Thank you for your help and advice on my stolen poem. I was able to prove that the poem is mine. The website took it down. I have even written a haiku "Stolen Poem" about my experience.
I would not have had a problem with my poem being posted on this website if I had been given proper credit.
Thank you again for your help.
Shirley
Comment is about Yvonne Brunton (poet profile)
Original item by Yvonne Brunton
Hi Yvonne,
Thx for reading and commenting upon my latest poem- very much appreciated.
I think what you said was very pertinent and on the mark. I've left a very loooong and waffling comment upon the poem.
Far from concise but it might give people an idea where I'm comming from.
My Best
Chris
Comment is about Yvonne Brunton (poet profile)
Original item by Yvonne Brunton
Thank you for your advice on my stolen poem.
I took the advice of Yvonne Bruton and was able to prove the poem is mine. The website took down the poem. I have even written a haiku "Stolen Poem" about this experience.
I would not have had a problem with the website if I had been properly credited.
Thanks for your help
Shirley
Comment is about M.C. Newberry (poet profile)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
Hi Laura,
Thx for commenting upon my latest poem- very much appreciated.
I've left a looong comment back on the poem hehe.
P.S
Are we still good for next months 'spoke'?
Best
Chris
Comment is about Laura Taylor (poet profile)
Original item by Laura Taylor
Hi M.C,
Thx for commenting a couple of times on my latest poem. We may not agree on our politics...but I do thank you for both reading and commenting upon the poem- very much appreciated.
Best
Chris
Comment is about M.C. Newberry (poet profile)
Original item by M.C. Newberry
Hi everyone- thx for reading and commenting- appreciated.
Warning- very long comment...
Where to start? lol
I guess when we write poetry, we open up a can of worms. In not writing in a detailed explicit way; the very thing that is great about poetry also creates headaches lol. The curse of valid, yet entirely different 'interpretations'. I joke, but you know what I mean.
In writing this poem I mentioned one particular newspaper and their politics as by way of implying their implied values. But it wasn't my intention for the Daily Mail to be the point of the poem. I could have just as easily hung my hat and language on the Daily Express or TalkSport radio (at least when it had right wing shock jock radio shows). I picked one paper that to me was indicative and representative of the issues I wanted to deal in. I used the Daily Mail in one line; representatively to go on to speak about people affected by the tabloid right wing press and right wing radio.
As I see it these nefarious organisations sear their misogynistic, racist, homophobic and scaremongering attacks on minorities (underhand right agenda) into the national conscience. Their overt and implied values seep down into their target audience and help to misinform a great number of people (often the least informed to begin with) and the results of this are far from pleasant.
How many times have you got into a taxi and had a conversation instigated about immigration and getting ‘them out’? How many times have you had that conversation where you know the individual concerned has been primed by the agenda of these forces? How many times has that conversation gone along where you have come to realize that the person you are speaking to; has no understanding of the difference between asylum seekers and economic migrants?
How many times have you got into a conversation with someone relating to Muslims; where the word Muslim has a negative connotation attached to it, that being either terrorism or immigrant? How many times have you spoken to, watched or listened to a debate on the welfare system or the health care system and heard working class people in effect mouthing right wing policies? Polices that in no way shape or form would be representative of their socio-economic interests? How many times have you heard welfare blamed for the cause of all woes?
Just to give you some figures on the latter, something that I hope to afford reasoned comment to;
The cost of welfare fraud to the UK is 1.6 billion pounds- fact. Pretty high until you consider that that tax fraud cost the UK economy 14 billion pounds- another fact. Tax avoidance (perfectly legal- though immoral) costs the UK economy an estimated 90 billion pounds. The only figure there that is an estimate is the last one; the other two are government figures.
So given the above, why does the Daily mail, The Daily Express, TalkSport etc...Why have the focused almost exclusively on welfare costs over and above the much more significant tax fraud or the issue of tax avoidance? More importantly, why is it that the welfare story is pretty much the only one of those three stories they cover? Back to the conversation at the bus stop, the talk with the mechanic on getting your car mot, the taxi ride home, the chat in the pub etc...guess what we hear? Do we hear about tax fraud? Do we hear about tax avoidance? or do we hear about welfare cheats?
When it comes to the pensions debate, do we hear about public pensions in a positive light in these very same types of conversation? My experience is- no. Same goes for NHS and cutbacks. Everything in my experience is coloured in the same pissy light. The agenda of these organisations has seemingly coloured everything.
It has become an expectation to hear many fellow working class people mouthing right wing, narrow minded politics. These papers sell themselves to the working class and once they're read or listened to; they seep into peoples minds and misinform in the way Fox News does in the US.
