Writing Positive

Surprise overtook me when a comment contributor resurrected one of my previous missives from what I thought to be eternal sleep. Not only did they breathe life into it, but did it to such an extent that it remained one of the most read blogs for over a week. The comment writing person wrote from a state of obvious passion. So I will refer to them as Passion.

In a previous writing titled “,” I stated that your passion is one of the things a blogger should write from. I also mentioned that using links is a good idea. And Passion did just that. However, Passion’s entry also demonstrates a few other things about writing that we can look at, analyze and use to improve our writing. In addition I will suggest how negative writing energy can be turned to positive energy.

The saying of, “I don’t care what you say about me, just spell my name correctly,” is attributed to P.T. Barnum as well as others. Email etiquette stresses that you spell names correctly. Dale Carnegie course graduates learn the importance of a name.

The people of Colombia are very touchy about the name of their country being spelled correctly. It seems that many Americans, including Passion, misspell the name of the country. In a discussion with one resident of the South American country about these constant errors by Americans he emphatically told me, “It is inconsiderate and shows ignorance.”

Spelling a person’s name, the name of their town or the name of their country correctly is often more important than getting all the other spelling correct. Be sure to double and triple check spelling in all proper nouns.

In another part of Passion’s writing she wrote, “But, wait, Bogota can't be all that bad, can it? Let's not forget the fact that it is also the number one most dangerous city in THE WORLD.” (Note: the all caps was done by the original writer not me) Then a link is given.

The comment set me back some as nowhere in my writing did I mention anything about Bogota or if it was dangerous or not.  It is important to focus on the subject when writing.

However let’s take a look at a couple things in regards to Passion’s statement and link. According to most writers of Email etiquette writing in all caps is equivalent to yelling at someone. If you wish to emphasize something it is better to put it in bold letters.

 Let’s look at the link that Passion provided to supposedly give credence to her point. Indeed it stated what the author said. However there was no information about how the determination was made nor what research or criteria was used. Even checking the author of the list of dangerous cities came up with a blank other than the fact that this person had written such other pieces as a luxury hotel for dogs, a town in Australia that changed its name, a man shot in a cinema for eating popcorn too loud and other fluff things.

But even then if we could accept web site reference of Passion, she used the 2011 listing. The 2012 listing on the exact same website puts Bogota much farther down the list.

When using reliable data, even putting Bogota in the top 5, 10 or even 50 is incorrect. Let’s take a look at a study done in Mexico by Seguridad, Justice Y Paz (Secruity, Justice and Peace) using data from the United Nations. For those who read Spanish the entire study with methods used can be downloaded here. In using information provided by reliable agencies, the recent study shows that Bogota is not even in the top fifty most dangerous cities in the world. However U.S. cities New Orleans, Detroit, St. Louis, and Baltimore are listed in the top 50.

In my reasons for writing for the Fenton Patch I stated that research is one of the parts of writing. Research should not be just looking until you find something that fits your pre-conceived idea. The writer should demonstrate to the reader that they have engaged in honest research. Anything less brings into question their creditability. Credibility defines a writer. Here is an excellent writing about that from The Bleacher Report Writers Blog.

Domestic abuse is a terrible thing regardless of the country you live in. Having worked for a large counseling agency handling the statistics, I know much about the problem. Passion accuses Colombia of many things known to be absolutely incorrect about the country. A lack of knowledge of the country is shown as well as faulty research. A Colombian woman, who also commented, pointed many of these errors out. We cannot assume that all other countries are like the USA. As an example in the case of Colombia the country has a much different division of wealth than what Americans know. While we are near the top of 160 nations in regards to distribution of wealth, Colombia is the seventh worst in the world. Financial concerns are just one of the factors contributing to abuse. However if you look at comparisons of reliable statistics about domestic abuse in the two countries you will see that there is a give and take on both sides. USA is better in some areas and Colombia is better in other areas.  And many countries are far worse than either the USA or Colombia.

In regards to domestic abuse what becomes a question is what is being done about it. Again for those who read Spanish a Google search will show all the laws, money and actions Colombia is doing to fight the problem. Now, consider this from an Email I received recently from Michigan Congressman, Sander Levin.

 “On Wednesday, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a Republican bill [H.R. 4970] that would roll back protections for domestic violence victims.  Since 1994, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been an essential tool in helping protect victims of domestic and sexual violence.  VAWA has enjoyed broad bipartisan support and has been strengthened on several occasions.  Indeed, on a bipartisan vote of 68 to 31, the Senate recently voted to renew and strengthen the Act.

But the Leadership of the House is pressing forward with its own partisan re-write of the Violence Against Women Act that significantly weakens existing protections for battered women.  The GOP bill would lead to more abuse, not less.  That’s why leading domestic violence groups, national women’s groups, and faith groups oppose the bill.  The House is expected to vote on H.R. 4970 on Wednesday.”

 In my blog about writing for the Fenton Patch I stated that you should write what you know. In this case the person wrote about something they do not know (Colombia) and created much negative energy. Now let’s take a look at how Passion could take her passion, write in an area of her expertise and produce positive energy to help the community. She stated that she has “experience as a counselor for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault,” in the USA. That is an area she knows something about. A few topics this person could write a blog about and which would not only help people but possibly save lives include:

1. Safe houses in the area. How they help victims of domestic abuse. How citizens can help support them with donations.
2. The bill mentioned above, HR 4970. What exactly is it about. How, if it passes, will it affect domestic violence victims? What congress members are voting for it and against it? How can you write to your congressman to voice your opinion?
3. Recognizing domestic violence and securing help for it. What you should do if you suspect someone of domestic violence. What programs are available for abused women?  What numbers can they call for help?

 I am sure there are many more topics on the subject that Passion is one of the more qualified to write about. I highly encourage everyone to make their community stronger by writing for the Fenton Patch. Do it from a position of positive energy and be honest in your research as well as your links.