Comments on: Why Freedom of Speech is the Last Bastion of Justice http://benk1988.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/why-freedom-of-speech-is-the-last-bastion-of-justice/ Winchester Journalism Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:35:39 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Chris Horrie http://benk1988.wordpress.com/2008/04/05/why-freedom-of-speech-is-the-last-bastion-of-justice/#comment-79 Chris Horrie Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:03:03 +0000 http://benk1988.wordpress.com/?p=35#comment-79 Well, here you are... expressing your opinion. But this is a bit of a rant. I am not sure that the facts are correct and there's a tendency to express opinion (eg if you are non-white you are OK - etc) as fact. Opinion writing is a skill and it needs study, practice and precision - more of a rapier than blunderbuss. There's a danger of this sounding more like a saloon bar oration - or an irate Angry of Tunbridge Wells readers letter. Actually using a figure such as Ghandi as your starting point is a very strong opening, since you then go on to a conclusion which I think Ghandi would reject. This is surprising, and engaging, and shows some skill in the construction of the piece. But then it becomes just a bit as I say of a bar room rant. I think I suggested some reading on rhetoric previously, and also the masters of provocative essay writing such as Mencken and, more recently, (and from a right-wing perspective) P J O'Rourke. I think that in a world where centre-left, social democratic ideas predominate (as 'common sense') amongst educated people then it is very hard to write entertaining. But keep up the radical right-wing work. Maybe another student in our group will take up the cudgels from the radical left and then you can sharped up your rhetorical daggers on the grindstones of each other. Well, here you are… expressing your opinion. But this is a bit of a rant. I am not sure that the facts are correct and there’s a tendency to express opinion (eg if you are non-white you are OK – etc) as fact. Opinion writing is a skill and it needs study, practice and precision – more of a rapier than blunderbuss. There’s a danger of this sounding more like a saloon bar oration – or an irate Angry of Tunbridge Wells readers letter.

Actually using a figure such as Ghandi as your starting point is a very strong opening, since you then go on to a conclusion which I think Ghandi would reject. This is surprising, and engaging, and shows some skill in the construction of the piece. But then it becomes just a bit as I say of a bar room rant.

I think I suggested some reading on rhetoric previously, and also the masters of provocative essay writing such as Mencken and, more recently, (and from a right-wing perspective) P J O’Rourke. I think that in a world where centre-left, social democratic ideas predominate (as ‘common sense’) amongst educated people then it is very hard to write entertaining.

But keep up the radical right-wing work. Maybe another student in our group will take up the cudgels from the radical left and then you can sharped up your rhetorical daggers on the grindstones of each other.

]]>