Letter: Sign insults do nothing to help heal a divided nation

Posted 10/10/18

To the editor:

I address my comments to the fellow citizen who owns a business on Main Road and posts his political views on a sign in front of his establishment.

I strongly support your right …

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Letter: Sign insults do nothing to help heal a divided nation

Posted

To the editor:

I address my comments to the fellow citizen who owns a business on Main Road and posts his political views on a sign in front of his establishment.

I strongly support your right to do so. Freedom of speech is an essential principle of democracy, and this nation is made greater when all have a part in the conversation.

And although I do not share your views, there have been a few times when your posted message did provoke thought. I did indeed spend some time considering your opinion. Whether I came around to your position or not is irrelevant. I defend your right to speak your mind.

However, if I drive by and see rudeness, insults or profanity, I shake my head and drive on by — offended, as you apparently intend me to be.

I am no snowflake. I am not hurt or threatened by your language. But when you choose to post things that dehumanize or demonize those of us who don’t see things your way, the nation you claim to love is not helped or healed in any way. It is ripped apart, sickened and divided even more than it already is.

If you want to be part of the problem, continue being “right” all the time.

If you want to help America move forward, consider a more respectful approach. I’ll do my best to meet you in the middle.

Tim Smith

Tiverton

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