(Blogger‘s Note: This post was inspired from several comments on a recent post at this site, particularly a comment from fellow WordPress blogger Rich Brown. Due credit also goes to an inspirational post from Copyblogger.)
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Should you stir the pot, just to get blog hits?
The short answer to this question is no.
The longer answer requires a few more keyboard strokes.
THE BACKGROUND
Two days ago, I wrote an objective, news-type post about a visit Jesse Jackson made to my hometown in Jonesboro, AR. Jackson was here to lead a prayer vigil and peaceful march to bring attention to the circumstances of the death of Chavis Carter, who on July 28, committed suicide by gunshot wound in the back of a police car.
Questions regarding how such circumstances could transpire have permeated the local community and added fuel to a growing racial divide.
I wrote this post about Jackson’s visit, and the post itself became nearly as controversial as the original circumstances that prompted it.
The post generated a number of comments, one of which challenged my right to “spread the mess” of the timely and newsworthy topic. And so I responded to the reader’s comment here.
Via social media, I’d been publicly accused of “spreading a mess,” and encouraged to “hush up.”
EVEN JUSTIN WILSON “STIRS UP” DIRTY RICE
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX3Y27LXFYw]I’ve written a number of posts that some might consider Christian genre. I’ve talked about forgiveness, compassion, etc., etc., but…
There are at least four things I will not tolerate:
1. Don’t mess with my wife.
2. Don’t harm a hair on my children’s head.
3. Don’t even think about limiting anyone’s freedom of expression.
4. Don’t hide behind your racial prejudice.
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MY OPINION
Journalists have been “stirring the pot” since the time Galileo declared the world wasn’t flat.
We live in a great country that happens to be in a horrible mess. Never before have we been so divided along the lines of race, religion, life and opportunity. So much of it is, I believe, because we just don’t talk about it and reach across the lines of our discomfort.
So, back to the message. Is it okay to stir the pot just to get attention? No, not for that reason.
It’s okay to stir the pot when you passionately believe in a cause and wish to exercise your God-given right (moreover, your obligation) to take a stand, fulfill your purpose, and make a difference.
A wise man once told me that life’s not wrapped up in a pretty little package. We should be most concerned, he said, when we rest in the comfort and belief that we have things all figured out.
If you passionately believe in a cause, and genuinely want to make a difference, you’re not stirring any pots. You’re pursuing your destiny.
I HOPE THIS IS YOUR TAKEAWAY
The rights we all share to agree to disagree are a magnificent thing. We should never allow our uncomfortable disagreements to bring us to the point where we stop talking altogether.
If you’re standing and writing for the things in which you passionately believe, you’re not stirring any pots.
And we all benefit from the pursuit your higher calling.
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Related articles:
- A Response to the Reader Who Made Me the Angriest I’ve Ever Been (stevenwwatkins.com)
- Jesse Jackson: Jonesboro Man’s Death Shrouded in Mystery (stevenwwatkins.com)
- An Interview with Rev. Jesse Jackson (stevenwwatkins.com)
You are now one of my favorite bloggers. Unique blog. Great content. Love your style. I’ll be looking forward to your posts.
Well, thanks. I promise I’m VERY easygoing. Someone just happened to push my hot button at a really bad moment and I hit him back hard. Not the most Christian thing to do … but supression of expression buried in racist attitudes infuriates me. Thanks for reading. PS: I have really been thinking about working to put a group of bloggers together on one site to collaborate and do some “movement” type things. Tuck that away in your brain and give it some thought. You’d be one of my top choices, along with a couple of others.
…and at the same time, collaborate to help build one another’s platforms as authors….
Thank you. I am honored that you’d consider me and I’d certainly be open to something like that.
I like the number 3. Let’s think about a third blogger who writes well and is sort of like-minded, preferably an author as well. Think about a couple of nominations, and I’ll do the same, and maybe we can chat a bit by email on Monday. In the meantime, I’ll think about an outline for how it all might possibly work, then we could modify until it’s something we could all support. I’ve wanted to do something like this for a long time. I think the collaboration could be meaningful in a lot of ways. Have a great weekend. PS: My wife’s best friend is a HUGE Saints fan.