Ever since the link was drawn between the shootings in Arizona and the exaggerated rhetoric of the political punditry, I find myself second guessing my own words and terminology on occasion while writing posts. Today's poll question; do you think that current pundit analysis encourages people to kill other people? My blog is a one person show with no editors or oversight. I have enough common sense that I've written 1800 posts without getting sued, trying to be at times controversial, often sarcastic, but not libelous. Unlike Scott Reid, I've never written of my political opponent "kill him, kill him dead". What if a mentally unstable left wing kook had actually tried to kill our Prime Minister a few weeks after the Globe and Mail published that rant by Reid? Anyone who watched that G20 chaos unfold in Toronto is all too familiar with the fanatic nature of the left wing kooks.
I guess my question is how should I proceed as someone with public opinion? I revel in sarcasm, but as Jon Stewart said you can't stop crazy. Crazy always finds a way. If someone reads my blog and then goes out and does something criminally insane, is it my fault? Do I need to remove the words "shoot, aim, target, kill, terminate, slay, hunt, end, etc" permanently from my vocabulary. Speech isn't really free anymore is it? Where does it end?
Sometimes when I read a leftist posting that is so totally absurd I want to kill myself.
ReplyDeleteDoes that count?
NeilD
CNN has gone off the wall in the list of words no longer allowed on that network. Same with the many words the cbc will not use-terrorist comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteI think this banning does more harm than good, as they hide the truth.
Mary T
Are you serious?
ReplyDeleteThere you go. Scott Ried caused the G20 faux riots (nobody was killed, and those that got hurt either deserved it or faked it)
ReplyDeleteNever give credence to an imbecile. Never curb your language to assuage a leftist. Speak the truth and hold your ground. The biggest reason we have leftists in power is the rightists keep bowing to leftist imposed political correctness.
ReplyDelete"Free speech carries with it the evil of all foolish, unpleasant and venomous things that are said; but on the whole we would rather lump them than do away with it."
ReplyDeleteWinston Churchill
H of C July 15, 1952
Honest advice?
ReplyDeleteWrite what you do best, don't apologize for your words, and don't worry about your readers.
Second-guessing your prose only makes you appear uncertain of your position. In terms of expressing an opinion, that's a sign of weakness -- it means that people will think that if they push you hard enough, they can make you apologize for having your own opinion. And that can make you afraid to express it the best way you know how. That's how your ideological opponents want to win, by silencing your voice by making you afraid of it.
If you're worried about the language you're using, there are ways you can step around it. Expand your vocabulary by reading more materials other than the newspaper, or exposing yourself to a wider range of media. If you want to rant off, then consider your thoughts as lucidly as possible before putting finger to keyboard.
And once you're satisfied with your text, whatever you do, DON'T try to set up a disclaimer. Remember the John Wayne line in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon.
And finally: unless your blog is meant to be really, *really* intimate, don't worry about your readers. Chances are, they only know you through your blog, and you only know them. You're not responsible for their reaction to your prose, because opinion is not persuasion.
If you have to worry about the use of your vocabulary like that where does it end? A person may as well take up being a mime or if you are a progressive an illusionist to tell his story.
ReplyDeleteI can still remember when I was a kid and every saturday afternoon we dropped anvils on road runners.......wait a min....never mind.
ReplyDelete