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Letters submitted by BDN readers are verified by BDN Opinion Page staff. Send your letters to [email protected].
An online environment for everyone
In a recent article on the BDN website titled Facebook Suspends Trump Accounts Until 2023, the threat to public safety is discussed. A lot of people are probably confused as to why a problem with social media is a problem with public safety. Some may think of the messages as mere words, but when some people go too far and act violently, it becomes a public safety concern.
The internet and social media have cemented themselves in today’s culture, with enormous influence given to creators, influencers and politicians. This form of media has its advantages, fast and up-to-date news being one of them, but it also has its disadvantages.
The influence given to prominent personalities has created a disconnect between media consumers and reality. When a politician says: Jump, their supporters say: How high? It creates an unhealthy environment online and leads to events like January 6th.
This article also seems to focus on Facebook’s obligation to ensure that nothing like this happens again. In turn, this raises the same questions for all other social media platforms. Businesses should have a responsibility, like the social responsibility of journalists, to present political information fairly and equitably, but also to maintain a space where hatred and incitement are not tolerated. Creating stricter and clearer guidelines on what is considered violent, hateful, intimidating, etc. will help social media platforms avoid criticism and scandals, while promoting an online environment for everyone.
Madison Humphrey
Winter Port
Police need more training, no blame
We live in a time when lashing out at the police has become commonplace. It’s simple to blame the men and women in blue when incidents turn violent, especially when a child is involved.
The Auburn Middle School cafeteria incident appears to have been elevated to a dangerous level before the school resources officer arrived on the scene. It was prudent for school officials to call for additional support before anyone was injured.
Children with special needs have the right to public school education, but their actions cannot harm other students. While this child’s mother was understandably horrified to see a photo of her handcuffed son, the primary responsibility of school officials is to ensure the safety of all students.
Further training of police at all levels is vital. Recognizing and managing mental health issues is generally beyond the reach of today’s workers, who are often asked to make split-second decisions without proper preparation. Police departments across the country need to expand and improve officer training to reduce or (hopefully) eliminate extreme reactions to potentially dangerous incidents.
Let’s move from blatant criticism to implementing solutions for better law enforcement.
Judith Kunkel
Camden
Public authority and public agencies
The BDN column of June 17 against the Pine Tree Power Company was not very informative, except for one important element: the apparent deep mistrust of the author of the public signs.
His experience reminds me of the old argument that the public cannot be trusted, an argument often used and most often filled with innuendo and outright lies about democracies (old and new) who trusted the people to control their companies. The people of Maine will produce policies in the best interest of their own, not that of large foreign corporations.
Robert rowe
Lewiston
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