EDITOR :

Re: Nothing makes sense anymore

I was absolutely appalled Wednesday morning when I woke up and read “Nothing makes sense anymore”. Not just the fact that the Daily Press had bothered to publish it, but that so many people I admired and respected had shared it.

Things have not made sense for decades in this country, whether it be related to LGBTQ+ rights, racial relations, immigration policies, police reform, health care, and so much more.

However, of all the vitriol that was written in this letter, what struck me the most was this sentence: “Illegal Immigrants with highly contagious illness are welcome, but you better be able to prove your dog is vaccinated” which was later followed up by “If someone actually has the nerve to point out this hypocrisy, they’re immediately called a racist.” In what society is it not racist and bigoted to compare humans who happened to be born in a less advantaged area to dogs?

This is a common theme throughout the letter; the overarching theme being that if you aren’t straight, white, and born in a small town in the United States of America, you are not deserving of having different experiences, values, ideas, and respect. Not only that, you simply aren’t deserving of living a fulfilling life and being heard.

I could go bullet by bullet down the list of things that “no longer make sense” to Mike, however I call upon the reader to challenge themselves to think about the other side of the argument. Read his list and remember that all of the following are human beings, each worthy of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness:

– Transgender people

– Undocumented immigrants

– Those affected by centuries of institutional racism

– Those who need healthcare

– Those with or without different religious beliefs

Remember that not everyone grew up the same way as you, had the same opportunities, home life, network, health issues or lack thereof, etc. If we claim live in the greatest country in the world, it is time to start behaving like its citizens. Step 1, get off of Facebook, stop sharing articles like the aforementioned, and go out and help others who are different than you.

Daily Press, I call upon you to be better. That doesn’t mean publishing only left leaning pieces. It means publishing truly thought provoking and grounded pieces that don’t call treating other human beings with respect and decency a form of “lunacy”.

Let’s get out there and create a society that makes sense, not by putting others down, but by raising everyone up.

Tom Wilson

Gladstone