[Winona] respect vs. issues

[Vicki Englich]

Title: respect vs. issues

I must confess that at times I have  been overwhelmed by the tone of some of the entries that have been submitted here. This tone tends to be arrogant and self-aggrandizing as well as intimidating. If I weren't used to expressing my opinions on a regular basis, I'd probably not interact in this forum, but I also believe that the writers of these entries are young and inexperienced. I had to laugh at Jerome's response and partly agree with it, however. This forum provides a space for liberals, conservatives, and everyone else in between and beyond to participate. I think what happens is that a writer whose message is perceived to be beligerant is also perceived to be leaning in a particular political direction and the result is that others who do not automatically share that political viewpoint feel insulted and defensive. No real communication occurs as a result. I hope that we can all get beyond this and pay attention to other points of view so that we can learn from each other. This will strengthen our  community in the long run.  But as long as some messages convey such strident arrogance, those ideas will not be taken as seriously. I confess that I have often hit the delete button even before I have read certain messages (even though I may share similar political philosophies with the authors) because of the predictable tone. If we stop trying to be right all the time, we just might learn something about the issues we are discussing. Vicki Englich