Like, you know?

Taylor Mali - possibly a new hero? You gotta respect a guy who speaks with such open conviction against something as simple as the dumbing down of every day speech. That's not to say I think I'm articulate...far from it. I've said time and again that I'm not the world's best when it comes to speaking...especially publicly.

But turn on any daytime (or late night, for that matter) talk show programme such as Leno, Letterman, etc., and you'll see exactly what Taylor is talking about. People who have causes but...you're not exactly sure how much they believe in the cause. These 'Hollywood types' should use their status as role models to make the world a better place...but so often you hear someone working for a charity and it almost sounds like they've picked one out of a hat to support...rather than actually believing in why they're doing it.

And it doesn't stop at the celebs and charities, either. Anymore, celebs are aligning themselves with one political party or another...George Clooney comes to mind...and doing all they can to use their celebrity status to help to promote a party leader into a new position, get legislation approved, etc.

But it isn't just celebrities Taylor is talking about...in fact he's probably not talking about celebs at all. We're all guilty...I'm the first to admit that. Politics, religion, abortion...these are but three of several topics famous for never being brought up in pubs or bars. Why? Because in the past, men and women would stand by their beliefs and opinions so strongly and with such conviction they became mule-headed. They wouldn't want to listen to the other side's opinion because it contradicted their own...and let's face it, the alcohol certainly didn't help matters...the conversation/debate would become so heated that it almost inevitably ended in coming to blows. Fist fights based on who should vote for whom and why...was it sane? Hell no! But at least you can say for the participants that they believed in what they were saying. They believed in it enough to fight for it. Now days, far too often people are afraid to believe in what they do...or at least afraid to say that they believe in what they do for fear of rebuke.

It is not, I believe, the intent of Mr. Mali to say that you've got to go out thumping your chest and bellowing your beliefs to the neighbors, passersby and anyone else who will listen to your rants whether or not they have the desire to do so. All he means is if you have an opinion...if you have a belief...and you truly believe in it, and you know what you're talking about, you shouldn't be afraid to say so. Likewise, if you don't know, don't have an opinion or are ignorant about the facts, don't be afraid to open your mouth and say, "I really don't know. I've not studied the topic." From there, you can give your opinion based on the facts presented to you...without fear of looking like someone who claims to know more than they actually do because you've already spoken to that caveat.

We're a civilised society...and we shouldn't need to let things get physically or verbally violent based on our beliefs (or lack thereof). But we can certainly share or beliefs and should be able to do so without fear of rebuke...if the time and place are appropriate to do so.

Kudos to this poet. I'll be looking for more of Mr. Mali.