The Omnipotent Poobah Speaks!

“The obscene vitriol on the left wing blogs really is mind-blowing. You see virtually none of this on conservative blogs.”

 

Marlowe on Skewz

 

“To me, it’s straightforward: Conservatives are adults, liberals are adolescences (sic). Conservatives value rational and logical discussion, liberals crave juvenile name calling.”

 

oleneo65 on Skewz

Politics is a rough neighborhood. Stakes are often high and feelings passionate. Many pundits use strong language in their opinions - including me - and sometimes that strong language turns people with opposing views off. One could easily make a valid point that all punditry should be politely respectable, but by that measure Jay Leno would no longer do monologues and many news shows and political magazines would disappear. At the very least, many political discussions would be about as interesting to the general public as watching grass grow.

The odd thing is, the post Marlowe and oleneo65 commented on was miles rougher on democrats - in tone and content - than on republicans. I’m glad they didn’t see a post where I really let loose, they’d probably have gotten the vapors and retreated to bed to soothe their jangled nerves. The other thing - not so odd as it turns out - was their view that conservatives are nearly always magnanimous people who only use unobscene, anti-vitriolic language in political discourse. I think a visit to any number of conservative blogs, publications, demonstrations, and radio and TV news shows would show otherwise. The floor of the US Congress and the White House aren’t much like a polite ladies’ tea party either. In fact, both of these commenters make their point by engaging in a little “juvenile name calling” themselves.

For example, Marlowe calls liberal blogs “obscene” and “left wing” while conservative blogs are, merely “conservative”. Oleneo65 thinks liberals are “adolescences (sic)” engaged in “juvenile name calling” whereas conservatives “value rational and logical discussion”.

The C*nt Whisperer
Apparently, netiher of them saw a “troll’s” comment on my own “moonbat” website in which one “rational and logical” conservative commenter said, “What a stupid cunt you are, lol.”

In my three plus years of blogging I’ve gotten more than 5,000 comments. With the exception of one, every conservative comment I’ve ever received has been more along the lines of the c-word tosser - don’t forget John McCain thinks that’s a perfectly proper word - than the commenters above. Hell, I’ve even had liberals chew on me for not being liberal enough, but my hide is thick and my patience long.

For anyone to claim that either right or left holds the exclusive rights to rational and logical discussion and name-calling-free speech is only to show their political blindness. Both sides engage in this behavior in equal measure, but more often than not, the complaints about how an argument is phrased usually has more to do with how strongly the reader takes the opinion. Contrary beliefs are often called irrational, even when based on solid, verified facts. Logic frequently goes out the window as commenters from both sides quickly veer off into outrageously off-topic commenting. No wonder the old saw is, “never to discuss politics over dinner”.

Most of the time, one side feels perfectly at ease with how they say things based on the premise that the other side said it first, or more vehemently, or twisted the “facts”, or a myriad other reasons to wiggle out of taking responsibility for their own callous words. At this point most of you are saying to yourself, “This guy is so hypocritical. He’s chastising others for what he does himself.”

Am I a hypocrite?

Take Ownership of What You Say
We’ll I’d say that as bloggers go, I’m more apt to at least acknowledge when I think both sides are guilty of the same behavior. I also try to engage commenters in the way in which they’ve commented. Most of the time I’m quite respectful, though I may agree with them. But start off by calling me a “stupid cunt” or an “adolescent”, and I figure you’re ready to rock and roll, no holds barred.

So in a sense, I may be a hypocrite. I sometimes use very strong language to criticize ideas I believe are bad. I believe our president is the worst thing to happen to this country since the Civil War and I have zero respect for him because he’s done absolutely nothing to gain my respect. I use strong language to express that opinion, but I also try to stick to verifiable facts. And, when someone points out that my facts (not my opinion) is wrong, I do my best to correct it. But I take pride in one fact that many bloggers - left or right - are too cowardly to do. I always take ownership of my comments by leaving a way for people who disagree to make their opinions known - something the commenters above have properly done. So, feel free to leave a comment or drop me an email.

I like it when people do that. No matter what their opinion may be.

The Poobah is a featured contributor at Bring It On!

I put a lot of stock in my commenters. Most are positive, but I get my share of dissenters too. The positive ones are nice ego strokes, but the negative ones are more important in some ways. I use them to help define what I write and how I write it.

A common complaint from conservative commenters is that I “hate” positions or people and bend my posts accordingly. It’s a valid observation, but I can’t say I hate anyone. I firmly believe that even the looniest crackpot occasionally makes a good point and when they don’t I don’t hate them, I simply disagree with them. When they do, I try to make note of it, but I don’t necessarily fawn over it. At the end of the day, everything I write is a personal opinion that you are welcome to embrace or reject as you see fit.

