Recently, I had the privilege of reading this blog post, by a lovely person named Steve Benko. It's titled "An Open Letter To The Odyssey Online," and essentially spends a few paragraphs trashing this platform. Mr. Benko makes several claims in his article which are simply not true. Odyssey, or as Mr. Benko likes to wrongly call it "The" Odyssey, is a platform through which writers can publish anything they want. Yes, we unite under one brand name, however it's a system that promotes freedom of speech and thought and expression. As Editor-in-Chief of my branch, I can't tell one of my writers they're not allowed to exercise their right to free speech, no matter how much I dislike their opinion. Mr. Benko does not seem to understand this concept, as well as many others who are supporting his blog post.
Mr. Benko claims that Odyssey is a website that promotes privileged, whiny rants from white kids who've never struggled. I won't say he's wrong; there are some writers for our website who are very privileged. However, there are just as many writers on this website who challenge these writers, and the cycle goes on and on. It's a conversation stimulant.
Odyssey is a project that challenges others to recognize the different opinions out there, and how to challenge them in an appropriate and eloquent manner. For example, Mr. Benko cites two contradictory articles on feminism; one is about why feminism is bad, and the other is refuting this claim. What Mr. Benko fails to address in his article is the reason why there is even a possibility for this type of contradiction to occur: it's freedom. Odyssey provides its writers with an outlet through which they can express themselves. As a feminist, if I see an article that is particularly anti-feminist, I have the ability to address it immediately and put a different spin on the story.
Mr. Benko then crafts a particularly rude assumption about Odyssey writers, saying "This is not journalism, these are not writers, they are merely cogs in a machine–a machine that I hope breaks, very soon." Well, Mr. Benko, of WordPress.com, I thank you for your opinion, however unnecessary it may be. But I would beg to differ. There are many different types of content that Odyssey produces, and it is the most organic content creator out there.
Odyssey, from an inside perspective, is anything but a machine. For those of you who don't know, here's how it works:
1. Writers text into a GroupMe every week what they want to write about. I, as their Editor-in-Chief, cannot tell them not to write about a topic. It's entirely up to the writer.
2. Writers submit their articles any time during the week that they want. I can only tell them if they miss their deadline, but they are allowed to submit anytime prior.
3. I can edit their articles for grammar, flow, and fact-checking. But I can't reject an article based upon content.
4. Once articles are published, we don't pay anyone to read them or promote them. We share our articles on our own Facebook pages, and they spread on their own.
These four steps are not normal for "machine" publication companies. I understand the frustration that some people have with Odyssey. I, myself, am irritated from time to time at the type of content that I see come from this platform. But then I am reminded of one very important thing: there is nothing else like this that exists in the world. There is no one, unified company that allows its content to be completely up to its writers in the same manner as Odyssey.
I truly believe that what this entire issue boils down to is people like Mr. Benko being uncomfortable with people expressing opinions that do not align with his own. Unfortunately for Mr. Benko, and people like him, this is simply a fact of life. Every person on this earth has their own opinion, and, whether we like it or not, sometimes we will have to encounter these opinions. I feel very sad for those people who feel the need to attempt to discredit an entire organization based upon their discomfort with some of its content. I truly hope that Mr. Benko and his associates/supporters can one day come to support the freedom that Odyssey provides our generation.
