Jack, to state the blindly obvious, you are a journalist, so I imagine it is ingrained that you keep a professional distance from your readership. But I sense you have the conscious inclination, unusual, to reveal something of yourself in these newsletters. Am I right? Why is that? It’s welcome, BTW!
I enjoy (and am fortunate to have) the freedom write about local government finances one day and a personal essay next. My hope is that readers value that variety too. And I think the advantage of this medium is there can be a connection between writer and reader.
Good! BTW, where is everybody?! I’m a bit self-conscious seeming to be the only contributor this week! Nothing to do with the new subscription regime, I hope.
I can’t say I enjoyed reading this piece Jack, but I am very glad you’ve written it. It is brave and resonates strongly with me. Fitting in and knowing when we no longer fit in, is rarely voiced and is a painful part of living and letting go.
Your story resonates. I couldn't compare the pain of anti-Semitism with the intellectual, cultural, and economic pain inflicted by our leaving our own group—viz the European Union—but the Brexit argument sorely tested some of my friendships. I count myself lucky that the 'outsiders' in my social world were the leavers, so I never experienced what happened to you.
And in response to your earlier comment, I'm a subscriber precisely because I value the variety of your writing
Jack, to state the blindly obvious, you are a journalist, so I imagine it is ingrained that you keep a professional distance from your readership. But I sense you have the conscious inclination, unusual, to reveal something of yourself in these newsletters. Am I right? Why is that? It’s welcome, BTW!
I enjoy (and am fortunate to have) the freedom write about local government finances one day and a personal essay next. My hope is that readers value that variety too. And I think the advantage of this medium is there can be a connection between writer and reader.
Good! BTW, where is everybody?! I’m a bit self-conscious seeming to be the only contributor this week! Nothing to do with the new subscription regime, I hope.
I can’t say I enjoyed reading this piece Jack, but I am very glad you’ve written it. It is brave and resonates strongly with me. Fitting in and knowing when we no longer fit in, is rarely voiced and is a painful part of living and letting go.
Thanks, Lisa x
Your story resonates. I couldn't compare the pain of anti-Semitism with the intellectual, cultural, and economic pain inflicted by our leaving our own group—viz the European Union—but the Brexit argument sorely tested some of my friendships. I count myself lucky that the 'outsiders' in my social world were the leavers, so I never experienced what happened to you.
And in response to your earlier comment, I'm a subscriber precisely because I value the variety of your writing