Open letters are the hissy fits of our times, petulant and tedious expressions of collective outrage. It is also by some considerable measure the laziest form of protest.
In other words, the terminally aggrieved could take to the barricades but that would mean having to walk all the way to the barricades, standing around, feeling uncomfortable and what if it rained? It’s much easier to simply put names to a letter someone else had written in strident agreement with its contents.
There is one particularly egregious example of the open letter that caught my eye last night. It comes from the Columbia Journalism Review and is allegedly an open letter from the American press corps to President-elect Donald Trump.
As if journalists weren’t despised enough by the community, along comes this haughty expression of well … a journalist’s basic job description albeit dripping in sanctimony and self-importance. It even includes the grammatical venal sin of writing ‘you’re’ as ‘your’. Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Full column here.
I gave up being the apostrophe Nazi – but good on you for having a go JTI. one can only put it down to Jack of real grammar education. Difference between a possessive pronoun and a verb.
Having said that, my children received a good basic grounding in South Africa – where they did teach grammar unlike Australia – but I.mite my daughter also using the dreaded ” your”. I put it down to texting.
Dreadful events in Melbourne which seems to be gaining a reputation as a very violent city. Sad.
All the spelling glitches above are my phone – not me!!! Hope you can translate…
When working overseas I had a few Seth Efrican colleagues. One bloke I met just the night before I greeted the following morning. As far as I can remember the conversation went:
Me: How you travelling?
Him: Are we going somewhere?
Me: No, no. How are you going?
Him: Where are we going?
Me: No, no . . . how are you?
Him: Why don’t you f*&%ing Australians learn how to speak English?
It was pretty funny.
Another anecdote in the same vein.
I was resident site manager on a project in Southern Africa for about 18 months, and thus got used to at least the English colloquialisms. My boss, the Project Manager, was another Australian who was based in Sydney and would visit at various times.
One of the confusing (for an outsider) sayings is the term “just now”. In Southern Africa, at least where I lived, it meant “later” i.e. the opposite of what it appears to mean.
So, at a braai one day, my boss asks one of South African colleagues, would you like another steak (or a piece of boorewors or whatever), the South African replies “just now thanks”, and naturally my boss plonks a steak/boorewors on his plate. The look on the local’s face was one to behold….
Yes, I was just about to post something along those lines before I read your post Trab, At work I used to say ”I’m going home just now” – meaning in the next half hour or so. Eventually someone asked ”what do you mean exactly by ‘just now’ ” Quite funny.
I think my open letter from last night may have been deleted!
Did you remember the stamp, Milton?
I’m not so sure that all open letters are necessarily “hissy fits”, although this one did make me raise my eyebrows slightly when I first saw it on your Twitter feed yesterday. But when a group of doctors feel compelled to write to the government about the treatment of children in detention centers or a group of lawyers write an open letter decrying the Attorney-Generals behavior regarding the Solicitor-General shouldn’t we all sit up and take note……particularly when it’s obvious that this government really does need to be put under scrutiny.
I have to say I love the way your piece has somehow turned into an anti ABC and SBS tirade.
That was supposed to say over the other side
I figure that the anti-ABC/SBS thing screams ‘obsession’ Penny.
Yeah TV, but goodness it gets tiresome
I mean they’re obsessed, not you! Yes, it’s fully tiresome.
Penny,
Why should we take note? How many Doctors are registered in Australia? How many solicitors are currently practicing? Now do the maths and divide those penning their name to the letter’s by the amount out there. It is statistically insignificant.
Just because you are printed does not mean you are representative of a profession. Having conversed with you on this blog I do not think you’re 😝 indicative of your profession. I actually think your 😩 OK…….. actually better than ok.
“OK” is widely considered to be only “satisfactory” but not especially “good”.
CotC……OK can also mean quite good, but on the other hand not very good. I use the word quite in a lot of my feedback to students. It’s meant to imply that I think they should lift their game
Thank you Razor I love you too 😍 My point was that if the Doctors felt it was necessary to write an open letter to the Government was the only avenue open to them to create awareness of the issue, then I don’t see it as throwing a hissy fit. You’re probably right about the practicing solicitors. To express disapproval of George Brandis’ behaviour in an open forum is probably a pointless exercise, as there would be a queue a mile ahead of you.
In the meantime, I intend to sit back and see how the true democratic process will work in the US over the next few months. As I said to a distraught ex-colleague who now lives there, life will go on, and the true “goodness” of people will shine through. It’s time now with the world in such a mess that people on opposing sides get together and make sure the world progresses. Maybe I’m kidding myself though. I don’t particularly like Trump, but I also don’t like the protests that are going on in the anti-Trump rallies.
That’s very true Penny. I, like you, think people are innately good and will band together in a time of crisis. I’m by no means a Trump fan and hope he doesn’t get a second term but the way various celebs and some of the worlds elite are carrying on he will be a shoe in for the whole 8yrs. They do not seem to ‘get’ what got Trump elected, Britain out of the EU and One Nations rise here.
