To the editor:
Visiting my home town of Thunder Bay I am filled with joy smelling the fresh air, feeling the friendliness of the people and seeing many positive changes, as my generation begins to established itself in positions of authority.
One thing I am not surprised to see, however, is the continuous publication of killjoy letters to the editor.
You all know the ones - people complaining about change, about city council, making claims about the way Thunder Bay is and always will be, because it always was that way.
This harmful venting is published in both newspapers consistently, and the arguments given for views are consistently as weak.
For instance, someone recently wrote decrying the “entertainment district” because this decision is “segmenting this town back in two.”
Well, yes, designating any area as anything does imply that it is separate, at least in name or function, from the other parts.
And?The letter went on to complain: 1) that we pay taxes and 2) that Thunder Bay is far away from other towns.
What I’m hearing is an argument against change that is based on two facts about Thunder Bay that are never going to change. The conclusion should then follow that Thunder Bay ought never to change.
Obviously, this doesn’t make sense.
What I wish would change is the willingness of the editors of our newspapers to publish opinions that are unsupported by reasoned argument.
We can’t change Thunder Bay’s location, or the fact that we pay taxes - that’s true (and thank God for both of those).
Let us then change our habit of pointing out things we don’t like without bothering to think through whether our view is well-supported, and let us ask our newspaper editors to be more discerning about which views are worth being shared.
Visiting my home town of Thunder Bay I am filled with joy smelling the fresh air, feeling the friendliness of the people and seeing many positive changes, as my generation begins to established itself in positions of authority.
One thing I am not surprised to see, however, is the continuous publication of killjoy letters to the editor.
You all know the ones - people complaining about change, about city council, making claims about the way Thunder Bay is and always will be, because it always was that way.
This harmful venting is published in both newspapers consistently, and the arguments given for views are consistently as weak.
For instance, someone recently wrote decrying the “entertainment district” because this decision is “segmenting this town back in two.”
Well, yes, designating any area as anything does imply that it is separate, at least in name or function, from the other parts.
And?The letter went on to complain: 1) that we pay taxes and 2) that Thunder Bay is far away from other towns.
What I’m hearing is an argument against change that is based on two facts about Thunder Bay that are never going to change. The conclusion should then follow that Thunder Bay ought never to change.
Obviously, this doesn’t make sense.
What I wish would change is the willingness of the editors of our newspapers to publish opinions that are unsupported by reasoned argument.
We can’t change Thunder Bay’s location, or the fact that we pay taxes - that’s true (and thank God for both of those).
Let us then change our habit of pointing out things we don’t like without bothering to think through whether our view is well-supported, and let us ask our newspaper editors to be more discerning about which views are worth being shared.
Lisa Pelot,
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
