My Views on Views
It wouldn’t take much investigation of this blog or my online presence in general to determine my overall political and social leanings. I neither keep my views a secret, nor maintain a specific platform for exploring my political views in depth. I say things about issues when I feel moved to do so, but not all that I could say.
As a writer who aspires to get published by someone else, or aspires to sell many copies of self-published material, I’ve often heard it advised that I never express such opinions. That unless I intend to run for political office or establish a career as a political blogger, I should keep my opinions on such things totally under wraps. People don’t want to follow someone on Twitter that expresses political views all the time, unless they are political themselves, some have suggested.
That may or not be true to some extent. It may or may not be a bigger worry of mine if getting more Twitter followers were a higher priority for me. I’d like more, but if they don’t come, they don’t come. Something tells me the flow of followers would not change greatly depending on how often I expressed views on current events.
Still, I understand the advise somewhat. Though I should be open minded enough, for example, to read and enjoy the well-written novels of someone that is an arch-Conservative, the truth is I find that to be a strike against the work. Yes, in many ways it’s unfair. But as with any endeavor in life, we tend not to want to associate or socialize with people who hold views that are offensive to us. Not all Conservatives offend me, though more do as time goes on. But to a large extent one’s fiction is a personal thing, springing forth from within oneself, reading the fiction of someone I would personally detest is difficult.
The same with the music of singers or the acting of actors. There just seems to be less difficulty enjoying the artistic work of those whose political views are unknown at least, or closer to my own at the most.
When I take this into account, I would want people to read my fiction and come see my plays regardless of my opinions. Is it not easier for them to do so if they don’t know what my opinions are?
On the other hand, to not mention what I think of issues that are important to me-that is to say to not speak out against something in the political or social climate that has made me angry would be to censor myself in a way, would it not? Am I not casting off, or pretending that a large part of my consciousness is not there, out of the hope that it will not prevent people from liking my creations? That seems obscene.
Don’t get me wrong, I can use tact and diplomacy. I don’t need to talk about a political issue all of the time, as this blog oft hath shown. I tweet about other things as well. Just as I wouldn’t engage in political wrangling at someone’s house when I was a guest, or at other inappropriate times. I’m not uncouth, after all. But on my “platform” online, I feel the need to sometimes at least make it clear who I am and for what I will and will not stand…even if that doesn’t mean making speeches all of the time.
Maybe others are more open minded about art than I am. Maybe most people don’t care about the political leanings of the writers they read, or the actors they watch.
Maybe even I am not that way myself; how many examples of not liking performances or novels created by arch-Conservatives can I actually present? I still enjoyed the movies based on the very recently departed Tom Clancy, even though I am disgusted by most of what he stood for as a man. But I haven’t exactly lined up to buy any of Newt Gingrich’s novels either…
Plus there is the never ending mystery within my mind of how I have Conservative friends. How I and they are close despite the huge moral differences. If I can be friends with them, can I not enjoy their novels? Perhaps so, but I am uncertain.
So I don’t know. I can only say I will sometimes mention online, as I would in person, what my beliefs about an important subject are, at least so people know with whom they are dealing. Only they can decide if afterward I have shown too much to make my fiction or my performances enjoyable.
- Posted in: Miscellany ♦ Personal Success
Ty Unglebower 
Ran across your last Sept entry in Unveiled, Skipped on but came back to it several times. Finally I decided to write a little quip that i hear sometimes. Still the “thought” simply would not pass. I worried about you and the thought, yes the honesty not often presented on the net. I decided to take a second and read your online presence; and discovered you were a fatherless lad. I had already been thinking of offering some of my life to you by way of mentoring. I am a man of prayer, and so necessarily the by product would be that you would also become a man of prayer. I do not know how long that we both would care to travel along this path, but as it is all online, it would be easy for either of us to conclude. I do not worry about my self but you would have to critically observe my suggestions and try the “shirt” on for size. As you grow in your own competence, I will try to stay a couple of sizes too large so you have room to grow and room to breath. I do not really care what you become as that is the province of one higher than I; but; tools I can share and your use or discard as you see fit. I promise only that if I earn your trust, you will get on an elevator and rise several floors in you knowledge and skill as a man.
My techniques are almost exclusively from the scriptures directly or inferred; and you must remain free to question everything, text everything and in the end be responsible to your self or to God for the conclusions or the results. For me the reward is in the process.
Physically I have the universal blood type and have successfully fit in with any Main line Faith Group. I will explain that scenario at a later time if you are interested. My life scripture is @ Cor 5:19, How Jesus reconciled the world to himself (by) not imputing their tress passes against them, I can expand on that at another time as well.
My thoughts and techniques are simple, and easy to do, and will take you to a point that your truthful observation I hope will never be that your Worship/Prayer life will not be luke-warm; but will be hot as fire! Am including my email for additional clarification.
I would like to learn of your gifts as you understand them to be, and your occupation, means of support, any church/fellowship attendance and some of your favorite things. I do not need you last name. If you call yourself TY that is fine for me.
I sincerely hope to yield help and encouragement, to you as a writer, thinker, man of God, and lastly of course,, a man of prayer.
Because I already know that I am a man, and subject to errors, omissions, misunderstandings and worse at times; I will apologize to you for my human-ness ahead f time, and ask you to forgive me for any hurt that is precipitated by my thoughts, or words. I desire and intent is not to hurt, although if a guy has a broken bone hurt may be necessary to reset, and splint into a place of ultimate healing and restoration. I am not afraid of this kind of hurt, as all would quickly see that situations are better as the result of the minor pain of changing the course. All growth requires stress, (change as well,) so I promise to make even that as understandable as possible. I hope you would be able to provide feedback as to the nature of the stress; as I may have forgotten something that is so normal to me, it did not occur to me that it was not generally known. . So…If this sounds like something your would want to participate in… let me know.
I will admit I am not sure if a real person wrote this last comment or not. It was borderline person/bot so I put it up. In which case, I will say, no thank you for your offer, but thank you for reading.