[stylist] My thoughts- Kuell article in Monitor

[justin williams]

True.  It happens.  It's kind of like if you don't walk the straight and
narrow, you don't get heard.

-----Original Message-----
From: stylist [mailto:stylist-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Bridgit
Pollpeter
Sent: Wednesday, April 03, 2013 5:07 PM
To: stylist at nfbnet.org
Subject: [stylist] My thoughts- Kuell article in Monitor

I hear all the time the motto, "Federation family and friends," but in
my experience, it's more like exclusive family and certain friends who
will play our game and follow our agenda. Anyone willing to speak up, to
voice opinions and concerns, to actually think outside the box, is
placed at arms length on the sidelines. Politics is a bitch, and I've
seen a lot of bitchiness.

I wish I could be more positive about this stuff like you, Robert, but
take Chris's situation for example. He didn't even go outside the
Federation, but he merely voiced concerns with a board he sat on, and
he's been kicked off a listserve and has had to resign two positions he
held. When he had a different view, he was shut up.

I've seen this happen in a lot of groups and organizations I've been
involved in, but I've seen some of the worse practices of this nature
right in our own happy little Federation organization. It really sucks
because it gets in the way of truly helping affect any change.

I see so many strong, competent leaders leave or take 10 steps back from
the organization because when they questioned something or held a
different view, they were met with similar situations like Chris. I've
experienced it myself, and my own affiliate keeps me at arms length,
rarely using me for things I could actually be good at. During my first
national convention, while speaking with an affiliate president, they
divulged that they had been given a stern talking too because they voted
against the nominating committee's choice for a national board member.
Apparently we aren't allowed to think differently.

So where's the camaraderie? Why can't we hold different opinions? No one
in these cases is trying to change the Federation or lessen the cause,
yet they are censured nonetheless.

Okay, sorry for my rant. I just wish things were as amicable as you
state, Robert.

Bridgit
Message: 14
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2013 07:10:01 -0500
From: "Robert Leslie Newman" <newmanrl at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [stylist] My thoughts RE:  Kuell article in Monitor
Message-ID: <013501ce3064$2b79aba0$826d02e0$@cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

I too think and appreciate a person who will speak their mind --- then
hang
in there and work it out. That means that both parties do not
preemptively
band the other guy. In a family, as we often within the Federation tout
that
we are --- Yaa, putting up with some behavior is unpleasant, difficult
at
times to sort out, and to even make some changes on one or both sides.
But
hey, reality is, in a large family, there can be small factions that may
can
be at times more fractious then the larger whole.

(Gee Chris, we are going to miss your editing of that fine affiliate
newsletter! And as for Tom using your article and not asking-thanking
--- on
the editors list we have discussed that in the past --- it has "always
been
that we borrow from one another --- I've said, good but let a guy know,
it's
a good feel to be appreciated by use of our stuff!)


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