‘Children need to be taught how to behave towards others and why,’ a reader writes
SooToday received the following letter to the editor from reader Peter Vaudry in response to apparent ‘politically motivated’ attacks in Minnesota.
“Democratic lawmaker killed and another wounded in Minnesota in apparent ‘politically motivated’ attacks”.
I was so sad to read this headline – both because of the senseless loss of life but also to what it says about the era we live in.
Tolerant societies like ours in Canada are vulnerable to corrosion by divisive politics and infection by the culture of hate by giving permission, overt or tacit, to speech and behaviours which go counter to basic values about how to behave towards one another such as decency, compassion and KINDNESS.
The culture of hate can also take root and grow in any country. It is stoked by divisive politics, especially by those who give themselves license to attack individuals (“Trudeau is wacko”) not just ideas or policies.
Children need to be taught how to behave towards others and why. And to ensure those inculcated values stay firm and immune to erosion adults need to be reminded about the values that define who we are as a society and reminded about the need to speak out about bad behaviour and in a way that models and reinforces basic values.
Speech is a political act. It defines us. Words matter. They can be weaponized. What we say and how we say it has consequences.
It is important that our contribution to societal discourse seeks to remind people about what really matters and that we all must be active in preventing the erosion of values.
“Let us rekindle our connections to one another and face challenges, change and progress with a renewed sense of unity…and commitment to make the country a better – and kinder – place.”
End-of-the-Year Message from the Governor General, Mary Simon, Dec. 29, 2023.
Peter Vaudry
Sault Ste. Marie , ON