The importance of staying above the fray.
I have seen in recent months an unfortunate amount of online vitriol, much of it within the LGBTQ communities. I use the plural there, as there really seems to be a fracturing of some old established groups, as people become a little polarised.
We’ve seen Natalie Wynn, of Contrapoints fame, pilloried. I see J.K. Rowling is in the spotlight today supposedly for views that may be harmful for those of us in the gender fluid space.
These fights are horrible incidents of self destruction in my view, for what that’s worth. It’s also worth noting that in many cases these battle lines are drawn up on opinions expressed in Twitter and from information drawn from contexts that may not be entirely complete.
I’ve learned as I move into the centre of the gender spectrum that things are rarely ‘this’ or ‘that’. More often they are ‘a little column A, a little column B’. I certainly find that to be the case in gender. Well, it’s probably also the case in many other things as well. It’s not a bad idea to allow these changing tides to move and observe it from a distance without being drawn into he fray.
As one who makes a living from the use of words I really can see how very hard it is to always communicate one’s exact ideas. Many times things are taken way out of context, and these can be seized upon by trolls and bad actors and suddenly there’s a viral tide of vitriol. Personally, I think Natalie Wynn, for example, has said a few things that are meant to be contentious, to set the scene for her wonderful stories and talks on Youtube — only to be pilloried for being so artistically on point. Telling a story one way can upset a listener base, while telling it another may not. Either way, she is a sharp and talented voice in the LGBTQ community.
Today it looks like it’s J.K. Rowling’s turn to fall into the spotlight, and some will cut her to pieces and even feel that in some way they are helping people in doing so. My advice is very simple. Stay above the fray. Many who are attacked today have given us wonderful gifts of words, ideas and thought provoking insights.
Regardless of opinion, I was raised to be polite, and ideally not say anything if there’s nothing positive to say. That is a value that has served me well whenever I’ve applied it, and on the many occasions I have failed to do so I have often been rewarded by a sharp reminder that I probably should have.
We are better than that. We do not need to judge others, just as we enjoy not being judged ourselves. And at the end of the day, we don’t really know the full story in most cases, so we have no right to judge.
Now, I’m off for a morning swim with Sylvester and then will start posting the Eggnog recipe!
Fiona
http://FionaDobson.com
