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By Michelle Martin (registered) - website | Posted September 25, 2009 at 18:27:37
"Michelle Martin: I seem to have upset you a bit, well, the point I was trying to make is that for those that struggle, that term comes up all the time, as the people have no other word to describe the system they are faced with.
I was a meeting earlier this week, in which someone, who is a very quiet individual, well spoken, who has been recognize for their very good work in our community, used the term to describe the "policies" of the local social agency they were dealing with in trying to access services. "
Grassroots, I'm not upset in the least.
If people have no other words to describe the system they're faced with, how about equipping them with the right words, specific to their particular complaint, and so increase the chances of them being heard and possibly managing to bring about change where change is needed? Tossing extreme and wildly inaccurate labels at politicians, or people who are just trying to do their job, or people on discussion threads who disagree about the best way to manage the city and to assist those with difficulties, damages the credibility of the person who is complaining, and gets them, in turn, dismissed as extreme-- even though they may well not be.
“Conviction without experience makes for harshness. ” Flannery O'Connor
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