| Commentary and Philosophy Non-Fiction posted February 23, 2016 |
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censure and social media - the naked truth
What Is Wrong With This Picture?
by Dawn Munro
How many times must we soften the blow, cushion the fall? How often do we have to bury the truth in platitudes and polite 'chit-chat'?
Turns out we will have to every time. We have become a society of half-truths and outright lies. As Jack Nicolson's character says in A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!"
My own burning desire is to put pen to paper, but to hear what others think of it, to garner more than a half-dozen opinions about what I've written, I'd better please the reader; best not write or 'say' anything that might offend him or her.
I wonder, did Dickens face the same dilemma with his peers, did Woolf? Even the modern-day, number one, best-selling author James Patterson, is peppered with questions that have nothing to do with what he writes, and it is expected that he answer gracefully and openly. He dare not declare his personal life off limits. He dare not disagree too strongly with an interviewer. Does he have to handle everything and everyone so carefully he loses his soul in silly curtsies and bows to his public? (By no means am I comparing my writing to those great writers, but that is the goal, isn't it? For most of us anyway--we aspire to be good authors, maybe even great ones.)
It's time to stop being afraid of telling it like it is. Or is the fear a symptom of our own hidden prejudices, our own guilty pleasures or inadequacies? Are we afraid we might expose some feature of our characters that will cause us to be banned from society?
Banning can happen, and worse, but it should not happen because someone is expressing an opinion, writing creatively or disagreeing with someone else's opinion. I grew up in a world where it was rude to poke my nose into someone else's business. But it was also a world where my neigbour looked out for my kids, a complete stranger would stop to help when there was a car in a ditch.
What has our Global highway done to the written word, to the author who wishes to maintain a semblance of dignity, some privacy, but also be free to actually voice what he (or she) observes in the world around him? For God's sake don't write anything that might stir some controversy, not if you want to be 'popular'. Instead expose yourself to the whole world by writing about your private life, and when someone trashes it, accept it.
Writing honestly does not mean 'spilling the beans' about one's private life. There's nothing wrong with doing that, if that's what you choose to write about, but it shouldn't be a prerequisite to making any kind of impression as a writer, and it should be left up to the individuals to handle the feedback in a way they see fit. We're all adults.
What should make an impression is a willingness to risk all, to go out on a limb and dare anyone to cut it off.
No pile of burning books could equal the censorship occurring all over the world these days in various ways, and I blame social media. Too many people getting too carried away with their own importance. While social media can be wonderful in that it keeps us connected in ways unprecedented in past, it is also setting a dangerous precedence when we allow others to govern what we may or may not express of our own thoughts and beliefs.
The Charlie Hebdo tragedy is at the farthest end of the scale, but it is indicative of what can happen when we tell the truth as we see it. But we are all human, and how horrendous, when we are essentially non-violent people, to feel we have to sit back powerless, and say and do nothing. To wait for our governments to step up and put a stop to the beheadings, the torture, the kidnappings and murder. If a few nasty pictures and provocative words provides a writer, a reader, one bit of relief, then I say that, too, is a truth, an honest release of unbearable frustration and grief. (Sure, those pictures and articles were provocative, but what, after all, IS the truth?)
Opinions differ, but it's that very fact that keeps us honest. It should be up to the individual to decide whether or not to risk offering up what he or she believes, not the the website, not the governments, or anyone else. In law, it is acknowledged that there is the 'spirit of the law' and the 'letter of the law'--to my mind, the spirit of the law applies to the Charlie Hebdo killings--provoking ISIS with those pictures and words was possibly inciteful, but it was a human response to unspeakable deeds. Nothing justifies the taking of human life, except saving one's own, or the lives of children--certainly not something written.
On the topic of children, it's a well-known fact that even those innocents are victims of ISIS, and other 'crazies'.
Another symptom of a sickness that has taken over every man, woman and child in one way or another is 'political correctness'--why is it so offensive to speak or write what is obvious? Since when did personal truth become an insult? We've lost all meaning in language, the words so carefully considered for the reaction they might bring that they end up of less value than the pile of sawdust left behind when a tree is felled.
Oh yeah, what am I thinking? We don't need paper anymore.
We need to take a stand to save our souls. I can't blow my nose with a tablet anymore than I can tell what you think by looking into your eyes.
A tiny little poem I wrote for a contest here was the object of some confusion over a preposition. Why do I mention that poem in this context? Am I shamelessly promoting my own (insignificant, in this context) work? Not at all--it is simply that it's a perfect example of the power of language. One word, one small preposition could have changed the meaning of the whole poem. Read it, and then read my reply. The words we write have the strength to influence thinking. That is more powerful than anything short of a nuclear bomb.
