It’s a little ironic that I am going to complain about the ability to leave comments in so many online “spaces.” Blogs, online news sites, and of course personal web sites frequently offer a comment section. And as the Wisonsin recall season continues and the occupy groups continue to make the news, people really take advantage of it.
I’d like to say it’s a good thing, people paying attention and really getting involved in social issues. Unfortunately, I feel like most people use the comment feature to spew hateful, ill-planned, inaccurate, or otherwise pointless words. Having only a user name provides a kind of safety that makes some people think they can type things they would never say publicly. Or mabye they would say them… which is even worse. The few who actually post thoughtful questions or comments are lost in the crowd.
Here, as the recall Walker effort is fully underway, the focus is back on unions and the workers in them. Never mind the fact that many public workers are not even in unions. The perception of the unionized public worker continues to be that of some type of criminal, undeserving of fair wages, health care, or job security. Well, excpet for public safety workers, of course. Those folks are good; everyone else is not.
I realize that police and firefighters play an especially critical role, but that should not result in demeaning others. Those lazy, awful, useless, scum are actually working, tax paying citizens with families and hopes and maybe even homes.
They might even be your neighbors, oh hateful ones.
Of course there are people who take advantage of the system (any system!) but people like that exist everywhere, in every company and every corner of society. You wouldn’t burn down an orchard over one or two bad apples, but that is what has happened. It’s sad, especially since most of the criticism is based on a belief in TV ads. Wake up folks. The union is not your enemy and neither is a union employee.