Govt debt hit a record $476.8 billion today: Up $203.6 billion since 2013 when Labor was in govt. No GFC to wrestle with-all new Liberal debt. Imagine if this mob were in govt then! What a pack of liars, deceiters and Looters.
&
Hockey….The National Press Club, 2012… “The condition of the budget will not be an excuse for breaking promises” AND “We will achieve a surplus in our first year in office and we will achieve a surplus for every year of our first term”.
&
During his first budget reply on May 12, 2011, Abbott said: “People can be confident that spending, debt and taxes will always be lower under a Coalition government.”
&
Hopeless Bill…where the F are you?
Just lobbing into the time now past the Labor forward estimates. The NDIS full expenditure yet to come……….. thanks Wayne and Juliar………
Billions and billions lost because Looters got rid of price on carbon and mining tax. Also spending 500,000 per refugee on the islands just for politics…MADNESS! $300billion worth of planes and subs…more MADNESS!
That scrapbook must be getting a bit dog-eared.
Address the FACTS you Drongo. I can use my own scrapbook any day I like…debt is $203.6billion under your Looters. U shld be writing about that instead of saying stupid things about me. Start with “Now our grandchildren….blah blah blah….
Where are your figures coming from re the mining tax? There has been a slump since the LNP have been in therefore no ‘super profits’.
Commodity prices were lower but production has ramped up. Over 75% of ASX 200 met or exceeded their profit expectations for the last 3 years.Where are you getting your propaganda?
He’s all class, this bloke:
http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/melbourne-cbd-david-leyonhjelm-slammed-for-semiautomatic-assault-cars-tweet/news-story/390871e0e1cd9f2f7d77ef352cde8940
You’d think he’d wait until the blood had been hosed away and victim’s families informed before he tried his hand at comedy. I had hopes for Leyonhjelm but it seems he’s just another “look-at-me-look-at-me!” eff-wit with a Twitter account.
I looked at his timeline and his tweet came after a very early report saying one man had been injured by a “rogue” vehicle. IMO Leyonhjelm made a tasteless joke not understanding what had taken place and has spent the rest of the day scrambling for meagre justifications. As they say, if you don’t know when to speak and then you don’t know when to shut up, that makes you a fool.
Dear old Pauline made a bigger gaffe, instantly cranking up an anti-muzzie rant without knowing any details at all. But it also seems that Malcolm Roberts thinks the Lleyonhelm tweet was ‘brilliant’. We do have some dropkicks in the senate at present. Bring back Ricky.
A forgettable day for the nutter Senate crossbenches, TV. Hinch jumped in, too. While overseas on holiday, he tweeted he had been told police had been told not to ram the car on seven occasions. Gossip from afar and worse than the others in my view in that it was a promotion of his shabby party in the midst of a major criminal event with tragic consequences for innocent people. These people have no shame.
I agree JTI, it all happened far too quickly for any instructions to be issued to the police. Once again polticians showing their grubby side.
It’s called common decency and they’ve shown they haven’t any.
Particularly crass for someone supposedly representing Victorians.
Hi Bella,
Agree. Like common sense, so called common decency at times doesn’t seem too common.
Trabvitch
Indeed. Had a look at an update of the same article and it contains this little gem: “Fellow senator, controversial One Nation representative Malcolm Roberts joined in on the fray, praising Mr Leyonhjelm’s tweet as “brilliant” and wished he had “thought of it first”. He later deleted the tweet and went on the [sic] blame people for taking it “out of context”.”
In most cases when someone talks about being taken out of context they realise they’ve been exposed as an irredeemable arsehole but still lack the decency that would lead any mature person to just admit they got it wrong.
Even after news broke of multiple fatalities including a child, Leyonhjelm was saying the outrage “only emanates from those who are too stupid to get it”. No, no, David. We got it. We understand your point. It’s just that there’s a time and a place. And whether it’s you or any other person who shares the social skills of a three-year-old shouting whatever comes into their heads in polite company, it’s just that it’s not defensible in an adult, let alone one who’s collecting a pretty pay-cheque from the taxpayer.
If this is the Senator’s version of advocacy for freeing up gun laws, he’s just set the cause back beyond any hope of recovery. Good work, David.
Once again TBLS you have nailed it. Well done my friend
Just a terrible day for a whole heap of families, friends and emergency services workers in my opinion. The pollies can go and screw themselves. Journo’s for that matter to. This will be bled to the n’th degree over the next week in the interest of ratings, sales, votes and hits.
I haven’t seen any reporting I would think was too intrusive besides Live Leak which published footage taken by a cab driver of people assisting the wounded in Bourke Street. That was too much, too appalling, concentrating on a young girl screaming in shock and pain. This is a big story with huge public interest and the media need to be sensitive to those affected but the mainstream have got it right so far.
Well said TBLS.
Some people are too quick on the keyboard, else just want the attention. The human headli*e is a case in point, so as it seems is DL.
I note headlines or bylines in the Fyshwick and Pyrmont Pravdas raising doubts on the actions of the police….’Nuff said.
Also, thanks JTI for preserving my anonyminity after my autofill stuffup!
