The struggle to get a point across when your audience is blinkered!

In the last two blog entries, I expressed my considered opinion on a matter, which was in Colombo Telegraph, and so I copied my post into that CT comment piece and looked at the liked and dislikes on it, to ascertain, how much people with agree with you or disagree with you.

In this case the disagreed number far outnumbered those who agreed. How does one interpret that. Would someone who agrees with you be less likely to put a like click and one who disagrees, more likely to put a wrong click? That could be the case.

Then when the comments still harp on the Nepotism as the main issue, one wonders whether the reader actually read the fact that this position had been vacant for so long, that unless anybody willing to take it was found, we would have our most important diplomatic posting unfilled. So here nepotism DOES NOT EVEN COUNT! If for example she was chosen within weeks of the previous incumbents departure, then even I would question the speed.

Having gone this long with over 50 people been considered and dropped as unsuitable, it certainly is not nepotism that is key here, as it should almost be out of the window by this time, and pray anyone will take up the post. I know in practice to be able to carry out your duties, you would have to spend at least 100,000 pounds sterling a year, and I am sure finding a suitable candidate willing to do this brings the choice down to a few fingers in one hand!

Therefore the article is mischievous as it only counts a second cousin as nepotism and does not consider all the other aspects of what is needed in this post by going through line by line and ticking the points. As the readership is incapable of seeing the big picture, only evaluating on one issue, namely nepotism, you have a problem in explaining your rationale of suitability. Further the meaning of nepotism is also called into question. In my case, I may have 150 second cousins and I probably at most see about 10 of them in any one year, and to exclude anyone of them on this count is frankly ridiculous to say the least, and how they could compare this relationship with Gota, who was MR’s brother is beyond the pale of our ignorant finger pointers!

This will be the last of the posts on this matter, but I had to get it off my chest, as I find most of the comments in the Colombo Telegraph relating to this matter quite prejudiced and distasteful. I agree one must respect others opinions, but when you can see despite your efforts at clarity, they don’t get the point that no matter how you explain it the point is not taken! Time to change tack and come up with some more worthy and constructive topics to take the country forward.