Arts, Entertainment and Events, Commentary, Oakridge/Westfir

Commentary: Let me know what you think, but gently

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Ben Olson column mugBy BEN OLSON/For The Herald — As I am, at this advanced age, a budding correspondent or commentator, it occurs to me that I need feedback from the people who read my columns.

Perhaps we all would do better work if we had someone with an independent viewpoint giving us a critique. I’m not a newsman. Chasing ambulances, interviewing eyewitnesses and attending boring meetings that must regularly take place just doesn’t appeal to me.

I think it is truly important work, but I’m glad someone else is doing it. I relish the idea of writing whatever I darn well please, knowing that the only criteria are that it be interesting or informative, or in the best case, both.

I grew up in a small midwestern town, very similar in size to Oakridge. You really had to have your head in the sand to not be aware of all the back-stories that preceded some of the more colorful people in town.

Families had histories that went back for generations — some good, some bad, but certainly not a secret. Marriages went bust, kids went bad, businesses went under, alliances shifted and fires burned down historic old buildings. In a small town, it’s hard to keep secrets.

It wasn’t all bad, but sometimes it seems that that’s what some people always wanted to talk about. There were achievements, storybook marriages, babies coming into the world, parades, festivals and the high school football team winning a big game against a rival.

What I’m getting at is that I don’t know much yet about the collective history of my new hometown of Oakridge, so I’m going to tread lightly. One of my wife’s favorite adages is “you can say anything to a person if you do it without shame, blame or criticism.”

If I ever stand in need of correction, please don’t hesitate to let me know. But please be kind, that’s all I ask.

Oakridge musician Ben Olson, The Herald’s new entertainment editor and commentator, can be reached by email at [email protected]

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