Mud-slinging in the Speech Pond
Isn’t it amazing how our democratic process is
such a testament to the diligence and attention, perseverance and assiduous
planning, of its political machine?
And hasn’t the Internet community contributed
in more wonderful ways than we can
count, to its ability to research, study, and repeat the best of its finest
speeches?
Hmmm. Wellllllll … if I take my tongue out of
my cheek, I just might unleash a diatribe of vehement frustration on this
Wordplay Wednesday. Who’s with me? Who prefers to dissect political speeches
for their content as it pertains to
the speaker, rather than their creative origin? I feel sorry for the hard-working writers …
SEDULOUS (sejʹoo lɘs) adj. – 1) working hard and
steadily, diligent; 2) constant, persistent (sedulous attention to the task). [WW #69]
Uh-oh. Tongue dislodged from cheek … here come da judge …
Speaking from a writer’s POV, no matter how conscientious
and diligent we are, and as unique or powerful we hope our words are, someone
somewhere
has already articulated those same
words, created that idea, or told the story exactly that way.
GET OVER IT SOCIAL MEDIA – and by that I mean
the MEAN PEOPLE – who have nothing better to do with their time, energy, and
half-wit intelligence, than to bully others. Yes, bully. The Internet is FULL
of bullies – the ridiculous harassment over Mrs.Trump’s perceived plagiarism is a perfect example – are you a bully? That
is not an idle question.
There is often a fine line between spewing
venom and spite, or offering practical analyses …
Those who sedulously nitpick and berate others
over superficial issues, need to learn manners and the art of constructive criticism. You don’t like
someone? Fine. Don’t read about them, talk to them, or engage with them. Save
yourself the angst, for heaven’s sake.
Do you feel strongly about a non-criminal act that the loosely
defined news media throws in your face? Fine. But belittling and berating the
subject only serves to make you look
small.
Consider Yahoo News’ interview of Scott Baio: “After
his RNC speech on Monday [07/18/16], Baio was widely
mocked as a ‘D-lister’ who lacks the star power of celebrities who
typically participate at conventions. He dismissed this critique as ‘schoolyard
stuff.’
Schoolyard
stuff – perhaps he’s on to something. Apparently we
get better with age, as Mental Health Support
reports, “Although childhood bullies are usually quite easy to spot, adult bullies* can be sly, subtle, and
difficult to expose. A life-long bully has had years of practice. Some have
learned to be very cunning indeed. Some hide behind masks of authority,
superior knowledge, money or other type of power.” [*My bolding.]
Before you publicly
condemn, consider that we the people, rarely have all the facts at our
fingertips. Most who voice boisterously are overreacting to speculation,
conjecture, and media hype.
Now the virulent speculation is that
#MeredithMcIver is fiction. SO WHAT?! Is THIS what Mrs. Trump’s speech was all
about? A ten-second phrase out of a ten-minute speech?
And at any
time – perhaps even in the next twenty-four hours – you could be the subject of a publicly
perceived negative situation. Are you prepared to be vilified by a nation
of bigotry?
As a youngster were you ever compelled to
retort, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?”
Sadly, in our world of digital words that can suck the life out of you on even
an international scale, that childhood defense is no longer true. Words can hurt. And kill.
Much too often, innocent people – of all ages,
not just school children – are slandered by cyber-bullies. Once the damage is done, no matter the number of sedulous
apologies (if they are ever forthcoming) and retractions, those people are branded
FOR LIFE. You know and I know – nothing on the Internet EVER goes away. Not all of us are strong enough to
withstand the maelstroms. Our increasing suicide rate proves it.
Perhaps I’m just a perennial glass-half-full
person, but I prefer to believe that most speech writers work sedulously preparing the copy for
their bosses, to the best of their ability – in this economic climate, who
wants to lose their job?
It is ludicrous that recent media and Internet
users were viciously focused on a turn of phrase, rather than the meaning
behind the words.
It is a petty mind with idle hands – and we
know what that means – that has nothing better
to do than prey on others over superficial issues. Ask yourself … does it really matter?!
And someone, somewhere, in the past millennia has
uttered those exact words …
Word of the Week: SEDULOUS. Consider how you can create and post positive cyber comments – while fitting it into your writings for
the week.
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