Last Updated on: 3rd October 2013, 04:01 pm
Here’s another letter to the editor about the spray-painting incident. I don’t know why the stream of letters on the subject interests me so much. Maybe I should stop posting them, because they’re probably boring everyone else to tears. At least this guy makes some sense, unlike that other pile of crap that was sent in by that other girl. Let’s break it down, shall we? My comments are in bold.
Man made out to be someone he is not
CHRIS YANG
(Aug 9, 2006)
Dear Editor – Re: ‘Local activist accused of spray-painting downtown wall’
(Guelph Mercury, Aug. 3).
One would think that such a headline would yield a small, perhaps one paragraph article, as this is a simple instance of vandalism.
One would think so, except for what he was spray-painting sounds eerily similar to what other people who like to set fires around the city might spray-paint. Would someone spray-painting “Long Live Osama Bin Laden” in New York shortly after the attacks on September 11 get a short story? Nope. Didn’t think so. They’d probably get a few stories and a media circus. If you don’t want attention, don’t draw it to yourself!
The article, containing Matthew Soltys’ photo, is much more than a paragraph, and it certainly gives him cause to worry that others will associate him with other actions for which he has not been charged.
If he was so worried about that, maybe he should have thought a little longer before pointing his spray can at the wall.
The piece describes the history of the word ‘eco-terrorism.’
This is because of a quote given by him. I know people can be misquoted, *gag* I have been misquoted myself, but he had to have decided they needed a history lesson about eco-terrorism for them to get the roots of the quote they got.
This word is the only non-link to the Earth Liberation Front, a radical environmental organization that is also discussed in the article.
There was also a mention of an environmental radio show that our spray-painting buddy runs. Is this guy trying to say it’s linked to ELF too? Uh-oh. I think he’s doing more harm than good.
Guelph Police Sgt. Dave Elloway seems to think the public should know the suspect in this vandalism case was carrying a word, ‘eco-terrorist,’ while he was spray-painting. This is disgusting.
What’s more disgusting is that the reporter agrees with him.
Why is this so disgusting? With all the grafiti accompanying fires, it’s not a stretch to think this is an important detail.
The article clearly states there is no evidence to link Soltys to the Earth Liberation Front arsons, but serves to be the biggest link between the two.
Wrong again. The word our buddy was found with is the biggest link between the two.
By providing a photo and information completely unrelated to spray-paint, this article has made Soltys out to be what he is not.
Dude, did you read the article? At all? Your friend who you make out to be a poor hapless little victim of the media provided that information himself.
It is disgraceful to print a photo of Soltys in association with information about eco-terrorism.
I ask again, why? He associated himself with the word by being found with it on him while he was merrily defacing property. If it was somehow planted on him and he had no idea it was there, then maybe I can feel sorry for him. Otherwise, he chose to be associated with it.
This serves to link someone with something they did not do for no other reason than the alleged possession of a word.
Something tells me he wouldn’t need much help from the newspaper to link him to those things. Maybe he should have thought more carefully about whether what he was doing was a good idea.
The newspaper may as well have written eco-terrorist across Soltys’ photo and spent the rest of the article offhandedly mentioning that he is not one. Shame on you.
Now now, let’s be fair. Before we heap all the criticism on a reporter, I suggest this guy direct a little bit of shame towards his vandalizing friend too. Through this whole thing, he hasn’t made him take any blame at all.
Chris Yang
Guelph
I think I’m done ranting about this, until someone writes something else stupid, that is.
