Consequences of vitriol

Consequences of vitriol

For several years I have be- lieved that the vitriol from the news media would spawn an event like the recent Tucson tragedy. Each network is preaching to their own niche of constituents. We are not hearing news that informs; we are hearing opinions from people who have an agenda. The agenda is ratings.

Anger, and vitriol, and spin exploded in the news media after Sheriff Dupnik’s speech, because the media was put under a magnifying glass. The talking heads counterattacked with vengeance because they know it is an effective way to squelch honest dialogue.

Additionally, can anyone 40 and over honestly say that our nation is not less considerate to one another than it was 40, 50. 60 or more years ago? The new technology invites confrontational and mean-spirited dialogue. The very idea that our public officials feel they need to protect themselves from their constituents with guns screams that we are starting to think and behave like a Third World country.

One of the reasons we are becoming an angry nation is because we talk and treat one another with a lack of respect. Compound the erosion of basic manners with the crazy e-mail blasts of lies and distortions that pollute our homes are only a couple scenarios that are turning us into a very angry citizenry.

Our lack of introspection and dependency on opinion rather than taking the time to ferret out truth is distorting our perceptions of who we are as a people, where we have been, and where we are going and why.

Linda Troutman Schell, Venice, Fla.

Sit together more often

Why don’t all members of Congress try to cut out the silliness and act like professionals? They are serving the public and should sit together in all sessions, perhaps in groups representing their states. After all, they have that in common, or should.

Anne Pachos, Cortland