Feest Isolation Days – 9 July
I haven’t done much with words lately. Except of course for playing Words with Friends. And another word game that I play on my own, Word Avalanche oh yes and the word game Terry and I play together – 3D Magic Words. We have played this for years now and it keeps our brains active and we only ever play it together. We have played a gazillion games. I also play Letter Pad and Word Solitaire. I’m a woman who likes words. Words are powerful building blocks. They form the basis for a society to hold discussions and enables society to function in a democratic and inclusive way. They express our feelings and our likes and dislikes. Words are how we communicate to each other and now that we can’t be together they are even more powerful. The non-verbal clues are not there to help us. We only have our words.
A newspaper editor at the New York Times employed a Republican to write an Op Ed. There was such uproar the editor had to resign! Resign? What happened to open discourse?
The same newspaper has stopped publishing political cartoons in its Global editions after a cartoon was offensive to some. Something has gone wrong, in my view.
I’ve been troubled lately by the notion that a writer can’t write a character that is anything other than themselves. In novels these days, authors apparently have to be gay, or transsexual or black in order to write a character that is any or all of those things. What has happened to the imagined world, true freedom of speech and the possibility of exploring other through a different lens?
As a white middle class woman, I sometimes feel marginalised these days. There are often writing support schemes for people of colour or people who are poor, or identify as a member of a group that is other…whatever other that is. There is an ever expanding band wagon for marginalised people and it isn’t welcoming to anyone “other”. Dialogue and discussion seem to have flown out the window.
We were having dinner with friends (when that was still possible) and they had a guest visiting from Florida who joined us. I was “warned” that the woman was a Trump voter. Warned is the word. It made me cautious. I was curious. The woman, who I ended up sitting across from at the table, was an intelligent professional lady married to a man of colour. Or should I say, from the BAME community? Or Non white? Indian? I can’t even get that right anymore. Anyway, I really was curious. Why did she think Trump was the man for her? When my friend (being provocative I do believe!) asked her why she voted for Trump I was hoping for a thoughtful and interesting discussion. That didn’t happen. Her initial answer was that Trump brought jobs and under his tenure employment had increased. When I gently suggested – remember I was warned – that perhaps that might have had something to do with the previous administration, what else was there that hooked her, she shut down. She refused to speak. “Whatever I say you won’t accept it so there is no point in having a conversation.” No matter what I said she refused to talk. There was no discussion. Facts were not welcome, nor was my curiosity. No matter how carefully I tried to speak to her, she became quite hot under the collar. Finally, I withdrew from the conversation. Whew. That went well. There was no discussion.
The atrocities of the past should not be air brushed out of history. They happened. They were awful. Nothing excuses the dreadfulness of what has gone before. Yet there still needs to be discussion. The dangers of a right wing world are clear to see. Ask the Hong Kong people what they think about the freedoms inherent in words.
These thoughts have been swirling around my pretty little head lately as I try to understand how we got to where we are. Some of us who consider ourselves liberal, democratic and open are being challenged at every turn. And silenced. This recent article in Harpers signed by 150 people including J.K. Rowling voices these concerns well.
https://harpers.org/a-letter-on-justice-and-open-debate/
Words are what bring us together and pull us apart. In our words we can have debates and examine the past, the present, and the future. We won’t always agree. When we are silenced by whatever group, we are headed in a dangerous direction. Oh yes and there’s a virus around.
A little levity to help….Michael Macintyre at the Dentist…when words are changed by anaesthetic…
Enjoy!
With love,
Kathy x