• Letter writers should stop relying on cliches • Thank you for help after jellyfish encounter Letter writers should stop relying on cliches Here’s a thought: to promote more civil colloquy on The Garden Island’s opinion page, why not exercise the sort
• Letter writers should stop relying on cliches • Thank you for help after jellyfish encounter
Letter writers should stop relying on cliches
Here’s a thought: to promote more civil colloquy on The Garden Island’s opinion page, why not exercise the sort of editorial control recently recommended by a contributor?
Being barely computer literate myself, I am occasionally befuddled by letters that seem to have been composed using what seems to be a buzzword button that automatically inserts inflammatory political/radical/social etc. terms (e.g. “leftist,” “rightist,” “reactionally,” “feminist,” “racist,” “ultra-liberal,” “sexist,” and so on) into every other sentence. What I find interesting is that, stripped of this language , most of these letters end up sounding quite similar.
Perhaps The Garden Island could promulgate an editorial policy (and/or a buzzword busting button) that would automatically eliminate or substitute innocuous symbols for these terms.
Such a policy and/or program might well encourage more create use of language among contributors. Instead of spewing cliches, they might be forced to pause and think about what they are writing. In the process, they might find more civil and rational ways of expressing their ideas.
If nothing else, the rest of us could have fun trying to decipher the edited texts. Who knows, Buzzword Buster might even become more popular than Sudoku!
H.M. Wyeth, Anahola
Thank you for help after jellyfish encounter
I wanted to write my sincere and total gratitude for some local folks who helped me considerably on Wednesday, July 26, at Polihale State Park. I am a tourist visiting Kauai from Oregon.
While swimming in the beautiful blue ocean on a calm day, I got tangled up in some jellyfish tentacles. I had a pretty severe reaction and ran to find help on the beach. A group under a blue sun shade did everything imaginable to help me even though I was a total stranger to them.
With 100 percent attention, they poured water on me, put salve on my arms, “googled” possible reactions and cures, held my head when I vomited and helped carry me to a car. I did not get any of these good Samaritans’ names so I am not able to thank them personally, which is why I am writing this letter.
If you are one of them reading this or know one of them, please express my extreme gratitude. Thank you for reminding me of the good in people and how self-less people can choose to act in this world.
Jordana Leeb, Portland, Oregon