I’m a Small Scale Pundit
As for bending posts, I don’t deny it. I view myself as a small-scale pundit and that’s what pundits do. I look at the news of the day and interpret it through my own lens. I try to keep the known facts accurate (and correct them if they’re wrong), but unabashedly view them differently than someone of another political bent. Ranting on something, or at someone, isn’t the same as hate, it’s a way to engage people and stimulate debate. Insomuch as I get negative comments, I suppose I’ve done something right. If I pinged someone hard enough to move them to comment, I consider it a good day’s work.

I often emphasize my opinion with hyperbole and sarcasm. There are enough dusty and boring pundits in the world and I don’t feel obliged to add one more to the snoozefest blogroll. As a writer, I learned long ago, that mixing a little entertainment or controversy with the important factual events of the day draws people in and makes them consider those events more readily than they might have otherwise. However, it’s a mistake to think I’m not open to opposing views. I often agree with opposing viewpoints, more so than the hyperbole might suggest. That’s why I usually reply to commenters in a much less hyperbolic way. I’m generally polite and take their comments seriously, even if I am completely opposed. I want them to understand that I didn’t ignore what I didn’t want to see - I simply emphasized some points more than others or chose to disagree. To do otherwise would leave a mushier, less impactful post, and I figure there are plenty of those too.

(more…)

I write a lot. It is both my vocation and avocation. I’m not sure how many words I’ve put to paper, but I’d guess it is well into the millions. I’ve written everything from newspaper articles to button labels on websites. I’ve written instructions that could have meant death if not properly understood. I’ve written words into the mouths of powerful people. Mrs. Poobah and I met through writing - we were pen pals before we were a man and wife. And, of course, I write this blog - every word of it.

I first became aware of my talent for writing in the third grade. As a class assignment, I wrote a science fiction story about astronauts traveling to Mars. As the teacher handed our papers back, she told the class that one story stood out in particular. I drowsily half-listened to her ask the writer to come read the story in front of the class. As a mediocre student at best, I knew it couldn’t be me. I was never recognized for anything. I was so convinced it couldn’t be me, the teacher called three times before I heard her.

A career was born.

How Embarrassing

When people compliment my writing I feel exactly the way I felt in that classroom 43 years ago. Who, me? I’m still astonished when people are moved by what I write. I’ve swayed opinions and evoked powerful emotions with my writing, yet I feel a little guilty when people tell me about it. I think about how easy it was for me to write the piece. I often feel I’ve cheated the person in some way. Isn’t power like that supposed to come from dead-hard toil where every word sweats out like perspiration in a sauna? How could I have so cheaply changed a mind or evoked an image? It’s quite baffling really.

I don’t see my writing as world class. There are millions better than me. I know, because I’ve read many of them. At the same time, I recognize I’m serviceably good at it. Nothing flashy. Solid. Yeoman-like. I just write down what I think and leave it at that. I have a tenuous connection to my work. I never save clips or articles. That seems conceited to me - like the Happy Painter saving his happy little tress and happy little mountains to remind himself how good his mediocre work is. I don’t fight my editors or clients tooth and nail over every changed word. When my thoughts reach paper, I figure they no longer belong to me so readers have every right to change them or take them however they want.

A woman once told me I was her favorite author - right behind Stephen King. I didn’t know if I was complimented or insulted. King and I both have our shtick. His is books. Mine are anonymous pieces that are invisible and so seamless the reader doesn’t recognize it as writing. I succeed when a tiny voice leads them were they want to go. We are both commercially successful in our own ways, but that doesn’t mean either of us are in line for a Pulitzer of Nobel.

The Attention Span of a Gnat

Many people have told me to write a book. I answer that my attention span is that of a gnat. I could never muster the requisite discipline and patience that writing a book would entail. But there is another truth I don’t usually discuss - there simply isn’t anything that interests me enough to sustain a book.

Discipline of mind is not one of my stronger points.

Unlike those who consume my words, I often find what I write embarrassing. When people tell me my words have touched them, I generally see my words as overwrought. If a compliment says I write clearly, I see all the edits I know could make it better. I don’t often read what I write, but when I do at arms-length, I become a little less critical of myself. But, I’m never heartily pleased with my production. That idea of perfection is about as close as I come to being an artist rather than a word grinder - someone whose biggest asset is the ability to uncover things readers already know or feel.

It’s Not a Bad Life

So, I’ve written enough for this morning. I must leave for my day job, where I’ll write a few hundred new words. It pays well and I find it creative within the bounds of its structure. I’ll attend meetings and pull facts from my teammates. I’ll face an occupational hazard - people who tell me how to write based solely on their ability to operate a keyboard. Forty-three years of writing experience boiled down by someone who can’t see the difference between their writing and John Steinbeck’s. I’ll write more when I return home. You might see it. You might not. I am the editor of my own work when I write for pleasure, and hopefully yours.

All in all it’s not a bad life.

The Poobah is a featured contributor at Bring It On!