For John, BLUF: Consider the words and not the speaker.
On "City Life" this AM there was some discussion about Blogs. Host George Anthes was stating his concern about anonymous Commentors and Jack Mitchell, calling in, made what I think is an excellent point—even anonymous Commentors are people who are known within a particular blog, based upon an established point of view. Over at Left in Lowell there is, from time to time, Prince Charming. Prince Charming has a fairly consistent point of view. He is part of the community at Left in Lowell. On this humble blog we have Neal. Who knows who Neal really is. He doesn't live in Massachusetts, except to the extent that he believes he is being surrounded by former Mass residents who have migrated north to avoid the taxes and dilute the "Live Free or Die" spirit of the State. He was in the Air Force and is a pilot, but he was not an Air Force rated pilot. He has a couple of Masters Degrees and has taught at the college level. His wife is a [former] bean counter and a quilter, who has been to Lowell, and our Museum, a number of times.&nsp; So, what do you now know about Neal, except from a lifetime of prejudices.
In a way, knowing the person can get in the way of hearing and understanding the message. This is America. We shouldn't care where you family came from, or their state in life, or where you went to school.♠ The line from the George Bernard Shaw character in Pygmalion comes to mind:
It is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate or despise him.Sure, we can see such prejudice all around us, but we should fight to suppress it. Fresh start and all that. Blog anonymity isn't an altogether bad thing.
Regards —&hbsp; Cliff
I'm not certain if being the case in point is a good thing, but I'll wear the label proudly. A corrective addition to my profile....if anyone cares or if it truly matters, my wife is also a career AF person who retired after 10 years as an enlisted person and almost 16 as an officer. She also has graduate degrees and is nationally recognized for her expertise and knowledge about quilting and fabrics.
ReplyDeleteI have always believed that truthfulness is essential to a person's character. One should not compromise one's principles or beliefs simply as a means of satisfying political correctness or for that matter, some sort of social equilibrium. That said, I also hold very dear the absolute right for folks to believe whatever they wish. I will disagree with some in a plain, forthright manner...no sugar coating.......and I may even if provoked enough sink to the momentary level of name calling.....but I will fight to the death for someone's right to be right in their mind or wrong in mine. That to me is the essence of integrity and freedom.