News,
Views and the Truth
By Volodymyr Kish
I would like to start off by
saying that I really get a kick out of writing this column. Every week, I have the grand opportunity to
rant and rave, to pontificate, to inform, to debate, to poke fun at, to
question, to philosophize and sometimes lay bare my soul to you, my loyal readers,
as well as anyone else who may chance upon my weekly 750 or so words of
“wisdom”.
I am of course, grateful for all
of you who have expressed thanks or appreciation for my humble
efforts. I should note that there are
also folks out there that are somewhat less complimentary, and in fact a few
who consider my writings and opinions to be heretical, vain, uninformed,
divisive, xenophobic, communist and a few other choice adjectives, some of
which are not publishable in a respectable newspaper. One such “critic” got into the habit of leaving
vitriolic, epithet laden voice mails on my home phone with such frequency that
I had to threaten to call the police and have said critic charged with
harassment.
I guess when one becomes a public figure and presumes to offer
opinions, one should assume that there will be folks who will take issue with
those opinions. That is all well and
good, as that is the essential purpose of a column such as mine – to stimulate
reflection and debate on issues of importance.
I relish feedback and am pleased to get it, even when it is critical of
my point of view. In fact, I
particularly appreciate a dissenting or contrary opinion. That type of dialectic dialogue can be a
healthy and constructive process.
What I do not appreciate is when the criticism is not of the ideas
or the issues but is ad hominem, i.e.
attacks on the integrity, character, intelligence or motives of the author. If
you do not like what I have written, well then by all means offer a rebuttal.
Present a reasoned and supported contrary view.
The newspaper welcomes letters to the editor, and providing that it is
not slanderous or defamatory, it will be published.
The other thing I often encounter that I find objectionable is
people putting words in my mouth or drawing unwarranted conclusions. A good example of this happened some months
ago when I wrote an editorial criticizing the actions of the Ukrainian Orthodox
Church of Canada for its actions during the visit of Patriarch Filaret. One upset reader condemned me saying that as
a Catholic I had no business voicing anti-Orthodox views, and should in effect
mind my own business. The problem is
that I am Orthodox and not Catholic as the reader mistakenly assumed. Ironically, recently I was accused of being
anti-Catholic after writing an article that referred to the unfortunate split
of the original
The fact that I may criticize a specific act, opinion or policy of
a certain person or organization does not imply that I am categorically against
everything that person or organization may espouse. Infallibility exists only
in theoretical utopias and not on this flawed Earth of ours. Unfortunately, within the Ukrainian community
there are still some folks who hold on to some rather inflexible notions that
if I disagree with you on something, I must be your enemy. This type of all or nothing mentality is
neither constructive nor healthy to a diverse society.
I do not claim to be the arbiter of what is truth, nor do I hold a
monopoly of knowledge on what is right and what is wrong. What I do offer is my opinions and views
garnered from a lifetime of experience and learning, particularly within the
Ukrainian community that is my base.
Undoubtedly they reflect my personal biases, values, beliefs and
preferences. Fortunately, I have found
that they also strike a chord with a lot of other Ukrainian Canadians of my
generation, so I am fairly confident that I am not some crank or kook with
eccentric views.
I will of course continue to offer you my views and opinions in
this column and you are free to agree or disagree with them, either privately
or within the pages of this newspaper.
All I ask for is for a reasoned and civilized dialogue.