The comment I didn't publish refers to trees and a clothesline.
My mind stores nitty gritty details . I am not disagreeing some comments seem to be over the top. They could be called pithy.They could be called obnoxious.
I cast my mind back to the first letter I ever wrote.
We had a meeting in Regency Acres school with the developer. The auditorium was packed with irate new home-owners. The President of the Ratepayers Association chaired the meeting and appeared to be running interference for the developer.
Eric Franklin of Richardson Drive and John White of Jones Court were publishers of the RARA News. I spoke to Eric about President Murray Smith's performance. He suggested I write a letter. So I did.
When I read it in print I was appalled by the force of my criticism. .
That's when I learned how much more powerful are words written than spoken.
When I became involved in the town's affairs, I learned something else.
People would express agreement with comments I'd made in Council or T.V. When I tried to pin down specifics, they had no re-call. What they remembered was reaction to what I had said at the time I said it. .
The spoken word is ephemeral. The written word is solid.
In my first letter, I wrote as I would have spoken without understanding the difference.
I don't publishing everything negative written about the Mayor.
But because I am so close to things , I know the many reasons for bitterness and hostility. Whole families have suffered. incredibly and unjustly.
The hostility in the more extreme comments is uncomfortable to read. It's ugly. And maybe I read more into it than there is.
The Blog is still new to me. We learn as we go. I have some questions .
Does the anonymity of a blog generate hostility that wouldn't be otherwise?
Or does the hostility already exist and need to be expressed and accounted for?
Do comments, however well or badly expressed, have an important place in the exchange?
Could a blog be considered a safety valve?
Is there merit in providing a safe place to vent?
Thursday 15 April 2010
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3 comments:
Evelyn, my comment about the tree planting blog and clothes lines wasn't suggesting anything violent, even though years ago the extreme behaviour of some people these days might have prompted such action.
The Mayor's demise at the polls in October will suffice.
I'm not sure of the answers - but I tell you I feel thirst quenched as never before.
It feels as though real information is flowing - Unlike the Banner where where I feel like I'm sucking water from a stone or the Auroran where I get my fill but there are long gaps in between drinks.
The blog is dynamic - which is the age we're in. I'm very glad you've embraced it Evelyn. I'm always excited to see a new post!
Yes to all of your questions and keep it up. I love it because you call a spade a spade, which not many do nowadays, especially in the political forum. I feel as though I get "real" information from you rather than spin.
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