I feel sorry for the person in this poem and everyone out there who has this mantra.
I despise their viewpoints on the world, viewpoints that are ludicrously simplistic (almost child-like) skewed and warped beyond all reality.
BUT!
I can at least have respect for honest right wing views (this next bit is important) presented in a GENUINE way for adults. But there is nothing honest about the way these organisations peddle their agenda. They do not say what they are and they deliberately dumb-down and write what Aristotle would call 'the noble lie'. That is to say; they are quite prepared to misrepresent reality with shocking propaghanda.
They are quite willing to use anecdotes and a whole host of logical fallacies, such as ad hominem, non sequiturs etc anything to get the job done...to sell ring wing policy to their target audience. This is why these papers are mocked so disparagingly by the genuine right, center and left.
Sorry for waffling so much.
I can see how putting up the picture of Richard LittleJohn helped to aid the interpretation of this poem being solely about the Daily Mail. If you think/take the 'you' mentioned in the poem as either the Daily Mail or Richard Littlejohn rather than a 3rd person influenced by the tabloid right; this is an entirely valid way to interpret the poem...just not my intention.
P.S
Although no paper can be said to be lacking bias (not even an honest historian or translator can strictly be said to be lacking bias). We have to be very careful of not affording moral equivalence where it is not warranted. The centrist or papers of the left are bias, bias in the same way other broadsheets of the right are bias. But they do have much higher standards of journalistic practice than the papers we are talking about here. They are not treated with derision across the board in private quarters by the left and the right the way these papers are. Few other media organisations cause the very real and worrying social problems that these papers do.
All my opinion of course.
I think we have all met the person in this poem- agree or not about the source of their views.
If you got to the end of this agree or not with my politics- well done and thx for reading the poem.
Best Chris
Comment is about Right Thinking (blog)
Original item by Chris Co
Nice poem. I liked
I wouldn’t have wanted to fight anywhere else!
Ending is good, too.
Odd choice of title, I thought. Implies holidays, to me anyhow.Some of the lines are a bit long e.g. I'd end the first one at boredom.
To get out and escape - same thing?
Comment is about Our day out (blog)
Original item by Chris Co
Hi Isobel,
Thx for reading and commenting on the poem.
Very much appreciated. I've left a response on the blog.
My Best
Chris
Comment is about Isobel (poet profile)
Original item by Isobel
Hi Isobel,
I know what you mean about scale and walking everywhere, life did indeed feel more contained back then. I can't say with any certainty why I felt as I did.
I think it might have stemmed from teenage conciousness (finding awareness) and the feeling of having something to lose having gained a real home.
Comment is about Our day out (blog)
Original item by Chris Co
Certainly a most descriptive view of its subject, and having been on my share of walks
in such surroundings, the "picture" painted by these words was very familiar.
Tell me...is "ebon" short for "ebony"(black).
Not sure but it seems so to me.
Oh - loved the picture.
Comment is about Thirlmere in May (blog)
It is my view that the popular press might be
summed up (political leanings aside) as...
Rudely reprehensible,
Impolitely indispensable.
Comment is about Right Thinking (blog)
Original item by Chris Co
If you are sure the content is yours, then you
have copyright on your side. The least the
website could do is credit the entry to you.
Obviously, it helps if you can back your claim with a reference to its origins and any previous publication. Poetry seems to be "fair
game" for some, as if it is some "free for all"
to which anyone is entitled to benefit. Not
that publication is a bad thing BUT the author
should be approached for permission IF known.
Comment is about Someone has stolen my poem (blog)
Original item by Shirley Smothers
An off-the-wall take on the hassle of buying a home. Short...and very sharp!
Comment is about House Hunting (blog)
Original item by Yvonne Brunton
Well, it's nothing if not descriptive. That's just a slight dig, I enjoyed the language. The length of lines 4, 6 and 11 causes a bit of a bump.
Comment is about Thirlmere in May (blog)
Very moving, Ray. Steady, careful rhythm. I'm thinking it relates to your fostering.
Comment is about Looking After You (blog)
Thanks, Yvonne and Steve.A bit of fun and, yes, probably better spoken than read. Needs diluting too.
Comment is about Bathos (blog)
Cynthia, thanks for your perceptive comments on The Show. Appreciated.
Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)
Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas
Oh Ray, you had me going with this one. the play on words is wonderful and the last line sews it up so neatly. Then I suddenly realised what the title was. XX
Comment is about Bathos (blog)
Oho, vitriolic indeed! But is any paper unbiased? Since the Mail is so popular It is preaching to(or subliminally persuading) a captive audience. Should this actually be allowed?
