Non violence meeting[/caption]Carol Forsloff---Many people don’t understand that unlike the famous line, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me,” is a children’s tale that isn’t true, for words can foster violence and confrontational in ways that can escalate in seriously, especially during arguments about hot button topics, like the potential military intervention in Syria.
Social media is filled with epithets, name-calling and verbal violence. It is also found on comment feeds on news sites around the world, where readers often not thoughtfully but vindictively, foster violence by their words. Their words also have inherent violence, in that they hurt the emotions and the ability of an individual to maintain balance in psychological terms. Research has found that victims of verbal abuse suffer terribly, some for years. It is especially true for adolescents, who are most vulnerable emotionally.
Mainstream media writers by practice and by ethical guidelines do not respond to negative reader comments, even when the facts themselves are a matter of dispute. Although there are cases where a writer may respond, and that is seldom; one does not see the writer at Huffington Post, as an example, use epithets and name-calling to respond to reader comments. It is, however, a pattern on blogs and some citizen journal sites for the writer to do so. That type of writing is part of the problem, according to experts, as anything that increases verbal violence can be a social problem as well as a problem for individuals on a personal level.
In times of conflict verbal violence can escalate. Presently America faces a crisis both of conscience and will, in the possibility of a war with Syria. There are people on many sides of the debate about whether or not America should intervene to end alleged chemical attacks used by the Syrian government against its own people. In the debate, both in the halls of Congress and on Facebook and other social media sites, people are now, and will likely continue to be, shrill and angry as the emotions run high during times of tension. That can escalate feelings and further divide people.
Those in the know about language remind us we need to know how to converse logically, carefully and kindly, and utilize the best discourse with a value-laden orientation and education when we discuss social issues. It is particularly true for hot button topics.
So as the tensions increase in the Middle East, we are told to use caution in our own speech and interactions with each other and most especially in the printed word which is more lasting and therefore presents more risks for everyone.
