Fighting the Proverbial Powers: How Going Against the Grain Could Help Your Writing

  I hate to discredit individuals, because it gives one a holier-than-thou attitude, which, I never thought I had, because I was always skeptical of every so-called "fact" that was spouted out from the lips of very well-read textbook know-it-all. I never liked to think in absolutes, or having one path that lead to the correct answer, but I always hated,those who always pounded so assure,,they believe it their solemn duty to attempt to "correct you with their authoritative "facts".

     I respect authority, but I also question it, because like with teachers, priests, professors, that just spout out the same rhetoric they always spittle to you on any given day, you never have the opportunity to speak up, and feel compelled to call shenanigans on whatever opinion that comes out and passes as "fact".  This does not mean I think I know more than what someone who has studied, honing their craft for decades, quite the opposite. However, if all authoritarians in all walks of life with their vast knowledge go unchallenged, then no one learns.

   Listen Freshmen, you may be smart, and you may have gotten the equivalent of a 4.0 your entire high school career, doesn't meant you know everything there is to know about life. You know who knows everything there is to know about life? The dead, because the dead have (nominally) gained a incredible knowledge throughout their life, and that the answer to life is self-preservation, and personal freedom and happiness.
 
Again, I respect authority enough to question them. They should not go unchecked because that means you do no necessarily care about what they say.  You need to take risks, and challenge the powers that be, but not because you don't want to do the work, but mostly because the work you do should have meaning beyond the lesson. You should not feel like the elder are raping you of reasoning and understanding. So remember, it is disrespectful to take everything at face value, because you are not challenging those who want to challenge you.

Questioning requires maturity and responsibility. I look at the Occupy Wall Street movement. Granted, this topic has been on the out-and-out, but it shows how people question authority, albeit the maturity and responsibility taken by the occupiers is clearly subjective. In-truth, the Occupy movement was more about terrible policies, and youth that wanted free iPhones and Corvettes than they wanted a legitimate discussion on income inequality.
     Questioning authority, no matter the degree, should be done only because it will better ones's perspective, and show that you're not just another nodding head in the crowd. The same could be for writing: you don't always have to follow the rules, because there are no rules, just appropriated suggestions. Look at English, such a bastardized language, that we can't eve agree on style, punctuation, or format!  Any English professor will tell you that you shouldn't do this, or do that when writing, but they never explain why.
     Never end a sentence with a preposition, because it would not only sound awkward when read allowed, it can lead to misappropriated, or incomplete sentences. What I love is that there are always more exceptions to the rule than there are violations of that said rule.  I'm not saying you should disregard all the rules that apply to modern English, however, I do suggest that you question everything that comes from the establishment, who have implemented these rules, as,it will allow you to grow as a writer.

 As-it-may-seem, I'm not saying i know any better than your teacher or professor, nor am I some uneducated lunatic with a felt-tip marker that goes around changing rules that have been agreed upon for a thousand years. I believe a formal understanding of the written language has allowed for ridiculous doggerel that has become idiotic vernacular. I'm sorry, But even as liberal as I am with the language, especially on this blog, I cannot imagine having Merriam-Webster's Dictionary include the abomination "twerk" as a legitimate word, even in tongue-and-cheek vernacular, it is the type of sickening blow to the language that has become all-too rhetorical these days.
   Personally, I like satirical writing: humorous, outrageous, and purposely absurd writing that is done for style. To truly question your superiors requires understanding,even limited understanding is far more viable to gather an intelligent discussion on the matter. Now that great writing, and superb reading levels going to pasture; we will see an end to critical form in mainstream writing.
    So does this make me hypocritical? I want people to critically think, and question what they learn, so long as those who question do so in the confines of the rules they so valiantly are trying to nullify? Maybe so, and perhaps this entire post is useless, but before you go off to call me a quack, I want you to think about this: isn't all writing (outside of academia) subjective, and decided as relevant by the masses who support it with their purchases? For the thousands of books I've read in my life, I have either loved them, or hated them, so why should my opinion matter on writing matter more than yours? It doesn't, and neither does anyone else's opinion, especially those who are so gallantly headstrong to force others to agree with them, have either failed or succeeded with gaining mass appeal.
          Writing, to me, is the one area where we can ( to use one of those dreaded words that has become sinful vernacular) peacock (ugh! Using a noun as a verb!!!) our inherited skills, becoming the great verifiers of our generation. Whatever may become of English ( both Americanized, and the Queen's English) I do hope the future generations, even those who are currently learning their ABC's, will remember to always write with both their heart, and their head. I also hope they learn to think critically, and not be stifled by pushy pundits who would rather dictate to their small classroom countries, than actually teach the art of writing.

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