Too Gossip or Not to Gossip
admin May 19th, 2008
Well these last few weeks have been interesting as more and more people log onto Strewth http://strewth.wordpress.com/ for their daily update on mainly Council focussed issues. What do I think of Strewth I am frequently asked. Firstly I absolutely love the net. Being a Librarian and a person with what other people have kindly described as ‘an enquiring mind’ (although the term ‘nosey’ has also been used,) I enjoy the ability to find out stuff from anywhere and everywhere at the click of a mouse. I love being able to chat in real time to my kids when they are overseas. I love the ability to communicate with friends and strangers. Yes I even like email.
I have always understood that information found on the net may not be true. This is also very true of books and newspapers. A book contains information written by someone and the information contained within the pages of a book is only a record of what a particular author believes or wants to tell us! I can remember being quite young at school and suddenly realising that what was written between the covers of my school text may not necessarily be true. Newspapers are a business venture and depend on advertising to make a profit. The information found in a newspaper is influenced by the forces of the mighty dollar and is also always a journalists or reporters interpretation of an interview or an event. There is much excellent reporting and wonderful articles reproduced in newspapers but there is also inaccuracy and misquoting and manipulation of the truth. I have personally experienced that. Even words in ‘quotation marks’ having been reportedly spoken by myself at a Council meeting have been wrong. I know this because I checked the Council minutes which come directly from the audio tape of our meetings. Television simply uses the tricks of the editing process to alter comments and this can produce an inaccurate version of events.
So where do we find the truth these days? Here on my site I write my own stuff! Warts and all and typos included. I tell anyone who wants to listen to my version of events and my opinions etc. If anyone wants to contact me directly they can and I will be more direct when corresponding one on one. The rules of defamation and Council confidentiality stay at the front of my mind and I attempt to always stay within the bounds of decency. I tell the truth but it is you, the reader, who has to decide if what I say is true!
Strewth is different because the people that write and comment are anonymous. Many people say this is a gutless way to communicate. I agree to a point. When I worked for the State Govt a condition of my employment was that I could not speak to the media. When one is employed it is very difficult to be critical of that employer and retain ones job! At the end of the day a mortgage and a family to feed lays heavily on ones mind! So what do you do when you see injustice around you? Society is quick to condemn and whistle blower protection is not for all!
So maybe the fact that on Strewth anyone can say whatever they like and hide behind anonymity is an outlet for expression that has value. I personally worry that if I comment on strewth I am either encouraging ‘gossip’ or will be criticised for participating in a ‘disgusting hurtful gossip’ column. But it disturbs me when I can see people writing stuff that I know to be incorrect and I want to ‘give my opinion’ on certain matters. So I leave it to you. Feel free to let me know what you think.
For now I will take a line of least resistance and post my own thoughts here. Yes a blog is a free for all but I don’t like publicly made accusations remaining unanswered so from time to time you will see me comment directly on strewth.
I nominated for Council because I feared that the future of my city was in the hands of people who were very pro development. I also decided I had skills that were useful and that I could possibly ‘make a difference’. I detest lies and untruths but I love a chat and always try to find out the ‘truth of the matter’. If someone talks to me my first instinct is always to believe them. If however I find they have misled me I will never ever trust them again! I will maintain a professional working respectful relationship with such people but trust will be lacking ever after. Time and life experience means that I trust my judgments and feel confident that I get it right more often than I get it wrong!
If you care to read a bit more there is information further below this letter that will give you an insight to my thoughts about WBW, the Planning Scheme and our CEO! If you want my opinion on other issues and concerns or you wish me to raise issues within Council please don’t hesitate to contact me directly. I will respond to anonymous contact also!
Cheers, Sue
And lastly I think this may make you smile…
Engineers Patrick and Seamus ( Dublin mechanical engineers) were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up. A woman walked by and asked what they were doing. We’re supposed to find the height of the flagpole,” said Patrick “but we don’t have a ladder.” The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a few bolts, and laid the pole down. Then she took a tape measure from her pocket, took a measurement, announced, “5 metres,” and walked away. Seamus shook his head and laughed. “Ain’t that just like a blonde! We ask for the height and she gives us the length!”
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