #MYPPA and mean it…thank you. Your commitment to PPA’s integrity can not be overstated. In fact, you guys and gals remind me of the signers of another important document, signed in Philadelphia by 56 delegates.
They stood up against WRONG and so did you.
I, for one, stand with you.
(Click below to read this masterpiece in its entirety: )
Thank you for keeping us informed. As an almost 45 year member of PPA, I have been saddened and disappointed by the chain of events. So many young photographers today do not see any reason to belong to PPA and this gives them another reason.
The past Presidents’ letter is well thought out and clarifies a lot of issues for me.