Week 9 - Punk Rock and the english language
I met with a content creator a few weeks back to discuss the possibility of collaborating on a project together. Throughout the entire meeting, they attempted to convey their concept of refined content to me. They wanted to ensure that all content produced was edited in a manner to speak eloquently about the subject matter, ensuring we come across as the experts sharing information to the masses. At one point in the meeting, I became entirely frustrated and finally gave my opinion.
“I don’t believe in that, whatsoever. I grew up in the punk rock community, so my emotions are worn on my sleeve. If I have something to say, I am going to say it. Additionally, I think editing the content creates a false narrative to the audience. Human interactions are messy, and if one of us is incapable of coming up with a valid counterargument or statement in the moment of discussion, then we are displaying an authentically human interaction. Furthermore, I think it’s crucial to showcase the later moment, where, potentially after ten minutes, one of us says, ‘Let’s take a step back because I was just thinking about x, and what about y?’ having a moment like that demonstrates the ability to actively listen to the other side, digest the information, and construct an original thought. I truly believe that showcasing critical thinking skills is significantly more important than the ability to edit a video for shine and polish.”
Ultimately, I decided not to work with this content creator. Instead, I recognized that I was the one being sought out for my ability to communicate with others, which is why I decided to believe in myself enough to do this entire educational series as a solo series. I can appreciate what they were trying to achieve, a curated message for the masses is a lot easier to build in a world of algorithms. But I see human interaction as a necessity that not all have had a proper skillset developed. It’s that thought that leads me to believe that it is the responsibility of the creator to demonstrate more authenticity if they choose to be a role model in the online world. The youngest generations have been raised with a drip feed of shiny, polished, dopamine-rich content, and content creators everywhere are in a bidding war for the attention span of anyone and everyone. I believe the involved responsibility requires an understanding of your words, your actions, as well as the choice on how you demonstrate both to the audience you are trying to cultivate.
This interaction was in the back of my mind as I went through this week’s reading material, an essay written by George Orwell entitled, “Politics and the English Language.” In this essay, Orwell describes a devolving English language that reflects the intentions of those who wield the words with meaningful intent. I can choose to provide eloquence and an educated stature in the prose of my word flow, creating a poetic ebb and flow with my sentence structure in an attempt to fulfill our lizard brain’s desire to follow the leader. By demonstrating my education, I can make myself to seem more educated than the person I am trying to communicate with, or I can simply say what is on my mind, and allow myself to resonate with the audience more deeply. In reading his essay, my biggest takeaway was, “say less.” If you can use fewer words, than learn to use the correct ones. If you can speak in less syllables, educate yourself in the manner that allows you to do so.
This is why I think this essay is entirely punk rock. Punk rock was always about authenticity and showing your passions. It didn’t matter if it was music, politics, or friendships, but a lack of integrity was never welcome. It was about embracing counter culture and being true to yourself as an independent thinker, regardless of how it came across to others. Speaking less, and allowing your words to have their own weight, is one of the easiest paths I have personally found in connecting with my most authentic self. Regardless of if I am right or wrong, I know how I feel when I speak my initial truth, exactly as I feel it. It may have prevented me from collaborating with people in my field, but it has allowed me to shine as the outlier I have the capacity to become.