Take up your pen and bleed some honesty into what you write, whatever it is, even if it's something others might not want to hear--one small step begins a long journey, and writers are the ones leading the way. It behooves every single one of us to treat the tools of our craft with great care, to treat words with the utmost respect, to honour them by using them to make the world a better place, a more honest place, but also to stand up to those who would force us into the mold they create.
We shouldn't be afraid of writing what we truly feel, unless we are afraid of consequences like what happened in Paris. I'm the one who is going to suffer the consequences--shouldn't I be the one to decide?
Sadly, allowing control of what we say or write out of our hands is becoming commonplace. But tragically, society has become mentally ill. Mass shootings at entertainment venues, even in our schools--I challenge anyone to say it isn't so...
(Below is the poem I use as an example of one, small word's meaning making a huge difference--a three-line poem contest winner. A reviewer posed a question, saying it was hard to know whether the preposition before the word "understanding" should be-- "for" (as I wrote it)--or if it should be "of". Here is my answer: The two prepositions are worlds apart in this context. It is a journey of self-discovery, and perhaps hope of being more understood-- "OF understanding" would mean that there WAS no "Family Fugue", and it would negate the use of "maze", which is symbolic of the confusion, of the memory loss, of all kinds of emotional conflict...in other words, most families dynamics, I think... It's hard to believe the power of words sometimes, yes? That a tiny little word could make such a huge change to the meaning of this poem?)
Family Fugue
(by Dawn Munro)
I stumble blindly
through my maze of yesteryears
for understanding
~~~
How many times must we soften the blow, cushion the fall? How often do we have to bury the truth in platitudes and polite 'chit-chat'?
Turns out we will have to every time. We have become a society of half-truths and outright lies. As Jack Nicolson's character says in A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!"
My own burning desire is to put pen to paper, but to hear what others think of it, to garner more than a half-dozen opinions about what I've written, I'd better please the reader; best not write or 'say' anything that might offend him or her.
I wonder, did Dickens face the same dilemma with his peers, did Woolf? Even the modern-day, number one, best-selling author James Patterson, is peppered with questions that have nothing to do with what he writes, and it is expected that he answer gracefully and openly. He dare not declare his personal life off limits. He dare not disagree too strongly with an interviewer. Does he have to handle everything and everyone so carefully he loses his soul in silly curtsies and bows to his public? (By no means am I comparing my writing to those great writers, but that is the goal, isn't it? For most of us anyway--we aspire to be good authors, maybe even great ones.)
It's time to stop being afraid of telling it like it is. Or is the fear a symptom of our own hidden prejudices, our own guilty pleasures or inadequacies? Are we afraid we might expose some feature of our characters that will cause us to be banned from society?
Banning can happen, and worse, but it should not happen because someone is expressing an opinion, writing creatively or disagreeing with someone else's opinion. I grew up in a world where it was rude to poke my nose into someone else's business. But it was also a world where my neigbour looked out for my kids, a complete stranger would stop to help when there was a car in a ditch.
What has our Global highway done to the written word, to the author who wishes to maintain a semblance of dignity, some privacy, but also be free to actually voice what he (or she) observes in the world around him? For God's sake don't write anything that might stir some controversy, not if you want to be 'popular'. Instead expose yourself to the whole world by writing about your private life, and when someone trashes it, accept it.
Writing honestly does not mean 'spilling the beans' about one's private life. There's nothing wrong with doing that, if that's what you choose to write about, but it shouldn't be a prerequisite to making any kind of impression as a writer, and it should be left up to the individuals to handle the feedback in a way they see fit. We're all adults.
What should make an impression is a willingness to risk all, to go out on a limb and dare anyone to cut it off.
No pile of burning books could equal the censorship occurring all over the world these days in various ways, and I blame social media. Too many people getting too carried away with their own importance. While social media can be wonderful in that it keeps us connected in ways unprecedented in past, it is also setting a dangerous precedence when we allow others to govern what we may or may not express of our own thoughts and beliefs.
The Charlie Hebdo tragedy is at the farthest end of the scale, but it is indicative of what can happen when we tell the truth as we see it. But we are all human, and how horrendous, when we are essentially non-violent people, to feel we have to sit back powerless, and say and do nothing. To wait for our governments to step up and put a stop to the beheadings, the torture, the kidnappings and murder. If a few nasty pictures and provocative words provides a writer, a reader, one bit of relief, then I say that, too, is a truth, an honest release of unbearable frustration and grief. (Sure, those pictures and articles were provocative, but what, after all, IS the truth?)