Is one of the reasons for your outpourings, Chris, linked to the fact that, as a poet, you know/feel the power of words far more sensitively than your average Mail reader.
We are surrounded by subliminal propaganda which I do not think is a very moral or ethical approach to the dissemination of information.
Comment is about Right Thinking (blog)
Original item by Chris Co
actually when I was songwriting I was advised to make a recording and post it to myself by recorded delivery and never open it as evidence of when it was created. I guess nowadays when you save anything on your computer the date/time is automatically recorded.
Comment is about Someone has stolen my poem (blog)
Original item by Shirley Smothers
not sure what to do but first get solid evidence that you wrote the poem before it appeared on this other site if you can. eg if you posted it on WOL it will be dated. or in a publication or you may have other evidence.
Was some one else credited with it? is it an oversight of the website? What redress do you want?
I don't know how to go about contacting the site admin or the Webmaster but it seems like a good idea when you have all the facts at hand.
poetry is classed as intellectual property and you have sole rights to it.
Comment is about Someone has stolen my poem (blog)
Original item by Shirley Smothers
@Isobel, thanx on your views. im just me and do my best in my art. ive done a full NATALIE series poems. ill msg you them. my gothic lady friend in argentina likes, as do some of her friends. so that matters more than words to me. im quite anti war now but my new friend is a soldier (english) lol. rather mad, two opposites. xxx
Comment is about NICK ARMBRISTER (poet profile)
Original item by NICK ARMBRISTER
You have an unusual style Nick - I've enjoyed reading some of yours - you choose different subject matter to most poets :) We are all reeds, I think. x
Comment is about NICK ARMBRISTER (poet profile)
Original item by NICK ARMBRISTER
Thanks for your comment on my valentine poem. I'm glad you enjoyed - it was a bit of fun for me and a way of exorcising my demons :)
Comment is about NICK ARMBRISTER (poet profile)
Original item by NICK ARMBRISTER
When I go back to the road I was born and grew up in (which isn't far), I'm struck by how small it all is. Back then it seemed such a big, big place. Perhaps that's because we walked everywhere and the whole of life was contained in a much smaller place.
I enjoyed your poem Chris - it stirred feelings for me. I wonder if the fear you felt in the real housing isn't tied up more to the fact that you became an adult, you grew up to life and all its realities.
Comment is about Our day out (blog)
Original item by Chris Co
erm... maybe. not that i know any Rachmaninov. bad i know. but oh how i know many who died before their time. too many friends...
Comment is about BURIED ALIVE (blog)
Original item by NICK ARMBRISTER
Just weighing in to agree 100% with Chris (even though he doesn't ask or need it!). It's a right wing arsewipe of a rag, and I am constantly surprised at what it gets away with.
Erm, MCN - SEXISM?! Sometimes I read your comments in complete bemusement.
Comment is about Right Thinking (blog)
Original item by Chris Co
And it's not even owned by the Murdoch empire!
It is not possible to be human and not have
prejudices. That's just about as likely as being elevated to sainthood.
You choose this opportunity to express your own
strongly held views to the world. Newspapers
do similar: sometimes leading, sometimes
following, but always mindful of the larger
picture, no doubt because they are a product
dependent on sales - and the market: the millions of people "out there" who dictate those. No one has to buy the Daily Mail but
millions do. There, then, in vast numbers, is
surely the real "foe".
As for the myth-laden "working class"...how quickly we hear accusations of "selling out" if any aspire to improve their lot.
""Scab" is one of the less appetising choices
from the lexicon of hate and envy that permeate
the "left", ignorant that a scab is nature's
protection of a wound.
Yours is a forceful view sourced from your own
reasons but attacking ONE newspaper is like
attacking water: it merely slips around and
adjusts to its level again for others to find
and refresh themselves...however fetid and brackish the water is thought to be by abstainers
Comment is about Right Thinking (blog)
Original item by Chris Co
Just a personal comment. I was disappointed that some-one had complained to third parties about the bad language at the Ringers. I understand that some people are offended by what in reality is only a series of guttural utterances. Being one of many that works in a male dominated environment and suffers from "Industrial language" syndrome, I would like to offer my sincere apologies (to whoever it may concern, who doesn't possess the maturity to air their concerns within the confines of a group of like minded grown ups) if it was my language that caused the offense. I would also ask, if the occasion arises in the future could the "offendees" please raise the matter there and then. I do sincerely believe that nobody at the Ringers sets out to offend and would welcome direct, honest and forthright opinion. Thank you for pointing it out Gemma. Just a shame you had to.
Cheers.
