Since he first opened the doors to his blawg, The Matlock Blog, I kidded its sole proprietor, Shawn Matlock.  He was invariably referred to as “Young Shawn” or simply “YS”.  On my sidebar, his blog was listed in my criminal law blogroll at “Young Shawn Matlock, Republican.”  When you hold the cursor over the link, it says “A Blog for Non-Believers.”  It will happen no more. 

Shawn came under fire recently.  I’m not exactly sure why, as he hasn’t explained in his posts and he hasn’t told me what happened privately.  I didn’t ask.  If he wanted me to know, he would have said something.  He’s allowed to deal with problems in any way he choses.

Shawn is a young private criminal defense lawyer in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas.  He’s a proud Republican, and sees no conflict between his political views and the performance of his job.  He proudly wears a bow tie, though the photo on his blog shows him more conservatively dressed. 

When he started his blog, I believe he intended to play it straight, discussing court decisions of interest and items of legal news.  He was soon perverted by the corrupting influence of folks like Bennett,  Jamie Spencer and Gideon.  I may have had a hand in it too.

Shawn’s blog quickly evolved into a blawg, posting about his experiences with a heavy dose of commentary.  He was bold in his language and comments, saying whatever was on his mind in a straightforward manner.  There was little doubt about what he meant after reading one of Shawn’s posts.  He was not subtle.  There were no subtext messages.  He used words that others avoid, and he continued to do so despite being questioned for their use.  These were his words, and they reflected how he chose to express his thoughts.

Lest one connect his politics to his occasional use of a politically incorrect term, Shawn’s Republicanism was a cover for having a heart and mind in the right place.  Rather, Shawn used language for clarity of thought and nothing more.  He had no intention of offending anyone, and likely believed that those of us who read his posts (I was designated his number 3 fan, a position that I lobbied for since I didn’t want to come in at number 4) all understood this to be true.  We weren’t offended.  True, it’s almost impossible to offend us, but we wouldn’t have been regardless.

But, as an example of the power of the blawgosphere, interest in Shawn’s blawg grew beyond the 4 original fans to others.  They didn’t have the opportunity to get to know the author, and read only the top one or two posts.  Someone got angry with Shawn.  Maybe it was more than one; maybe someone told all of his friends to read the offending post and lash out at Shawn.  I don’t know the details.  But Shawn made it clear that something he wrote offended someone.

Shawn felt badly that he had offended someone.  It resulted in his post, Mea Culpa.

The bottom line is this: Some of my posts have offended some people that read this blog. It has been pointed out to me that some posts, whether in tone or content, have been inconsiderate and demeaning to those involved. Although I take care not to name names, for those involved it is clear about whom or what I am writing. I apologize for this.

The gut reaction when someone out there tells you that they are offended by a blawg post is to tell them to get lost.  Shawn resisted this response. 

I never took the time to consider the feelings of those involved. I have simply written what I was thinking at the time, without consideration to anyone else. This blog is more than a daily journal, it is a posting for all to see. I have not taken the requisite care with such an endeavor.

The rebuke gave Shawn pause to consider a different dimension to his writings.  It never dawned on him before that his words had the power to hurt others.  This is a problem that afflicts many of us who blawg.  We put strong words into our posts and push the “publish” button.  Sometimes, we look at what we’ve written and wish there was an “unpublish” button too.  We can edit out later.  We can even delete the posts.  But the nature of the blawgosphere is that once something has been put out there, it never really goes away.

I added a comment to Shawn’s apologia that it takes a big man to say he’s sorry.  It was a sign of maturity, and I respect that.  But an apology alone left questions unanswered.  It’s good to admit an error, but is it good to relinquish control of your own thoughts and beliefs?

Shawn back up his Mea Culpa post with another post that closed the open loop.  In …however, read the fine print,” Shawn got back on the horse.

But what about the content? Well, like I said, this is just my own ranting or rambling. It’s my voice in the digital age. Some of what I write is what I actually think, some might be opinions of others, some might just be me wondering out loud. Sometimes there is an inside joke going on.

Dealing with what is written on this blog is sort of like the radio. If you don’t like the song, turn it off. If you don’t like what I’ve written about, or how I’ve written about it, or whatever, then don’t read this blog. I don’t get paid for doing this. It’s just something I do in my limited spare time. I like to write, so I write. Plain and simple.

This is where Shawn comes of age in the blawgosphere.  While a blawger needs to be somewhat circumspect to avoid needlessly offending people, only because we remain part of the human race and survive with the same norms as anyone else, we cannot give up our voice in order to please others.  You can never please everyone.  More importantly, if that’s your purpose, then you have nothing to say.

If you put your own thoughts out there, you will eventually piss someone off. It’s true. “It’s much easier to say nothing.”

There’s the money line in Shawn’s post.  The realization that any idea has the potential to piss someone off, but the only option to expression is to say nothing.  Unless you want to hide in a hole in silence, you risk angering someone.  Once you accept that risk, you are ready to move forward.

If you want to read this blog, but don’t like the way I’ve covered something, then tell me. Leave a comment. Tell me I’m a moron. It wouldn’t be the first time. In fact, it wouldn’t be the first time today. You can even comment anonymously if you like. I try to respond to all comments, and I generally don’t delete comments for being vulgar, so bring it.

Finally, if you think I am a moron, but leaving a comment won’t be enough, then here’s an idea. Write your own blog. You can write all day long that I’m a raving lunatic jackass if you like.

Shawn shoots from the hip here, but with the best of intentions.  I suspect as interest in his blawg grows, he will come to realize that vulgarity breeds vulgarity, and the level of discourse will devolve into uselessness.  Civil discourse is harder to accomplish, but far more useful and interesting.  You see the inkling of realization of this in Shawn’s secondary suggesting, write your own blog.

The Matlock Blog is Shawn’s blawg.  It is his, completely and entirely.  No one else, not you nor me, has any right to go there and express any opinion, about Shawn, his posts or the weather.  At least not on the Matlock Blog (a name that could stand for some creative review, I might add).  I can say whatever I want about it here, because this is my blawg.  But I can’t there, because it’s his.  Unless he allows me to do so.

So Shawn correctly maps out the options.  If you don’t like what he says, click on the X.  If you feel compelled to write a dissertation on the depths of his ignorance, start your own blog, perhaps the “I Hate Matlock Blog” is still available.  Perhaps not.  And if Shawn allows you to post a comment, appreciate the fact that you do so because he has chosen to make that opportunity available to you.  Behave yourself as you would entering someone else’s home as a guest.

In these two posts, Shawn Matlock has come of age.  He will no longer be referred to here as Young Shawn.  I will change the name of his blawg in my sidebar blogroll.  He may still be subject to occasional ridicule, but only for his content.  And fashion sense.  And political affiliation.  Welcome back to the blawgosphere, Shawn.