Opinions differ, but it's that very fact that keeps us honest. It should be up to the individual to decide whether or not to risk offering up what he or she believes, not the the website, not the governments, or anyone else. In law, it is acknowledged that there is the 'spirit of the law' and the 'letter of the law'--to my mind, the spirit of the law applies to the Charlie Hebdo killings--provoking ISIS with those pictures and words was possibly inciteful, but it was a human response to unspeakable deeds. Nothing justifies the taking of human life, except saving one's own, or the lives of children--certainly not something written.
On the topic of children, it's a well-known fact that even those innocents are victims of ISIS, and other 'crazies'.
Another symptom of a sickness that has taken over every man, woman and child in one way or another is 'political correctness'--why is it so offensive to speak or write what is obvious? Since when did personal truth become an insult? We've lost all meaning in language, the words so carefully considered for the reaction they might bring that they end up of less value than the pile of sawdust left behind when a tree is felled.
Oh yeah, what am I thinking? We don't need paper anymore.
We need to take a stand to save our souls. I can't blow my nose with a tablet anymore than I can tell what you think by looking into your eyes.
A tiny little poem I wrote for a contest here was the object of some confusion over a preposition. Why do I mention that poem in this context? Am I shamelessly promoting my own (insignificant, in this context) work? Not at all--it is simply that it's a perfect example of the power of language. One word, one small preposition could have changed the meaning of the whole poem. Read it, and then read my reply. The words we write have the strength to influence thinking. That is more powerful than anything short of a nuclear bomb.
Take up your pen and bleed some honesty into what you write, whatever it is, even if it's something others might not want to hear--one small step begins a long journey, and writers are the ones leading the way. It behooves every single one of us to treat the tools of our craft with great care, to treat words with the utmost respect, to honour them by using them to make the world a better place, a more honest place, but also to stand up to those who would force us into the mold they create.
We shouldn't be afraid of writing what we truly feel, unless we are afraid of consequences like what happened in Paris. I'm the one who is going to suffer the consequences--shouldn't I be the one to decide?
Sadly, allowing control of what we say or write out of our hands is becoming commonplace. But tragically, society has become mentally ill. Mass shootings at entertainment venues, even in our schools--I challenge anyone to say it isn't so...
(Below is the poem I use as an example of one, small word's meaning making a huge difference--a three-line poem contest winner. A reviewer posed a question, saying it was hard to know whether the preposition before the word "understanding" should be-- "for" (as I wrote it)--or if it should be "of". Here is my answer: The two prepositions are worlds apart in this context. It is a journey of self-discovery, and perhaps hope of being more understood-- "OF understanding" would mean that there WAS no "Family Fugue", and it would negate the use of "maze", which is symbolic of the confusion, of the memory loss, of all kinds of emotional conflict...in other words, most families dynamics, I think... It's hard to believe the power of words sometimes, yes? That a tiny little word could make such a huge change to the meaning of this poem?)
Family Fugue
(by Dawn Munro)
I stumble blindly
through my maze of yesteryears
for understanding
~~~
Turns out we will have to every time. We have become a society of half-truths and outright lies. As Jack Nicolson's character says in A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!"
My own burning desire is to put pen to paper, but to hear what others think of it, to garner more than a half-dozen opinions about what I've written, I'd better please the reader; best not write or 'say' anything that might offend him or her.
I wonder, did Dickens face the same dilemma with his peers, did Woolf? Even the modern-day, number one, best-selling author James Patterson, is peppered with questions that have nothing to do with what he writes, and it is expected that he answer gracefully and openly. He dare not declare his personal life off limits. He dare not disagree too strongly with an interviewer. Does he have to handle everything and everyone so carefully he loses his soul in silly curtsies and bows to his public? (By no means am I comparing my writing to those great writers, but that is the goal, isn't it? For most of us anyway--we aspire to be good authors, maybe even great ones.)
It's time to stop being afraid of telling it like it is. Or is the fear a symptom of our own hidden prejudices, our own guilty pleasures or inadequacies? Are we afraid we might expose some feature of our characters that will cause us to be banned from society?
Banning can happen, and worse, but it should not happen because someone is expressing an opinion, writing creatively or disagreeing with someone else's opinion. I grew up in a world where it was rude to poke my nose into someone else's business. But it was also a world where my neigbour looked out for my kids, a complete stranger would stop to help when there was a car in a ditch.
