Opinion: Abuse by the written word

I have been blessed with some level of ability in the use of the written word, writes Brian Byrne. And over several decades I have built on that to be able to make a modest living from the craft.

In the process I have had a lot of opportunity to meet people, find out many interesting things in the course of my work, and have had much fun. And I have learned, I hope, to use with honesty and care the words I am privileged to be able to write and have read.

I have made mistakes as I progressed. Written articles poorly, outlined matters incorrectly, occasionally presented pieces which for some reason or another unjustly hurt people. Where I subsequently became aware of these things, I did my best to correct them. And I hope I learned from every such occasion.

The written word is more than a bunch of characters on a page, in whatever language or through whatever medium. It is how we make ourselves understood to one or many others. It is a key way of communicating thoughts and emotions. It is how we leave our mark, for better or worse. There is a reason why words on a gravestone, even if they only denote our birth, name and death, are important. And some may be lucky enough to leave an epitaph too.

Written or recorded words can give us a beautiful song, a poem of substance, a book or play of great enjoyment. They can uplift lives and warm spirits.

They can also hurt, wound people greviously, be used to disseminate and also hide lies instead of spreading truths. They can lead to political corruption and foment wars. They can in extreme cases fan fear to hate and result in genocide. 

I hate to see words and language debased by abuse of the privileges they offer us. I am especially saddened when I see those with ability in communication use words without a thought for the responsibility they have been given along with that skill.

And I feel for those at the receiving end of dribbled vitriolic sentences and paragraphs. Because they often don't have either the same ability, or access to similarly public ways of defending themselves as do the purveyors of what is often demonic drivel.

I'm not prompted to this piece about the Darren Scully affair. Nor about the Leveson Inquiry into the sins of British journalism. We have issues closer to home.

The advent of Facebook, Twitter and blogging has given many people new platforms from which to spread thoughts, ideas, opinions and even creativity in the written word. But sometimes the responsibility bit gets overlooked by those enjoying this new freedom of expression.

I can understand, and forgive, when hurt is caused by writers through mistake, or even in ignorance. I can not, though, continue to ignore the deliberate skewering of ordinary and good people by a local practitioner of his own form of internet-based voodoo, masquerading as 'fantasy'.

He is intelligent enough to know better. He comes from good family and only gets away with it because those locally whom he sneers at and sometimes defames have too much regard for that family to respond in the courts. By his actions, he disrespects his own people too.

For those at national and international level who get similar treatment from him, it might be that he will even be noticed some day, and a deluge of writs will snowstorm around him.

I didn't want to get into this. I don't like wasting words on inconsequentials. But there is consequence when you do evil. And as somebody who was recently at the receiving end of one of his 'fantasy' pieces said to me, 'if he was going around with a gun shooting at people's cars, at least they'd take the gun off him'.

He 'shot at' somebody else again as recently as Saturday, targeting a person who is known for doing nothing but good across this whole community.

So here's the word, fella. Stop. Here are two more. Grow up. You're old enough to have done so a long time ago.

And here's a final paragraph or two. If you can't do anything good with the skills provided by the God you profess to love so much, cease doing the Devil's work with them instead.

What does it say in the Bible? 'If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.'

Rather than cutting off your fingers, though, it would be better to write an apology to those whom you have employed those digits to so badly offend in recent years.

It isn't fantasy. It isn't funny. And it isn't smart.