I’ve always had a fascination with words and language. You can always get a good idea of who a person is or what they’re about by simply listening to what they say and how they say it. Do they stumble over their own thoughts or repeat the same things over and over in a slightly different way? Do they look you in the eyes when they speak? Do they use words that don’t necessarily fit into the conversation? Are they genuine? Language is constantly evolving, often in both good and bad ways. The way we receive it changes as well. We’ve gone from stories passed down by tribal historians, to the printed word, to the digital age. But the basics are still the same and it is our way of passing on information from one person to another. The way we speak often defines us.
Words are weapons. A simple change in inflection can take a compliment and turn it into an insult. Social media has caused people to stop thinking about what they say before they say it. There are no consequences for verbally attacking another person on these platforms, so people say whatever they feel like saying. Maybe it’s a derogatory or sexist remark towards an actor or actress, telling them to “show their tits” or “just shut up and do their job.” Completely forgetting that these are real people that owe us nothing. Maybe it’s the person at the gas station that speaks a little too loudly about their dislike of a specific religion or ethnicity. These are often the same people that claim they have a first amendment right to spew their venom without realizing that it doesn’t mean others have to or even want to listen to it. They don’t want healthy debate or conversation. They want to fight. They want to make themselves into a victim. Maybe, it’s someone/something like Alex Jones. A loudmouth that wants nothing more than to throw lies out to his hungry followers and make the world a little bit worse because of it. The kind of senseless and baseless lies that anyone with a 6th grade education and access to Google could refute with a few minutes of effort. The louder someone screams and carries on, the less likely it is that their words are worth your time.
But people still listen to him. Why? Because despite having a world of information at our fingertips, some people would rather believe a lie. Lies are easy to swallow. The truth is often ugly and shows us a part of ourselves that we would much rather pretend doesn’t exist. We don’t want to admit that America has history steeped in racism or sexism or xenophobia. So we let people like Jones and Limbaugh and Trump tell us that we should be afraid. It’s never OUR fault. We don’t need to look at our own values. We need to push anyone that’s different away. Lock the doors and draw the curtains tight. Because they’re coming for us. But they aren’t. The people we should’ve been afraid of have been here the whole time. They whispered their hatred to us through the airwaves and now they’ve stopped whispering altogether. Now, they scream. They have legions of angry followers.
I’d love to tell you that we can stop them all, but we can’t. When the heads are removed from the snakes, more heads will rise up in their place. Most people prefer to be led as opposed to walking on their own. Blazing your own path is scary and it’s a lot of work. There are always going to be these kinds of people out there. But you can push back against them. Look things up, take the time to make sure you’re informed. That way when someone screams that the sky is falling you’ll know that it’s just the rain. There are just as many news sites and podcasts and YouTube channels dedicated to exposing these lies as there are ones that put the lies out there. Find them and show them to others. Encourage them to do the same. Never stop pushing for the truth. Even if it’s ugly. A beautiful lie will never be as good as an ugly truth.
I started this blog because I love to write and I wanted to use that love to help the people around me that needed a voice of reason. When I called it “The Voice in Between”, it was because I might have been the only one. I’m not the only one anymore, and neither are any of you. You’re all voices in between. Every single one of you has the power to be the change you want to see in the world. Your voice is your greatest weapon. Whether that voice is spoken or written down. Don’t be afraid to stand up, or kneel, or sit, or whatever way you choose to have your voice heard. I believe in you and we can’t do it without you.
The Voice In Between 