I listen to a lot of radio (one of my favourite ways to 'escape'), and watch a lot of television (another favourite), and have realised something - people hear what they want to hear, not what is actually being said!
I listen to people call up radio stations to enter competitions, comment on a segment, or even complain about a perceived injustice, and more often than not, I'm bemused by the error of their interpretations.
How does this happen, time and time again? Is it a conscious misdirection, or are we really confused by everyday conversations, news stories, celebrity gossip and radio jocks? Surely not!
It seems more likely that in the everyday white noise which has become our lives, only a handful of words are absorbed and the blanks are filled in with our own imaginings. This would explain the differing responses to the same news story, or the same radio competition, or even political debates.
So here I am - the newly self-appointed 'Literatim' of the BLOG world. Here I will set-out, word for word, the real intent/meaning behind the days' main news stories. I will try to make clear what others seem unable to do (oops, poor grammar moment). Now don't get me wrong, I do not hold myself out to be particularly knowledgeable on a current affairs. I do not know my lift wing from my right wing or the difference between the Greens and National Party (wait, is there a 'National Party'?). I could spend the rest of my days trying to understand the rules of Aussie Football, and how can football and soccer mean the same thing ...
No, my particular skill lies in the ability to hear a story or read an article and not tarnish it with my own views, but to read it word for word to discover what is really being reported. You'll see, it's liberating, and so so easy, once you block out all the chatter and focus on the 'black and white'.
If you have a story you'd like me to 'translate', feel free to email me with your suggestions at literatim@y7mail.com. Otherwise, leave it to me and we'll see where we end up ...
