What's the Gripe?

An entire blog could be written on gripes – mine, yours, theirs – oh heck! There are already blogs covering the same thing. In fact that’s probably the origin of blogs in the first place. Someone has something to say and they sit down and write it, then shop where to print it. Maybe it’s a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, or a regional newspaper; perhaps it’s a letter to a group of friends. Or maybe it’s just an email or Facebook posting that gets spread beyond the immediate neighborhood.

Blogs are just a larger ocean of senders and receivers. Hundreds of millions of writers and readers, daily or weekly. The idea is to spread an idea. Once an idea is in the mind, attention shifts to articulating it and then writing about it and ‘publishing’ it for broader readership.

Ideas. Which ones? How to organize them? What will be their focus? Who would be interested in these ideas? Who ought to be interested but may not be? Who are we trying to reach – indeed, what are we trying to accomplish with this activity?

The purpose of a blog, I think, is to explore an idea from wherever it comes and make meaningful clarifications of and to the idea. Explore also includes research, experience first hand, and otherwise become well versed in the idea and its logical extensions.

Once done the idea’s value to mankind is anyone’s guess. It all depends on who reads it, how they react, or if they react at all. Like a YouTube sensation it may take off getting thousands of hits or even millions. The latter is rare.

What kind of traction the idea has in American thought and discussion depends on how broadly dispersed it becomes. Also whether there are identifying words or phrases that distinguish it from common public chatter.

But we started with gripes – complaints about something that many people probably share similar feelings about. There are so many to choose from! Yet writing about gripes simply doesn't help matters much.

Sure it alleviates pressure for the writer, and maybe some of the readers feel better knowing there are other people who feel the same about something. The trouble is the griping alone doesn't accomplish much.

We had a busy day at church last Sunday, came home, had our usual Sunday breakfast, then a nap. Instead of arising and doing something useful we turned on the TV and fell into a string of programs on PBS. Bill Moyers was finishing up a segment, Meet the Press came on another channel, then Charlie Rose.

The thing that gripped us (not griped!) was the intelligent discussion held one on one. The ideas were presented, good questions pulled out excellent points to consider, and solid explanations were provided. No hysterics. Just facts and feelings that matter. Rich discourse that accessed meaningful points of the subject matter. Not argument or sound bite stratagems.

So much of what we encounter on public airwaves is bombast and obfuscation. They are trying to win converts or power, not advocates. To advocate for anything a person has to understand the subject very well. If they don’t the spiel is nothing more than a sales blast hoping to persuade thin support, enough to gain a user or proponent for a moment or two. That’s all. Later the argument and logic falls apart.

Meanwhile the damage is done.

It is time we spent our time with better prepared people who know their subject matter. PBS programs is an excellent start!  Tune them in and see for yourself.

July 26, 2013