What has our Global highway done to the written word, to the author who wishes to maintain a semblance of dignity, some privacy, but also be free to actually voice what he (or she) observes in the world around him? For God's sake don't write anything that might stir some controversy, not if you want to be 'popular'. Instead expose yourself to the whole world by writing about your private life, and when someone trashes it, accept it.
Writing honestly does not mean 'spilling the beans' about one's private life. There's nothing wrong with doing that, if that's what you choose to write about, but it shouldn't be a prerequisite to making any kind of impression as a writer, and it should be left up to the individuals to handle the feedback in a way they see fit. We're all adults.
What should make an impression is a willingness to risk all, to go out on a limb and dare anyone to cut it off.
No pile of burning books could equal the censorship occurring all over the world these days in various ways, and I blame social media. Too many people getting too carried away with their own importance. While social media can be wonderful in that it keeps us connected in ways unprecedented in past, it is also setting a dangerous precedence when we allow others to govern what we may or may not express of our own thoughts and beliefs.
The Charlie Hebdo tragedy is at the farthest end of the scale, but it is indicative of what can happen when we tell the truth as we see it. But we are all human, and how horrendous, when we are essentially non-violent people, to feel we have to sit back powerless, and say and do nothing. To wait for our governments to step up and put a stop to the beheadings, the torture, the kidnappings and murder. If a few nasty pictures and provocative words provides a writer, a reader, one bit of relief, then I say that, too, is a truth, an honest release of unbearable frustration and grief. (Sure, those pictures and articles were provocative, but what, after all, IS the truth?)
Opinions differ, but it's that very fact that keeps us honest. It should be up to the individual to decide whether or not to risk offering up what he or she believes, not the the website, not the governments, or anyone else. In law, it is acknowledged that there is the 'spirit of the law' and the 'letter of the law'--to my mind, the spirit of the law applies to the Charlie Hebdo killings--provoking ISIS with those pictures and words was possibly inciteful, but it was a human response to unspeakable deeds. Nothing justifies the taking of human life, except saving one's own, or the lives of children--certainly not something written.
On the topic of children, it's a well-known fact that even those innocents are victims of ISIS, and other 'crazies'.
Another symptom of a sickness that has taken over every man, woman and child in one way or another is 'political correctness'--why is it so offensive to speak or write what is obvious? Since when did personal truth become an insult? We've lost all meaning in language, the words so carefully considered for the reaction they might bring that they end up of less value than the pile of sawdust left behind when a tree is felled.
Oh yeah, what am I thinking? We don't need paper anymore.
We need to take a stand to save our souls. I can't blow my nose with a tablet anymore than I can tell what you think by looking into your eyes.
A tiny little poem I wrote for a contest here was the object of some confusion over a preposition. Why do I mention that poem in this context? Am I shamelessly promoting my own (insignificant, in this context) work? Not at all--it is simply that it's a perfect example of the power of language. One word, one small preposition could have changed the meaning of the whole poem. Read it, and then read my reply. The words we write have the strength to influence thinking. That is more powerful than anything short of a nuclear bomb.
Take up your pen and bleed some honesty into what you write, whatever it is, even if it's something others might not want to hear--one small step begins a long journey, and writers are the ones leading the way. It behooves every single one of us to treat the tools of our craft with great care, to treat words with the utmost respect, to honour them by using them to make the world a better place, a more honest place, but also to stand up to those who would force us into the mold they create.
We shouldn't be afraid of writing what we truly feel, unless we are afraid of consequences like what happened in Paris. I'm the one who is going to suffer the consequences--shouldn't I be the one to decide?
Sadly, allowing control of what we say or write out of our hands is becoming commonplace. But tragically, society has become mentally ill. Mass shootings at entertainment venues, even in our schools--I challenge anyone to say it isn't so...
(Below is the poem I use as an example of one, small word's meaning making a huge difference--a three-line poem contest winner. A reviewer posed a question, saying it was hard to know whether the preposition before the word "understanding" should be-- "for" (as I wrote it)--or if it should be "of". Here is my answer: The two prepositions are worlds apart in this context. It is a journey of self-discovery, and perhaps hope of being more understood-- "OF understanding" would mean that there WAS no "Family Fugue", and it would negate the use of "maze", which is symbolic of the confusion, of the memory loss, of all kinds of emotional conflict...in other words, most families dynamics, I think... It's hard to believe the power of words sometimes, yes? That a tiny little word could make such a huge change to the meaning of this poem?)
Family Fugue
(by Dawn Munro)
I stumble blindly
through my maze of yesteryears
for understanding
~~~
"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32
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