Saturday, May 25, 2013

Article for everybody, somebody or nobody

There are two types of opinions; ones acceptable for anyone and ones not.

Some examples of the former are below: Peace! Be sincere! Get rid of discrimination! Make the world for happiness of all of us!
These are correct without exception. And it is so valueless.

In Japan, we often say to others “Ganbare!”, that means “make efforts”. I hear foreigners hardly understand this word. Can asking for an endeavor help you solve the problem in front of you? In an ironic saying, “Ganbare” means only “I have no idea!”.

There are innumerous people and their own opinions. The opinions acceptable for anyone are valueless, or at least include some critical invisible limitation.

Some politicians make errors about this, as I wrote. Reduce taxes, improve welfare, economic growth: it is no doubt that they are all important. However, to accomplish all of them is an illusion.

On the other hand, some opinions are hardly acceptable for some people. Discussion and decision making is needed. Strengthen a restriction, increase taxes, cost cutting, restructure, and so on. Every opinion worth to consider is opposed by some people. If your claim was severely criticized, you should be proud, for you made a controvertible opinion.

This story continues. In an article, besides an opinion, the third type exists.
The articles which are comfortable for everyone will inform you nothing. The article including a strong opinion will demand you to decide your attitude, to support or against it.
And the third type of articles has multiple points of view. The stance of the author is not clarified in some cases. Therefore, you will not able to either support or opposite it. Nobody can support this article completely. The purpose of this kind of articles is to make you think deeply.

Today, I met one example of this kind of article. It is an opinion paper (in Japanese) about so called “comfort women” through an interview with Mr. Yasuaki Ohnuma, a jurist. The author is Ms. Shoko Egawa, a journalist. I do not agree with her opinion completely. Nevertheless, her manuscript lets me consider from various angle about this issue. It was an excellent paper.

You can write all of the three types of articles if you wish.
The articles for everyone have no value, but are suitable for some situation; an entry sheet, an introduction, or a homepage of yours.
The articles for somebody are the expression of your own opinion. You should be prepared for criticism.
And the article for nobody will be able to lead some discussion or movement. This kind of articles is also valuable as a resource of archive.

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