Review is about Write Out Loud - Middleton on 27 May 2012 (event)
'courtly love' i always thought it was courtney...;)
interesting article but poem definately about the importance of agape.
other author on the subject of understanding archetype in myth writing: clarissa pinkola estes.
thanks for your comments x
Comment is about Agape ( A-gap-ay) (blog)
Original item by Rachel Bond
What Winston said - this is fantastic Tommy, you're on a roll at the moment eh?
Comment is about On stolen sheets (blog)
Original item by Tommy Carroll
Love this Ray - only just catching up after being horribly ill. Structure's fab, love all the snippets
Comment is about A Local History Facebook Group (blog)
I shall imagine you waving two fingers at me now as you dismiss my suggestions :)
Comment is about A Lady's dismissal (blog)
Original item by Tommy Carroll
I like this. I'd agree with Stella that removing 'mainly' helps the flow but wouldn't put in mostly either; I'd just say 'as a smile becomes a sneer' . I think you could also consider changing became to something else like 'is now' - she says in a folky voice, with a finger in her ear... :)
Comment is about A Lady's dismissal (blog)
Original item by Tommy Carroll
It was written in response to a competition with the theme 'run'. Quite a good discipline to write to a theme. But I didn't think the judges would grasp the idea of colours running together which is what I intended here, so I entered a poem I'd written after I'd been out jogging, which surprise surprise was about running.
Comment is about no title (blog)
Original item by Glyn Pope
<Deleted User> (6315)
Wed 2nd May 2012 00:34
I like this Glyn, I enjoy the movement of the poem without punctuation.
I did a movment poem on here called Brown Crickets..took me biddy ages to set up!
Very much like the thought of worlds colliding!
:) Dunno if movement poem is the right word but it is the one I use LOL
Comment is about no title (blog)
Original item by Glyn Pope
<Deleted User> (6315)
Wed 2nd May 2012 00:30
Thanks Cynthia for the positive on 20/20 vision.
I have done an edit (as was suggested by Ray)
The picture came after the poem Cynthia..it does not really have to be there at all.
Again thank you for your time. :)
Comment is about Cynthia Buell Thomas (poet profile)
Original item by Cynthia Buell Thomas
<Deleted User> (6315)
Wed 2nd May 2012 00:19
It is not so nice when smiles transform into sneers.
I like the feel of nothing being solid here..think that mostly sneer fits a bit better than mainly a sneer but thats only me innit?.
well writ :)
Comment is about A Lady's dismissal (blog)
Original item by Tommy Carroll
well yes, you can look at the title and read it a a lady dismissing someone - or - someone dismissing a lady!
Comment is about A Lady's dismissal (blog)
Original item by Tommy Carroll
I bet this sounds fantastic as a performance piece. I love it but cannot for the life of me see why it is presented in verse format. It reads just as well, with its good punctuation, as a piece of good prose because with so much enjambement the verse structure rather fades into the background.
Mine you, presenting it this way got my attention and I read it! xx
Comment is about Mature Student (blog)
I like the lament for May though, unlike Cate, I feel there is a tad too much alliteration which makes the poem feel contrived in places,( this is in the 1st 3 verses)
Comment is about Mayday Mourning (blog)
Original item by C Richard Miles
As Spike Miligan's epitaph says:- 'I told them I was ill.'
Love the 'why can I alone
see how sick I am?
It made me laugh whilst I was nodding in agreement. XX
Comment is about I Am Ill (blog)
Original item by Cate
Shades of Rachmaninff? Love the line 'dying before my time' xx
Comment is about BURIED ALIVE (blog)
Original item by NICK ARMBRISTER
Yvonne- it could be both?!
;o)
Comment is about A Lady's dismissal (blog)
Original item by Tommy Carroll
Yvonne- it could be both?!
Comment is about Yvonne Brunton (poet profile)
Original item by Yvonne Brunton
nice one.So often this is the case and very succinctly put - but why a lady and not a man?
Comment is about A Lady's dismissal (blog)
Original item by Tommy Carroll
Thank you Yvonne- :o)
Comment is about Yvonne Brunton (poet profile)
Original item by Yvonne Brunton
Shirley Smothers
Thu 3rd May 2012 17:00
Hi Nick. Thank you for your comments on my poem "Kids With Drugs-2". Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I have been distracted. I found one of my poems on another website but was not given credit for this poem. The situation has been resolved. I have even posted a haiku "Stolen Poem" about my experience. Also thanks for your comments on my poem. "The Sea".
Thank you again for your nice comments.
Shirley
Comment is about NICK ARMBRISTER (poet profile)
Original item by NICK ARMBRISTER