The likelihood of Trump or his supporters reading such letters – or being able to – must be as close to nil as one can possibly get. Unlikely to be effective at all. It’ll just make people on all sides more polarised and sanctimonious and convinced of their rightness.
It’s that attitude that got Trump elected. Take a good hard look at yourself otherwise you, and people like you in the states, will see 8 years of him instead of 4 and I think he is a dickhead by the way.
Razor, if you have a look at breitbart and you have a look at the “mainstream” newspapers you’ll see the headlines in the mainstream newspapers get a very small mention in Breitbart and the story is – somewhat creepily – written to completely change the slant. Meanwhile, Breitbart’s main headlines are all its usual talking points – which none of the mainstream newspapers cover.
Rhys is more or less correct – most of trump’s supporters are living in a completely different informational world. Outrage and fact checking can be included in the mainstream newspapers until the cows come home but its not going to reach those whose diet is breitbart (and its equivalents) and fox and friends. Its actually a bit scary, especially because when you read breitbart you do – for a while, if youre being honest – start asking whether this is the “real” news and the mainstream stuff is wrong. Then you’ll stumble across something really obviously wrong and egregious there and snap out of it. But that information disneyland is a real cause for concern.
Speaking of hissy fits and open letters: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/news-and-views/opinion/an-open-letter-to-hillary-rodham-clinton-20170120-gtvbd1.html
Ah, good old Clem. What she knows about politics here, there or anywhere could snugly fit on the back of a postage stamp. BTW, after Trump was elected she blamed racism which was odd. Now she believes it is white men and women which is a little bit racist in itself.
“In solidarity, A Woman” signs off old Clementine Dwight. I imagine there are a few like her in the US press corp, but surely none more crass and ignorant.
She also says she accepts the arguement from people more left leaning than herself. Now that would be those born with their left leg half the size of their right one assumes. As JTI says, dripping in sanctimony andd self importance, well in here case swimming in it.
Heh, heh. Come on admit it you staid old farts, she’s threatening. Just can’t quite put your finger on it can you?
She doesn’t have to know squat about politics to know that Trump is a bumptious ignorant sleaze bag.
We’ll see who is running him soon enough.
Wonder how CF got so bitter and twisted. Read some of her stuff on twitter, she is some piece of work. Sigh…
“All of this, of course, is your choice and, in a way, your right”
Is this the “your” you’re talking about Jack? It does make sense as your or you’re.
Should be you’re. I’d hate to think I am being pulled up for comment replies I tap out quickly, PR. There are bound to be spelling and grammatical errors. I’d suggest that is a bit different from an error made in an open letter to the PEOTUS from a journalist’s guild.
Nope wrong. If you don’t know which to use, expand it to full form and it is perfectly clear how it should read, e.g:
.
“All of this, of course, is your choice, and in a way, your right”
.
Or this nonsense:
“All of this, of course, is you are choice, and in a way, you are right”
See how that reads clunky?
‘You’re’ is ‘you are’ with the ‘a’ removed and replaced with the apostrophe.
It’s soooo easy to get, come on people try harder
Sigh
Yes I get all that Wraith/Jack but I thought you could read it as “you’re right” i.e. you are right…..or…… “your right” as in you have the right as an individual to make that decision.
You are right.
Venal in relation to some journalists around the planet may be just the right word Jack. “Your”is definitely a venial sin.
Both work but yes, it should have been venial.
Not venereal?
Keep me out of this UQ!
No worries Jack, I’m sure everyone knew what you meant. I think my brain has a built in detector for possible Freudian slips.
Trump treats the media like blowflies because he’s accustomed to only subservience with no questions. Obviously, his new job will require a very different approach but I can’t see his haughty, higher than thou persona doing a 180 anytime soon..
I feel sorry for US journalists, (The Press Corps) who may just be silent rather than face the wrath of a narccisist likely to sue.
I really like this part of their letter:
“When you or your surrogates say or tweet something that is demonstrably wrong, we will say so, repeatedly. Facts are what we do and we have no obligation to repeat false assertions; the fact that you or someone on your team said them is newsworthy, but so is the fact that they don’t stand up to scrutiny. Both aspects should receive equal weight.”
If only that were true of all the media in this country.
Bella
Trump has said that only journalists ‘approved’ by him may attend briefings/allowed to ask questions…get it?
If that does happen he s=deserves to be condemned for it but he is not the POTUS yes, BM.
http://europe.newsweek.com/donald-trump-press-white-house-press-room-white-house-white-house-daily-544222?rm=eu
I “get it” Bassman, but just as he’s been told to back away from moving the Press to another building, won’t he also be ‘told’ his team cannot simply pick & choose only the Trump biased media reps? Not much of a democracy otherwise.
Bella
No sounds of silence so far Bella.
As for “facts are what we do and we have no obligation to repeat false assertions”, I nearly spilled my cup of medicine. Fact is Bella, the press more often than not create their own false assertions. Trump will attract more than his fair share of them, has already.
“Facts are what we do”. Lol. In which universe princesses? In Oz? Oh my, tearing up…..