By Peter Christensen

Op-Ed Commentary

Sometimes it is hard to think of what one will write about next? Artists suffer from the same malady. A friend who is an artist said to me that he quit painting for a while because, “he just ran out of things to paint!” But he is at it again, somehow the world provides.

I have always been a ‘Letter to the Editor’ writer. Some proposal would upset the day or need support and I would write a ‘Letter to the Editor’ and for better or worse let my opinion stand. This practice over time evolved into writing articles for magazines and more recently into ‘Op/ed commentary.’ I like the short form, “if you can’t say it in 650 words then it’s a book or at least an article and who has time to write a book about every darn thing?”

Writing Op/Ed is risky though, there are instant up votes, down votes, notes of support, disagreement and at times unkind things said by bullies. Social media, by providing anonymity, has emboldened the mean-spirited who hide behind weird sounding monikers like MonkeyDick or even Witchburner, their mark usually accompanied by an unrecognizable fuzzy photograph.

By having a “handle” they believe it makes them kin to ‘Top Gun Maverick,’ a hero loved by everyone and who is right about everything. Their feedback typically starts out with personal insult or belittling, then quickly moves off topic to whatever platform they think readers should take for absolute truth, followed by another slight providing an unhappy ending.

The notion of actually identifying themselves, going through an editorial process or doing the work to present a thoughtful response just never occurs. The intent of their commentary is to promote ganging up on the subjects of their abuse. We can witness real-world examples of the consequences of bullying and insults every night on the news.

Unfortunately, this reckless and off the cuff tone has invaded public forums. While transgressions are sometimes witty and disagreeable characterization can amuse, mean-spirited commenters unhappily do not differentiate between Freedom of Speech and just saying whatever regrettably comes to their mind.

To survive as an Op/Ed writer one needs to lightheartedly wear the perfume of truth and current language so to mask the odour of righteousness that accompanies the anonymous comment. Mean-spiritedness whether on-line, in print or during dialog is responsible for much of our societies growing divisiveness.

I have been accused of giving advice. I suppose at its roots that is what an editorial is. So here I go. I propose that people who make public statements should say who they are. It is a very, very old idea. In a republic people at public meetings, or in court, are asked to identify themselves, before they speak, for a very good reason, accountability.

Please, do not think I propose that we always agree. I have friends of 50 years with whom I have disagreed on many issues. Over time, I have come to see the validity of some of their ideas. It is amazing what time passing, a bit of research, tolerance and dedication to friendship can accomplish.  Some things my long-term friends have in common: we never start and end our visits with personal insult and belittling, we ask questions to gain insight into a topic and then pose our remarks as questions.

Can you imagine where the Middle East would be if people held this basic secular democratic way of speaking sacred?  It allows people to change their mind!

– Peter Christensen is a Columbia Valley-based writer and poet

Article Share