Comments on: Is it okay to offend? http://5-rings.com/blog/2008/04/is-it-okay-to-offend/ A journal of the creative writing process. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 06:36:26 +0000 hourly 1 By: Kathleen Maher http://5-rings.com/blog/2008/04/is-it-okay-to-offend/#comment-62 Kathleen Maher Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:47:15 +0000 http://cirellio.wordpress.com/?p=42#comment-62 Since you can't tell who're you're about to offend and who will follow your words and possibly find a new perspective--perhaps even feel enlightened because of you--you need to write whatever you need to write, however it comes to you. Always. But you're way too talented not to know that already. No matter how skillful a writer is, someone will get offended. Some people get offended for no reason they recognize or anyone else can tell either. I always bring up this old Mark Twain quote, because as a writer who knows I have no chance of pleasing a broad base, let only--everyone--it's always pleased me. Supposedly, Twain said (probably not to his agent though the business was no doubt much different then) that he no more hoped everyone loved his work than loved his daughter. Aren't most writers tempted to think of their stories as their "babies?" Since you can’t tell who’re you’re about to offend and who will follow your words and possibly find a new perspective–perhaps even feel enlightened because of you–you need to write whatever you need to write, however it comes to you. Always. But you’re way too talented not to know that already.
No matter how skillful a writer is, someone will get offended. Some people get offended for no reason they recognize or anyone else can tell either.
I always bring up this old Mark Twain quote, because as a writer who knows I have no chance of pleasing a broad base, let only–everyone–it’s always pleased me. Supposedly, Twain said (probably not to his agent though the business was no doubt much different then) that he no more hoped everyone loved his work than loved his daughter.
Aren’t most writers tempted to think of their stories as their “babies?”

]]> By: cirellio http://5-rings.com/blog/2008/04/is-it-okay-to-offend/#comment-61 cirellio Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:50:14 +0000 http://cirellio.wordpress.com/?p=42#comment-61 My, how interesting. The easy answer is to say opinions are based on fact and anything else is a 'preference'. But I don't buy it. I believe I have an answer that dares to edge a little bit closer to the truth. So someone might say, "Wiccans eat babies at the full moon." What I was trying to get at in the post above is that you have to be willing to hear opinions that are stupid, opinions that are ill-informed, or even opinions that go against your credo and not get angry. Instead, listen, and try to understand why someone might say something like that, and I guarantee you will learn something about 'perspective' every time. Terry Goodkind describes the importance of perspective well: Who would you fear more~ a two-hundred and fifty pound man who doesn't like your face, or a one-hundred and fifty pound woman who believes with all her heart that you brutally murdered her baby, and there was no convincing her otherwise? Opinions arise from a 'because' clause. "Because I saw it in a movie once... (personal observation) all Wiccans eat babies at the full moon (broad generalization)." In an ideal world, all opinions would only be statements based on fact and could be rationally debated. But Wicca is a good example: Most people know very little about Wicca and can only draw conclusions based on their abstract observations. Here's where it gets tricky - Opinions are never facts; they are value judgments based on personal observations or facts-at-hand. So by their very nature, they are never wrong. The application of those opinions <em>can</em> be wrong, however. For instance, if someone were to go around killing people because his parents always told him a certain race was evil (years of misinformed observation based on broad generalization), the application is terribly wrong. My, how interesting. The easy answer is to say opinions are based on fact and anything else is a ‘preference’. But I don’t buy it. I believe I have an answer that dares to edge a little bit closer to the truth.
So someone might say, “Wiccans eat babies at the full moon.” What I was trying to get at in the post above is that you have to be willing to hear opinions that are stupid, opinions that are ill-informed, or even opinions that go against your credo and not get angry. Instead, listen, and try to understand why someone might say something like that, and I guarantee you will learn something about ‘perspective’ every time. Terry Goodkind describes the importance of perspective well: Who would you fear more~ a two-hundred and fifty pound man who doesn’t like your face, or a one-hundred and fifty pound woman who believes with all her heart that you brutally murdered her baby, and there was no convincing her otherwise?

Opinions arise from a ‘because’ clause. “Because I saw it in a movie once… (personal observation) all Wiccans eat babies at the full moon (broad generalization).”
In an ideal world, all opinions would only be statements based on fact and could be rationally debated. But Wicca is a good example: Most people know very little about Wicca and can only draw conclusions based on their abstract observations.
Here’s where it gets tricky – Opinions are never facts; they are value judgments based on personal observations or facts-at-hand. So by their very nature, they are never wrong. The application of those opinions can be wrong, however. For instance, if someone were to go around killing people because his parents always told him a certain race was evil (years of misinformed observation based on broad generalization), the application is terribly wrong.

]]> By: Eaton http://5-rings.com/blog/2008/04/is-it-okay-to-offend/#comment-60 Eaton Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:08:37 +0000 http://cirellio.wordpress.com/?p=42#comment-60 Nice post. I'm with you right up to 'by their nature, opinions can't be wrong'. I suppose this depends on how you define 'opinion'. "Wiccans eat babies at the full moon" is in the form of a statement of 'fact' (and it's wrong, btw); "Wiccans are evil" is stated as a fact, but would seem to fall more into the realm of opinion. "I don't like Wiccans" is clearly an expression of personal taste, so it can't be said to be 'wrong' in the sense of being incorrect. Unfortunately, people distinguish poorly between these kinds of cases, and an awful lot of what people identify as their 'opinion', to which they are somehow 'entitled', are actually beliefs that are factually wrong. Can we say that a personal taste based on factually incorrect beliefs is 'wrong'? I think so, but that's just my opinion. Nice post. I’m with you right up to ‘by their nature, opinions can’t be wrong’. I suppose this depends on how you define ‘opinion’. “Wiccans eat babies at the full moon” is in the form of a statement of ‘fact’ (and it’s wrong, btw); “Wiccans are evil” is stated as a fact, but would seem to fall more into the realm of opinion. “I don’t like Wiccans” is clearly an expression of personal taste, so it can’t be said to be ‘wrong’ in the sense of being incorrect. Unfortunately, people distinguish poorly between these kinds of cases, and an awful lot of what people identify as their ‘opinion’, to which they are somehow ‘entitled’, are actually beliefs that are factually wrong. Can we say that a personal taste based on factually incorrect beliefs is ‘wrong’? I think so, but that’s just my opinion.

]]> By: cirellio http://5-rings.com/blog/2008/04/is-it-okay-to-offend/#comment-59 cirellio Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:52:12 +0000 http://cirellio.wordpress.com/?p=42#comment-59 wow, a world-class artist/writer and a college writing professor/publisher! Welcome, both of you. It never ceases to amaze me ~ meeting so many interesting people since I started this little project. Lynda- your art gallery makes me wish I had a few thousand dollars burning a hole in my pocket :) wow, a world-class artist/writer and a college writing professor/publisher! Welcome, both of you. It never ceases to amaze me ~ meeting so many interesting people since I started this little project.
Lynda- your art gallery makes me wish I had a few thousand dollars burning a hole in my pocket :)

]]> By: The Fearless Blog http://5-rings.com/blog/2008/04/is-it-okay-to-offend/#comment-58 The Fearless Blog Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:15:46 +0000 http://cirellio.wordpress.com/?p=42#comment-58 Touche! Great post. Touche!
Great post.

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