Why We Write

When you first walk into the Free Speech Movement Cafe at Berkeley, you're greeted by a series of large posters dedicated to Mario Savio and the student protests of sixties. At the bottom of one of the posters is a quote from Diogenes that Savio took to heart.

It reads: "The most beautiful thing in the world is the freedom of speech."

The right to speak your mind, openly and freely, is one that we've learned to take for granted. While it is true that freedom is paramount, I'm inclined to believe that those who organized the sit-in at Sproul didn't intend to raise a generation that would add noise to the signal.

Rather, they saw the value in the free flow of information and opinions, and sought to protect the very idea at stake. It's the same rationale I use for my writing, and it's something I always try to be mindful of: Through dialogue and civil discourse comes wisdom and knowledge.

In effect, I write because it's one of the few ways I can gain clarity and make sense of this twisted world we live in. By doing so here rather than elsewhere, it allows me to avoid the echo chamber of my mind and engage in discussions that serve to better educate and inform.

My involvement here in Decaf is a happy accident -- one that I no longer recall. I'm the only person here that doesn't hail from the same school, after all. I've probably spoken with two of the writers, and have only met one in real life.

Regardless, I still value the people that have provided their input over the years. I feel that this has grown to be a forum of mutual respect, a place where someone can express themselves and receive thoughtful feedback.

As George has stated, there aren't enough places out there that entertain honest debate. Insofar as this has been and continues to be one, I will continue to be active in writing, and fully support the notion of deliberate opposition for the sake of refining our viewpoints.

Let me be clear: We merely stand on the shoulders of giants. In the debate of noise versus signal, I'm still not sure where our efforts lie.

If nothing else, though, I think this could be an interesting exercise. I can only hope that others stand to gain from it.

Edit: While we're discussing where to go from here, how about expanding coverage outside our borders? I personally found the recent Canadian parliamentary dispute very interesting, and one could dedicate an entire blog on the growing power of drug cartels in Mexican border towns.

Raison d'être

Pundit and Author Jonathan Krohn defines conservatism.

I think we started blogging around his age. I've been thinking lately, and I've been wondering why I write what I write here. More often than not, it's to rage against something in our government that I am convinced I can do better. That we can do better. (This is of course, barring the times when I can't help but throw out my healthy serving of snark out at the resident hookers of the world.)

Honestly, I've never really believed, truly believed that what I write here is meant to change or influence others' opinions. But, I think that when I first started writing and reading, our opinions influenced one another, and if nothing else, I think that's terribly important. I think we should do that more. It is not a measure of brilliance to listen solely to Krugman rage against the machine, but I think that a series of conflicting, refining, consolidating viewpoints is what makes us better and unique. I think that next time we decide to write about something seriously, we should try to conflict. Opposing viewpoints. There's not enough places where you can find two honest people debating their best points against one another. Are you guys interested in the idea?

Out of Curiosity: why do you guys write?