Stand Against Divisive And Hateful Rhetoric

Dear Courier,

I normally don't read Virgel Vaupel's columns in the BS Buzz, but a final sentence of his jumped out at me today, and I feel compelled to address it. The sentence came at the end of a column in which he managed to denigrate almost everyone, starting with women (claiming a female professor in Wyoming was an anti-American with a withered mind), then people in general (because we hire celebrities to sing the National Anthem at sports events instead of singing it ourselves), then Olympic athletes (who come home and become commies like that b-stard Bernie Sanders), followed by legalized immigrant citizens ("most" of whom are proud to be Americans....well, one anyway – Lee Greenwood), and finally, anyone who comes here trying to escape oppression or better their lives without going through the proper channels, because they are all (apparently) criminals.

The sentence was "I'm still proud of my Americanism and my patriotism and of my whiteness."

Sadly, I am aware that there are still a lot of old, bigoted, white men in our country whose claim of patriotism is based on hatred of of anyone who is not old, white and male. I realize that these poor fellows deserve my compassion, because their vitriol stems from ignorance and a fear of change. I know I should strive for more tolerance towards them (or anyone) whose world-views are limited by either a lack of education, a lack of exposure to different people, or by an upbringing that they are unwilling or unable to overcome. And, certainly, fear of change is common to all of us, so I can't really fault that.

But change is an inevitable part of the human condition, and how we react to it is what defines us. My generation didn't have the same values as our parents did, and our grandchildren will have different values than their parents had, and so it goes.

If we can embrace change, though, and look for the positives instead of the negatives, and stay curious about our cultural differences, then humanity has a shot at a future. Because, like it or not, we are rapidly becoming a global community with a global economy – one where succeeding generations will likely be multi-lingual and come in a rainbow of colors. A global community of people who hopefully will have decided to accept each other's differences and have learned to co-exist peacefully. If not that, then the alternative is a grim one.

If that sounds like "liberal mumbo-jumbo" to some of you, then know that I'm a registered Independent and I have voted for politicians from both parties over the course of my lifetime. Furthermore, I have known lots of Republicans and Democrats who believe in treating people with civility, kindness and generosity regardless of their party affiliations. And many of you live right here in Valley County!

So, people, please exercise your right to take a stand against any divisive and hateful rhetoric. Conversations about differing opinions are useful. Demeaning or belittling attitudes, not so much.

Sincerely,

Lin Erickson

Glasgow, Mont.