The Words We Use

Monday's L.A. Times published an article by one Eric Bailey about electric vehicle owners trying to keep their vehicles in the face of manufacturer recalls, and the strategies they're using. Why are the manufacturers recalling these zero emission electric vehicles? There wasn't enough market demand. Supposedly. But not according to EV owners, who have formed an underground army to defend their rights to petroleum free transportation.

But Eric Bailey made one tactical error. He called the main character of his article "left-leaning." That got my back up. I fired him an email, airing my objection.

He responded. "What's so bad about calling someone left-leaning?" he asked.

"In this political climate?" I countered. "Do you want to promote or invalidate what these folks are doing?"

"Promote it."

"Well next time, realize that calling him left-leaning is about as useful as calling him a tree-hugger, or a granola freak. You might as well have consigned his cause to Siberia."

"Yeah, I see what you mean. I hope those of us in the press can turn out those Republicans next election."

Eric is now a tortured human being. I am not savoring this. He is going home and overeating. There is a monkey on his back reminding him that he is no good, that he has unwittingly defeated his own purpose. And he tried so hard. How could one little word undo all his efforts.

Now Eric struggles when he sits down at his computer. He doubts his ability. He shudders at the thought of exposing his compositions to public scrutiny. He dreads the thought of reading reader commends. Why does the LA Times have to make its writers so accessible by email anyway?

"If you can't stand the temperature, get out of the soup, young man." His father's words echo in his head. What kind of father would say such a thing to a kid? How is he supposed to respond? He doesn't know and I don't know. What do you do when the monkey gets onto your back and your life is filled with recurring daymare dreams, you don't know if you can ever get it right, mistakes haunt you at every turn, and they actually have consequences? You're a writer, you influence opinion, every word counts. Your words can be as unruly as an overcrowded classroom of adolescents, so you must be diligently vigilent, and not let a single one be disruptive.

Get out of your funk, Eric. You can do this. Fight the good fight. No harm was done.