One more thing occurred to me. If in fact you were allowed to write about Islam, hypothetically speaking, do you think it would HELP, or IMPROVE things between our cultures and foster understanding, bonds and good relations? If you cannot answer this question, I understand, but it just came into my mind as to whether or not the exchange of information would be beneficial and essentially life changing between our cultures or if it would make do difference or make it worse. You see how intrigues I, and so many millions of us are but don’t know a thing about? We probably just hear lies. We don’t know the truth.

Many writers have suffered in various ways – Salman Rushdie lived in somewhat of an exile for years with a Fatma on his head after he wrote
“The Satanic Verses” but he’s alive today. Other writers have gone to jail for not revealing sources. In the time of our crazy American Senator Joe McCarthy’s obsession with possible Communism in the USA, for some reason he went after writers, specifically in Hollywood and these writers were considered “blacklisted” if they didn’t “name names” and many didn’t do so, hence the blacklisting. The fact that some still worked under pseudonyms went under the radar, and that some actors fought to get the writers screen credit for their work shows that in general, everyone here believes in our First Amendment right to say/write what we want. You speak of the consequences of writing against Islam, which indeed are severe and I truly regret those consequences for you, as religion should not cross into the creative arts because one is a fundamental way of belief, being, living (religion) and the other is an expression of oneself artistically (writing) and the fact that Islam cannot see these two things separately is indeed sad. What is the worry of Islam being written about? I am Catholic and after being thrown out of churches in Rome because although dressed fine enough for church here, I was not considered well dressed enough to simply SIT in church there, I was not there for services. First thing I did? Found an internet cafe and wrote scathingly about Catholocism and how horrible they made me feel, that as a practicing, faithful Catholic they made me feel a disgrace in Rome? Yes, I wrote ALL ABOUT IT. A lot of people have things to say about Catholocism these days – talk about molestation?? Welcome to our world. That the church hid child molesters for years but I could not sit in an empty church for quiet time? DISGUSTING.

I think the more taboo it is, the MORE it must be written about because how else is the world going to know about horrible things that happen or if injustice is done. Yes it is risky. Journalist sometimes lose their lives but they are after TRUTHS. Even writers constructing a work of fiction wants an accurate story. I am sure you might have much to say about Islam and I for one, would love to hear about it because my curiousity of the culture and religion is so thirsty, yet I cannot ask anyone and no one can tell me. We can and do talk about molestation, murder, other abuse, the *N word is used so often by African Americans it makes me shudder but for them, it’s OK. I do hear white rappers use the word too though, in their raps and so in the music, another expressive art like writing, the word suddenly becomes tolerable in its content. The PCness is all around as another person commented. It’s rather scattered PCness at that too. Heck if I go to the Deep South of the USA, there are parts I would not be welcome in because I am a “Yankee” a term left over from our Civil War over 160 years ago. The South has not forgotten it. Other southerners are loaded with hospitality, some, with loathesome reproach. I can write about it.

My own University is big in Basketball. For over a hundred years our team was called the RED MEN until the President of the School, a Priest, decided that that term was derogatory towards Native Americans. Our new name is Red Storm. I still wear a Red Men shirt when I go to games. No other sports teams in all of sports changed their names; Atlanta Braves, with their chop chop Tomahawks they use at games; the Cleveland Indians, the Florida Seminoles, Washington Redskins, I could go on & on. Writing is sometimes going to have to be just saying what you have to say – do we want to deliberately hurt, disenfranchise or alienate people? NO. But in writing, it has been shown to us in the past and present that it can and does, often have adverse affects on the writer and the audience.

So I believe it requires a bit of fearlessness and boldness to be willing to venture into some territory where it could indeed very challenging to write about. We can and should do this. If everything was easy to do or without consequence, there are a lot of things we would have never learned were it not for the boldness of writers who completely went for it in their storytelling with complete honesty. Some of the classics are filled with “taboo” topics and hence got themselves on “banned booklists” in schools once upon a time. I think the rationalizing of all this lies in the content of what one wants to write about, what period one is writing about and how truly honest that writer is willing to be.

There are so many things in this world that are displeasing/hateful/troublesome etc. But therein lies tremendous curiousity and a need to know why some of these things happen and who are these people that do these things, their victims, the consequences etc. If we keep this bottled up – stagnation occurs and so does human emotional/spiritual/physcial progress. Writers can be a bridge to so many things; to be stopped in one’s tracks for fear of disseminating information that might be potentially valuable to someone in need, in distress, confused, alienated etc., well what service are we doing them by censoring ourselves. In America, one might have trouble getting such a “taboo” book published – who knows. These days, some people self publish or write eBooks. Or BLOGS. The info gets out there, for anyone to see. And it should be seen. About the only thing that should be cause for arrest here is anything that is seen to be remotely connected to the ruination of our country via terrorism or other enemy. If I wrote about that, YES indeed I would expect the FBI to be at my doorstep. But I love my country though it’s not even close to perfect, I live right where they tried to kill us and would never do such a thing – write against my country. My ancestors came here with dreams for our family and brave soldiers fought and died for our freedom. I do have opinions on our politics though and I can write about that!! Otherwise, I feel I can write anything I want to write without reproach. Does it mean everyone will like it? NO! It’s not about popularity or the NY Times Bestseller list – we may all want to get rich writing but it won’t happen to everyone. It’s about being FREE to EXPRESS OURSELVES ANYTIME HERE IN THE USA. We can, we do and we will. How else do we learn? How else? Here the only things writers have to face when they write is themselves, their topic and the truth of the topic. Some folks write well, some may not but they have one thing in common – they can all write what they want to write about. It NEEDS to be done.

