To Talk Or Not To Talk...

...that is the question.

So, what am i on about now?

Well, i saw something online earlier which got my mind thinking, as some posts are prone to do. Then, whilst in the shower, i pondered the topic more and wondered whether to record an AudioBoo, or a vlog for YouTube.
It was only after formulating in my mind what it was that i wanted to say about the topic, that it struck me that posting anything might not actually be that good an idea after all.
Why?

Well, the topic was one of those that would be bound to divide the opinions of those who read, watched, or listened to it. And although my own take on the topic would have been aimed at trying to see both sides of the "argument", which indeed i can. I know it would only have been a potential recipe for disaster tackling it in the public forum of the Internet.

No matter how carefully you try to put your own point of view across, there are always those who will see it differently.
Now this in itself is not a problem, as people are quite obviously entitled to their own opinion on any topic of conversation. But, we all know that in these days of Internet anonymity and indeed out there in the "real world", there are those who will only see, or hear what they want to hear.
There are also those who have such entrenched opinions, that they can never see any other perfectly valid points of view. I'm sure we've all seen examples of such behaviour as we go about our daily lives.

In some ways i can see an argument of "why does this matter?". After all, i am just a vlogger/blogger with a very limited appeal and reach. Especially when compared to many other media outlets. My audience is hardly going to have those media outlets quaking in their boots is it?

Another point might be, "why does my opinion matter anyway?", or "what gives me the right to start spouting off about anything that i feel like anyway?".
But, why shouldn't i say what i feel? We all have opinions and we now have a way of expressing that opinion to the world, via the Internet.
There are many out there, usually professional media commentators, who would rather that we didn't have the means to vlog and blog at will. But, the genie is now well and truly out of the bottle and there is no turning back now. And, as we've seen already, many new commentators have come from the world of blogging.
The cult of the amateur is amongst us, whether some people like it, or not. I, for one, like it. But, you probably knew that already, didn't you?

But, back to the point of why i decided not to post something in the first place.

I guess that, ultimately, it all comes down to wanting a quiet life?
I have vlogged and blogged about many topics during my time on the Internet, but i have always tried to avoid those really contentious issues and topics.

I have been known to tackle political topics and will continue to do so as the fancy takes me. In fact i recorded a vlog about the potential sale of public forests, only the other day.
But, there are always, in my opinion anyway, topics that should be left well alone and for exactly the reasons that i mentioned earlier. I shall leave those for others to tackle.
Now all you need to do is guess which topics they are.

Another reason for not posting would be that i have seen, through my own Internet experience, what can happen when those contentious topics are talked about. Things can get nasty and hurtful.
People hide behind their anonymity on the Internet and say things that they'd never say to a persons face. Who needs that hassle? I certainly don't.

Yes, i'm a small fish in a very big pond, but we've probably all seen examples of how even the little people can gain worldwide attention. And, it is quite often the case that the one thing that a person gains that attention for, is not the thing that they'd like to be known for.

As my wife has often told me, i seem to have an opinion on anything and everything. But, sometimes, things are just better left unsaid.

Some may view that as cowardice, or even a symptom of the potential loss of free speech?
But, as i said earlier, at least the Internet has given me an avenue to post what i like, when i like. That can only be a good thing.
And, if nothing else, this whole issue did give me the idea for this blog post. A blog post that i'm more than happy to share with the world.