The contents of this column reflect the letters we had received by the time we went to press, April 6, 2020. Letters are limited to 300 words or fewer. All submissions must include the author’s name and location. Opinions expressed are those of the authors.
In Response to ‘President’s Message: Language Matters’
Dear Editor:
I read and reread the article that Mr. Spoone wrote on how important the use of language is, and I believe that it deserves some comment! I can’t agree with him more!
I didn’t follow the impeachment proceedings, so I didn’t hear what went on. However, if I did, I would probably dismiss the conversation as an afterthought. But, give me some time to think about it, and I would say, “Yeah! There’s something wrong with this picture!” That Stevie Wonder remark was supposedly meant to be a joke. Well, hardy har, har, har! It was a bad one, to say the least! If Stevie Wonder were listening, I’m sure he wouldn’t find that amusing!
In this age of political correctness, I think we should be more careful in choosing our words when we speak, because someone somewhere is going to be offended by some mistake. It seems to me that we’ve lost that need to be respectful and sensitive toward others. We need to get back to it! We should do more listening than talking, more thinking than knee-jerkily reacting. More learning by listening. If we did all these things, we would be better off as a nation right now.
— Ayn Apelman, Pittsburgh, Pa.