The Swedish journalist Dan Josefsson writes in the article "’Debatt’ ska inte bygga på verbalt underhållningsvåld” or ”Debate shall not be built on verbal warnography” about:
“The knotty problem is how you make as many people as possible interested in watching a [TV-] programme not built on verbal warnography or populist contempt for knowledge and where the guests are treated with respect even if they aren’t communicating with cogent one-liners.”
This triggered other thoughts on a more personal level (as a one that works a lot and thus have limited time polishing my expressions up and am one who studied English a long time ago, but want to express things and share it with friends over the world who aren't Swedish speaking):
Yes, people have the right to express themselves with the language and the words they have - even if it isn’t perfect! Or even if they don't express themselves as well as a Nobel prize winner.
How many people haven’t become silenced when it comes to expressing themselves in both written and spoken words? Maybe in a similar manner as many have become stunted when it comes to music, something I as music teacher and my colleagues have heard many times! Quite ironically.
Something quite horrible especially when it has been shown how important narrating can be!
Maybe people need to become encouraged instead, as I and my colleagues are trying to (I hope) with our students!?
And if you don't get the opportunity to train how can you, or are you supposed to, develop skills in any area, respect?
Is it the belief that you just rise like a Phoenix from the Ashes, from nothing, in a similar way (with the underlying, maybe not conscious belief) as many of us were treated by an impatient parent? With demands on perfection and that the child should manage everything at once? Perfectly and like a grown up (or even better!). Even in cases when the child managed things (way) above average!?
PS. Josefsson also writes about "Black-and-white pictures in the media about the tsunami."
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