Letter: To letter writer, you're missing the point

Posted 5/18/18

To the editor:

In response to the letter written last week by Mr. Fuller, I would like to suggest that he missed the actual point of the "Hate Has No Home Here" signs, and is nitpicking the …

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Letter: To letter writer, you're missing the point

Posted

To the editor:

In response to the letter written last week by Mr. Fuller, I would like to suggest that he missed the actual point of the "Hate Has No Home Here" signs, and is nitpicking the literal to the point of missing the metaphorical.  

Mr. Fuller, your letter read like someone starting a conversation with "I'm not a racist, but...", or "With all due respect..." The point of the signs is not to limit free speech. Someone may say things with which I disagree, but I respect their right to say them.

You called the signs "beacons of intolerance." Really? 

The point of the signs is that, while we don't support hate speech toward designated "undesirable" populations (you know that's what we're really talking about here) and yes, we know that such speech is the First Amendment right; just as importantly, if not more so, one will also not find here the hateful behavior toward such people that has become so condoned in many communities throughout this country. 

Your letter focused on the First Amendment, but missed the spirit behind the signs. Is the intolerance to which you refer the current intolerance by close-minded, xenophobic people? Then yes, maybe so.

And by the way, the crucifix in the toilet is unfortunate, but we've all been offended by irreverent use of all sorts of symbols over the years, whether in the name of art or protest. However, I hope that you have never been been physically attacked because of your race, religion, land of origin, or sexual orientation; made to feel threatened; nor subjected to harassment, derision, or ridicule because of them. None of those actions are supported by the Constitution. And yet, many Americans do that very thing. We don’t all get to be white, male, Republican Christians. For anyone else in this country, there’s a very real possibility that in the current climate of intolerance, we will not all have the “Blessings of Liberty.”

Ending your letter with a sanctimonious suggestion that we all look to God, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, seemed to miss the point even more. 

I get that you were suggesting we just all love each other and sing Kumbaya together, which would be lovely, but your comments don't lead me to believe that you really believe that. I am neither Judeo-Christian nor do I particularly love my neighbor, but I do have the sign, and for me it is a symbol of the sanctuary this home has offered for over a decade, indeed this country has for over two hundred years. Sanctuary to people, ordinary people, who may be facing misunderstanding, pain, or exclusion from their communities for one reason or another. That's the tragedy and the point on which we should focus.

Lorna Steele

Barrington

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