Remember that childhood saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?” Well, that saying came to mind this morning when I was reading the Sunday Dallas Morning News and came across a community opinion article by Bill Ames titled, “Saving the planet isn’t easy.” I thought, “Nope, I believe words can hurt too.”
So when I read this article, I couldn’t help but think how divisive and hurtful the language in it is. Mr. Ames starts his article off with the following sentence, “Liberal environmentalists are a shrill, intrusive bunch.” Further into the article he comments, “If you don’t mind dying early, [referring to a prior statement about car size] drive a Smart Car. Even better, go get mugged on DART [Dallas Area Rapid Transit].” He calls alternative energy plans, schemes, a word with definite negative connotations. And, there is much more, but you can read it for yourself.
My point is that none of this language contributes to a productive discussion about the environment. I am not saying that we all have to agree and sit around the campfire singing Kumbaya. I know that we disagree about the problems we are facing and we disagree about the solutions as well, but if we want our families and communities to grow, to be healthy, and to prosper then we must seek out and create meaningful dialogue.
Mon, Jul 14, 2008
Green Living, Green Politics