Petals on a Tear-Stained Doily

“’Once we’ve allowed ourselves the luxury of many voices in our writing, we just might find it tolerable… to accept the many voices in a joint collaborative text, even if these voices seem conflicting, confusing, or chaotic at first’ (Batson)” (112).

Early composition was done entirely without writing utensils, relying solely on the composition of the mind. In order to spread your stories, thoughts, or opinions, you had to have a conversation with another person. Messages were constructed and passed on through word of mouth alone. As a result, writing became an intensely communal activity.

“’We are one’” (95).

 Modern technologies allow for increased collaboration, discussion, opinion-sharing, and most importantly, the expression of one’s voice.

In America, the ability to share one’s thoughts and opinions pre-dates social media and other forms of online communication. The most primitive example of expressing ones’ voice in America is through voting.

democracy, n.

2. “the whole body of citizens of a country, regarded as the source of political power; the people”

This election afforded every American over the age of 18 to have a voice, and to express that voice by casting a ballot.

However, throughout history, not everyone has had the ability to contribute their thoughts, or their voice, equally.

Timeline: In 1776, only white males who owned land had the right to vote. Women and Native Americans were afforded the right to vote in 1920. African Americans in the 1960s, and Latinos in the 1970s.

“voices that must have been spoken but that didn’t find a place in those essays. Like women’s voices” (94).

 In the case of this election, perhaps the unheard voices are represented by the 60,981,118 votes that were cast for Hillary Clinton, or the other fractions cast for third-party candidates, that were not “heard” or not expressed through the final outcome of victory. Perhaps the chief example of a woman’s voice that was not “heard,” is the voice of Hillary Clinton herself. 

But the same system that allows for our participation, our collaboration, and our one opportunity to cast our vote and have a part in selecting the leader of our country has led to a “divided nation.”

ABC News, “Nation Divided as Protestors Take to the Streets in Several Major Cities”

Chicago Tribune, “Anti-Trump protestors march for 5^th day downtown”

Fox News, “Massive anti-Trump protests planned for Inauguration Day, police on alert”

Among countless other news stories…

“The concept of group solidarity is much stranger in Western cultures than it is elsewhere” (95).

Believe me, I loved you all.

Believe me, I knew you, though faintly, and I loved, I loved you

All.

“But those in academe are resisted within and without by the deep influence of the myth of the individual. Clearly, in the West, whole socioeconomic systems are built on premises of individual property, accountability, and reward” (97).

"It has not been easy for me, it has not been easy for me. And you know I started off in Brooklyn, my father gave me a small loan of a million dollars."

Believe that even in my deliberateness I was not deliberate.

Over time, composition shifted from pure oral communication to include written communication. An intensely individualized activity, writing with pen/pencil and paper shifted the way that ideas could be shared and communicated. Even more recently, digital technologies, chiefly personal social media outlets, have allowed people greater access to join and contribute their thoughts to a global conversation.

You can get your word out to many many more people, but you also have to see a lot more opinions and comments that you don’t want to see. On social media, I have to see all the negativity that I didn’t have to see before.

It’s a great form of communication. Now, do I say I’ll give it up entirely and throw out, that’s a tremendous form-- I pick up-- I’m picking up now, I think I picked up yesterday 100,000 people. I’m not saying I love it, but it does get the word out… I have a method of fighting back. That’s very tough—

There should be a screening process to get on any type of social media

Many people in the world still live in a primary orality culture. They do not have pencils and pens. They do not have access to word processing. And they most certainly don’t have access to social media outlets to communicate their thoughts, feelings, and opinions.

People in the U.S. sent 1 billion Tweets about the election since the primary debates began in August of last year.

(Note that Clinton’s “delete your account” Tweet was the most Retweeted Tweet of the entire election.)

And many more don’t have the ability to express their voices because they are not allowed to vote…

privilege

“A right, advantage, or immunity granted to or enjoyed by an individual, corporation of individuals, etc., beyond the usual rights or advantages of others”

According to the United States Election Project, nearly half of eligible voters (46.9 percent of approximately 231,556,622 people) did not vote in the 2016 election.

“The coherence here is performative” (101).

Though why should I whine,

Whine that the crime was other than mine? –

The way that people express their voices through social media is sometimes different from the way they express their voices in real collective, collaborative action. To refrain from participating is to take your voice away from yourself.  

Is faulty: oh, what shall I say, how is the truth to be said?

“’The work of art has always been to demonstrate and celebrate the interconnectedness: not to make everything “one” but to make the “many” authentic’ Snyder (90)” (113).

In the 21^st century, writing has returned to being a communal activity because it connects people from various demographics and locations through technology and social media. But writing in the 21^st century relies on people being active contributors to society. Writing is having a voice. Writing is participating.