Today I sat and pondered on
a very fundamental question, of what exactly is an Agony
Uncle or Aunt, and why should anyone really need one.
Well I can say this with some degree of certainty; he or
she, is not some great sage with infinite powers of wisdom….
King Solomon was portrayed
in the Bible stories as a great wise leader, but in many
ways he too was an ancient Agony Uncle, who’s
people came to him with their daily problems, troubles and
woes. Although very wise and very astute King Solomon was
after all only human, and, as it is only human to err, then
he too could never answer all that was put before him….
.
The terms Agony Aunt and
Uncle was only ever used within modern media. Magazines
and newspapers, originally on an advertisement rich page
of readers looking for missing relatives or friends they’d
lost contact with, and later developed to become anyone
who encouraged their readership to submit problems for them
to solve, or at least give an unbiased opinion on, then
publish the question and answers within the following publication.
Initially called simply Problem Pages, then Agony Columns.
Later to become identified with individual columnists who
became associated with the actual pages on a regular basis.
Many of these journalists became quite famous in this field,
and moved into the many new media being developed from radio
and television to the Internet and other Live Broadcasting
Media…
A DICTIONARY DEFINITION…
“Agony Aunt noun,
1970’s a problem-solving usually a woman, columnist
of newspapers and magazines to whom the lovelorn and generally
often depressed can write; their letters will be answered
in print or privately; thus the male equivalent, Agony Uncle.
The first Oxford English Dictionary citation is in a 1975
edition, but it refers, to a biographical prototype of Evelyn
Home, and to the "agony aunties" of the '1930’s'
and was associated with WWII and broadcast over the BBC
World Services; note the actual term AGONY COLUMN
noun, from which the names have derived, dates from the
1950’s as quoted in a version of Cassell’s Dictionary
of Slang in 1998 by Jonathon Green”…
Today’s modern Agony Uncle or Agony Aunt, does
not sit in any form of judgement; after all they are really
trying to befriend the advice seeker. Some only do this
in a professional manor and will not correspond on a personal
level preferring to answer all within their article pages.
Others offer genuine advice and assistance and really care
for their advice seekers in every way, often becoming very
good friends, just like a real Aunt or Uncle
would. Whichever type of Agony Uncle or Agony Aunt
you yourself prefer to associate with is entirely your choice.
Good codes of conduct and discretion are of course essential;
after all, you don’t want your personal information,
like your full identity of name, address and e-mail broadcast
halfway around the world on the whim of some unscrupulous
editor just to hopefully attract a larger proportion of
the available readership. With the internet now playing
a large roll in everyone’s lives then more and more
websites have been instrumental in offering the services
of an Agony Uncle or Aunt for their visitors, as a valued
addition to an already good website….
WHO NEEDS AN AGONY AUNT
OR AGONY UNCLE ANYWAY?...
The simple answer to this is
we may all find a need for an Agony Uncle or Aunt
from time to time throughout our lives. No one is an island,
and often it’s those simple things that just get on
top of us and get us down. Needing a sympathetic ear to
listen or the shoulder to cry on was and still is the roll
of our closest friends, a partner or relative. All too often
however these problems arise, and we simply cannot confide
with any degree of confidence in the people who surround
us everyday, we need that input from an impartial stranger,
an outsider looking in on our situation. Sometimes too there
is no one there to confide in, in our lives. The growing
trend of singles to be isolated from friends and family
is quite alarming, and the popularity of messaging services
and chat rooms within the internet community infrastructure,
plus the advent of personal blogs have also brought about
the need and rise of Agony Uncles And Aunts the world over.
Many are finding the need to confide of past experiences
that have haunted them for years, this bearing of their
inner fears acts as a release, a catalyst setting them free
from innermost chains that have burdened them. Agony persons
fill these gaps perfectly with their own distance from the
reality of it all, is a testament to their ever-growing
popularity. An online Agony Uncle or Aunt can be that friend
you so desperately need to confide in, and in doing so you
may also help others….
HOW DOES MY CONFIDING HELP OTHERS?...
Strange as this may sound,
every-time an Agony Aunt or Uncle answers someone’s
problem publicly in whatever media, it may also help someone
else. Our own problems may seem quite unique, and very personal
to ourselves. However your own problem is actually the same
as many others the world over, lots of individuals or couples
going through identical forms of crisis situations with
exactly the same problem, arising from almost identical
backgrounds but in differing cultures. By highlighting your
issues, others, who have not plucked up the courage to contact
an Agony Aunt or Agony Uncle? Are able to read about
it, and resolve their own problems, after seeing the similarities
of the questions asked. One question to an Agony Aunt or
Uncle may help many thousands of others in its eventual
publication and circulation. This helping of others is the
very essence of why they have captivated audiences the world
over, with international celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey
and her Shows, who after all is a well known media star
and Agony Aunt in her own right…
IN CONCLUSION…
If you have a problem, and
are in need of impartial advice, whether for publication
or as a private contact, seek out your own personal Agony
Aunt or Agony Uncle, many are well educated and have
graduated from the University of Life and Hard Knocks themselves,
but all are very loving and caring individuals who enjoy
helping others….
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