I have to admit I was a little bummed out about the rejection from the San Diego U-T’s blog roll. I even considered asking Patty to edit out the objectionable language from the Vietnam piece and asking the U-T to reconsider our blog based on the merit of the blog as a whole. This is difficult to do for one who is brought to knees and tears with visits to the Vietnam Memorial and whose entire graduating Ohio State University medical class in 1967, including a husband, was drafted into the military. That is, all but the seven women -- out of 150 total students. One hundred and forty three young doctors, many of whom served in Vietnam. My marriage was a casualty. I listened to a number of these young doctors returning from Vietnam recount the horrors of war from a perspective different from John’s, but it’s all much the same. I had my own form of survivor guilt from having escaped the draft while my friends and classmates of four years were left no choice.
Heather’s comment about the Lowcountry blogroll gives a perspective, but -- tell me, should an offer be made to the San Diego Union Tribune to edit John?
3 comments:
I guess the question you two need to answer is, what content do YOU want to include in your blog? Because if you want to be free to include powerful posts that happen to contain swear words (or whatever else the SD U-T might consider family un-friendly), then editing John's letter is sort of like pretending to be something you're not in order to get someone to like you. And then, once you're on their blogroll, you'll have to stick to that pretense.
If, on the other hand, John's letter was really an anamoly and you don't intend to post similar content in the future, editing and asking for the paper to reconsider wouldn't be counter to your blog's personality.
I know nothing about blogrolls, but perhaps there are others you could submit to that are less restrictive in their requirements?
Kath, I agree with Sonnjea B - let's find another blogroll in your area. And why don't we send the Union-Tribune a link to Heather's post on the Lowcountry Blogs blogroll? It's just kinda funny to me that a California newspaper is more conservative than a Charleston newspaper on an issue such as this.
Sonnjea B, You answered the question. Thank you. I can compromise on some things, but editing John would be like abandoning another Vietnam vet.
Post a Comment