Tone. It’s something that’s hard to set in a written piece. There’s no “der-dun / der-dun / dun-dun-dun-dun-dun dun-dun-dun” music to tell you the shark’s coming, or laugh-track to say that something’s intended as humorous. The tone of an article with topical content is generally implied by the reader. If you agree with it, then it’s good, if you don’t, it’s bad.
As the comments continue to roll in on yesterday’s opinion piece about welcoming Fort McMurray evacuees during a time of COVID, it’s clear that the intent of the piece wasn’t clear to many readers. And since I’ve been told many times since yesterday that many people might not read all of an article before creating their own opinion (I’m sure many of you have already looked at all the lines that follow, and thought the same things )— I shall formally apologize here.
Confusion about any part of the opinion piece’s intent falls squarely on the writer. I am sorry.
For those willing to read further and see the thought process behind the opinion piece — it was to take something serious, put a bit of a smile to it, use some local references and finish with a warm wrap up about us all working together. That was the intent.
Comments I’ve since received about perceived racist tones and offering an unwelcoming narrative to some very needy temporary newcomers are fair comment made by people who didn’t see the intent of the writer.
And again that is the writer’s fault. My fault.
Perhaps it got a little ‘curly’ in places, with the writer trying to infuse some wit, self-deprecating references, humour and sarcasm into a piece that many simply assumed would be a “Welcome to our community” fluffy piece. As stated at the top, it’s tough enough to create intended tone in a written piece. Sarcasm and satire? Tougher still. Today's 'quick-type' vocabulary doesn't help in this case either. In email messages, texts and PMs, the 'lol' or smiley face can be used to portray mood... in the more structured world we try to hold onto as writers, we steer away from those kinds of displays. Perhaps the worlds should merge more.
A further difficulty was using something I had thought was more common knowledge, which now appears was more of an inside joke between our community’s mayor and only a few others… I’m speaking of the reference to Coronavirus “goofing” with the hairstyles of Lebanese men. Yes, it is a strange reference if you aren’t privvy the regular jokes made by Mayor Omer Moghrabi about his fast-growing afro because barber shops are closed. This wasn’t about singling out people or culture, it was going along with a hair concern that a prominent local figure often laughs about. I do apologize to those who took offense to the inside joke — again, that was truly not the intent.
In a nutshell, the welcome letter opinion was simply a non-typical way to tell the Fort McMurray evacuees that we welcome them … despite the challenges put on all of us by COVID.
Nowhere in the opinion does it say we don’t want to help the evacuees. That was never even thought of. It was only implied by some who read the piece. Who would publish an article in a community newspaper saying we don’t want to help others? Please think on that.
If this explanation isn’t enough, then I respectfully believe your mind has already been made based on a tone and belief that you aren’t willing to change. And that’s an opinion you have every right to hold as well. To those who responded to the article, no matter what your comments — good, bad or indifferent — thank you. Feedback on what we do is always welcomed.
The original article remains on this Facebook page and on the POST's webpage. It's not left to flaunt what is right or wrong, it's to preserve the comments. If the Facebook item is deleted, the comments are deleted with it. That isn't fair to those who want to have their opinions shown.
