I Wrote a Letter

I wrote this Letter to the Editor, and it was published:

"For at least 18 months, I have read letter after letter, disparaging one “side” or the “other”.  People who don’t even know me, my family, or my friends have pre-judged us. There are undoubtedly letters that have pre-judged you too.

Hatred, rancor, and distrust drip from letters. Disapproving words about employees of the university that provides employment to thousands in our community, and which has educated millions over the years. Educators and students you have never met, yet you feel you know all about them because of something you heard somewhere from someone.

Every day you drive on the same roads; without knowing who is in the lane next to you, you trust they won’t do something stupid to endanger you—you have to trust that “libtard”. You go to the grocery store and stand in the same lines that I do, and we want the same thing—to get out fast, with correct change. The person who ensures our hamburgers are fully cooked might be one of those despised “snowflakes”. We sit side by side at the same health clinic and we both pray the educated staff can help our loved ones.

In times of crisis in our state, community, or in our countryside, we still need to be able to work together for a common goal. I will be working with you.

We will be able to do that if our differences do not become irreconcilable. If that happens, even heaven will be unable to help us."

I mean, really--is there any word in the English language more offensive than "Libtard"?! I guess that's the reason it exists at all, but I've only seen it as a printed word--I have never heard anyone actually say it. Perhaps I run with the "wrong" crowd, or perhaps it takes a special sort of person to actually use the word to describe another human being.

The internet has millions of good purposes, but this trolling has got to stop--we have allowed a subculture to be able to "say" ugly things to and about fellow human beings, and to be glib and thoughtless when responding to an issue that needs to be discussed in a civilized manner. Things that you would never, ever say out loud now find their way into print, and I honestly fear it will lead to "irreconcilable differences".