BD I wish you could write what you want to because *I* want to hear it. I am sorry that you cannot. But I would love to know so much more about what you know, as much as you can learn about us, I’d like to learn about you. Thank you for posting back so kindly.

There are “taboo” topics–the N word, child molestation (that is if you dare come to the defense of a suspected child molester). Personally I am against the idea that says that anything is taboo. Everything should be open to scrutiny and self-expression. But the reality of facing jail time, ostracizing, death threats (should you dare to critique Islam, for example). I am completely on the same page as you.

I take great offense to your post.

The concept of “writing as if no one is reading” has a connotation that you have perhaps mis-interpreted. It implies simply to write as if your blog is not going before book or literary critics and to feel free to write in whatever style you wish, and yes indeed, whatever content you really wish to as well.

Many books have been published (perhaps some memoirs, in fact, derived from Blog content) that contain topics containing allegedly “taboo” topics you speak of. Books I have read DO INDEED use the “N” word because it is written possibly in a historical time frame when that word was unfortunately used too frequently. Or perhaps someone in THIS DAY’S time was called it by someone growing up and suffered great pain from being called that word so YES, that person would use that word in describing what their life was like in hearing or being called that word. It is RELEVANT to that person to write about that word, but it is not purposeful for anyone in this time & place to regularly use that word, of course not. It is all about CONTEXT.

Next you refer to taboo topic of “possible” childhood molestation (and you further desecrate a deceased person by something of which he was NOT FOUND GUILTY OF DOING) and say one should watch about talking about this topic in a blog. Well, you know what BD? I was molested as a child and I do indeed plan to blog about it as it is an essential part of who I am and how it shaped my life. So it will NOT be something I avoid as taboo and I do not like being told that I should avoid talking about it in a blog because it is indeed something that has affected my life and unfortunately, millions of other young people’s lives when growing up as innocent children, here is the USA!!

So we will and do talk about what we want to in our blogs. We can talk about Islam too. Not to disrespect it, but as we may talk about any religion or topic that we feel has affected us during the course of one day. That is what blogging is about. It is not about censorship, but IT IS ABOUT GOOD WRITING, or trying to find one’s writing voice. No good writer is out to offend the world – one does not make money selling books that offend people or destroy people’s beliefs in something that they hold onto strongly. It is about “observation” of life’s cultures, one’s personal feelings and experiences, a daily observation, an opinion maybe, but ultimately, it is for the blogger.

If someone does not like what the blogger writes, they can stop reading the blog but most bloggers want to attract and audience and so their writings will be crafted to draw people into their audience with their style, their subject matter, their stories, poems or whatever it is the blogger writes. It is the talent of the blogger and the independence of the blogger that is tantamount to the blog itself. Most bloggers are smart, sensitive and know how to craft a blog that will satisfy themselves and hopefully attract others. And those who read blogs realize that not everything in the blog will be like “candy” fed to them as it might be to children, all covered up with “sugar” because life is not covered up with sugar each day! Life is filled with challenges and bloggers are curious about life! They have imaginations too! They are curious people and want to examine those curiosities further and what better place to do so and write about it than in their blog?

Bloggers are intelligent, creative and not dangerous people who have vast minds that are filled with so much information that they feel FREE to talk about in their blogs. To limit themselves in their writing, or censor themselves, aside from something very, very extreme, would be counter productive to their artistic process. All writers take chances, but they are not foolish either. The world presents many topics about which one might wish to talk about and any blogger is free to talk about, in proper style and context that suits them, in their OWN BLOG.

For you to suggest otherwise is to suppress the artist within and shut down any possibilities of genuine art being created and that is NOT what blogging is about. In the UAE and being a member of Islam, you may very well be limited in what you can speak about and that is to be respected and understood. There may be other Islamic bloggers out in the world I am sure – Buddhist, Zen, Christian, Jewish, Mormon, all types. Everyone works within their own world. But writing/blogging is about using all of our writing tools to craft and build our writing skills and to speak about what we want to speak about. You may have your barriers, each blogger has their own artistic limits as well, but your post was very over-reaching to suggest what topics could or could not be blogged about. These are real topics in people’s lives, past/present etc. People need to write about them for various reasons in their souls. They need for their NOT TO BE BARRIERS IN THEIR WRITING. Suggesting otherwise is like taking the hands & mind away from a writer/blogger. You must understand that while you belong to one culture, billions of others belong to another and they are free to write about that culture.

I am quite sure you will not like reading my blog, that is for sure. It will be very dark with difficult topics, but then, that is what has happened in my life. FOR REAL.

E.g. if in the US, you’d better take care not to say anything that could make someone think you had any affinity toward child molestation. As a concrete example, take all the Michael Jackson uproar. In an interview he talked about sharing his bed with young friends. There’s no reason to assume this had a sexual connotation–it might and it might not have. But in US society to discuss things like this is a big No-No.

And there are other things, certainly, like all the PC-ness around the “N” word. Even if you have no malicious intent and are, say, just using the word for illustrative purposes–as I’m doing right now–you still dare not utter or type the “N” word in full.

Perhaps the only way one can really blog as if no one is going to read it, is if they do indeed believe that no one else will. Otherwise, they have to just pretend that they believe that, and I don’t think that would really have the same effect.

This is a great post. I started my blog a few months ago with very little intention or direction other than a place to force myself to put my creative writing in the public space for potential ridicule and mass jeering or universal praise. It’s also great to have a space rant and journal. While I’m not sure anyone else will ever find me as facinating and insightful as I do, it’s great to let it out.

Now you’ve got me thinking about “removing filters”. There are posts and stories that I’ve written that feel far to exposing, so I’ve just held onto them in the hopes that one day I’ll “grow a pair” (metaphorically speaking as I am very happily female) and just publish the damn things. You’ve got me thinking about why I filter, which may be the first step to removing them. Thanks!