Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it necessary?
I have just been watching a story this week on the news about a young couple who received a spiteful, anonymous note in the mail allegedly from one of their neighbours, who complained about the 'constant crying' of their 11 month old baby. (Who, by the way, came across in the film footage as an adorable, normal, pretty even tempered and adorable little boy).
It got me thinking about the truly deplorable and cowardly behavior of the many people, (I believe the colloquial name is 'trolls'), who spread their deadly venom throughout the world by way of using dangerous and soul-destroying put-downs and insults to people they know absolutely nothing about, whilst not having the most basic level of decency and even self-respect to put a name to their vitriol.
I know quite a lot of people, myself included, who have been on the receiving end of these insidious attacks, and the pointlessness of such obviously imbalanced communication undoubtedly causes long-term wounds in the psyche, and this can be mainly attributed to the fact that the person being verbally assaulted has no recourse of reply in any way, thus a void is inevitably created where no closure is possible and the recipient is left hanging emotionally, accused of real or imagined transgressions with no opportunity to set the record straight and attempt to undo the tainted and often twisted words of their aggressor.
I often try to imagine these people approaching somebody randomly in the street and directing their insults personally to whomever they believe to have committed the social crime, whether it be a crying infant, a mother breast-feeding her baby, or the woman they deem to be wearing the unflattering outfit. To display this kind of behavior in person and in a public arena would have you either classified mentally unstable or land you a few nights in the clink for assault.
Why them does an anonymous note, email or tweet have any less negative impact in this regard? I honestly do not see the difference.
I would imagine that the very fundament of humanity is to not just have a right to your own opinion, but to also possess the courage and honour to stand by what you put out into the world as your version of truth. What good can possibly come of disowning the unique facets of your own personality to the degree that you are too weak in spirit to even put your name to them?
I always ask myself three questions before i write, reply to, or contribute somehow to any kind of public forum, (words i learned from a very valued creative writing teacher many years ago).
Is it true? Is it helpful? Is it necessary? An honest answer to these prerequisites goes miles towards cleanly sorting out the literary wheat from the chaff.
Blog written for nic-nac by Bangalow's own, Tamsin Wolf; Singer. Writer. Author. Flash mob organiser. Lover of faerie's. Thinker. Tarot reader. Blogger. All-round gorgeous human.
