Saturday, April 20, 2013

Challenge : R is for Radical


R is for Radical. 

As in you have the Radical Right to be yourself. You have the Radical Right to write your truth and walk your path.

Radical is not a bad word. Some people treat it as something to avoid, as in being anti- this or that. But we have a Radical left and we have a Radical right in terms of the great political divide. We have Radical religious icons of every flavor and color and model. There are Radical writers - which era, you may ask? And I say, any era. 

There are Radical conservatives and Radical liberals, Radical democrats and Radical republicans.

Radical in and of itself does not denote conservative or moderate or liberal beliefs. It only says that the Radical's beliefs/actions/writings are not of the standard of the group to which they identify belonging. Or the era. Or the .... You get the point?

I wonder : what would it be like if Radical was the norm. What would we call a Radical Radical if that was the status quo? There are certainly some Radicals of the past who would no longer be given that label.

R is for Radical.

Who do you consider Radical Writers? Why?



6 comments:

  1. I would assume overuse of the word Radical would normalize it and desensitize us to it's meaning, rather like the word Fanatic has been reduced to just fan and isn't really given a second thought.

    Also, I hope reading my A-Z posts don't confuse you too much. Roleplaying is pretty much it's own culture. We use a lot of jargon, almost like the healthcare industry.

    I decided to subscribe to random A-Z blogs that were specified as Gaming blogs so that I might be familiar with the content I was reading. I applaud you for stepping outside of what might be your normal comfort zone and coming to play with us on my blog.

    Best wishes for the last bit of the alphabet!

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  2. Thanks for popping over, Roger. I have a good friend who is very much into gaming, as well as other friends and family. I haven't gotten much into the RPG very much, myself, but I enjoy knowing a bit about what's out there. And challenging myself to check out different content than my usual haunts. I'm not confused by your posts - am just not familiar with those particular worlds :-)

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  3. Interesting thought. Radical isn't inherently bad. The problem that comes with some radicals is simply that there's no balance. In the sense of upsetting the status quo for no reason other than to upset the status quo.

    I prefer my radicalisms to be aimed at something, at least.

    My Writing Blog
    My Life Blog

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    Replies
    1. I completely agree that "Radical" is not bad. I think radical is generally a good thing *smile.*

      Maybe radicalism is relative to the time and place. I'm pretty sure it is.

      Thank you for your comments!

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  4. Hello! Radical writing is the kind that ignorant people are most afraid of because the author wrote the truth. Sadly, those books are the ones that get banned in some libraries and schools.

    I remember when "radical" and "rad" were used to signify something was cool in the early to mid 1990s. I think I might bring that word back, haha!

    Happy A to Z-ing! from Laura Marcella @ Wavy Lines

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    1. I remember "rad" and "radical" as something cool. I do tend to think of "radical" as a good thing -- although as I was writing this post I realized that there are some "radicals" who are, in fact, in complete opposition to my beliefs. But, all in all, I like the word radical.

      Yes - bring back "rad." *grin* I like it better than some of the popular words used to convey that at this point in time.

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