Nasty behaviour hurts democracy

Re: “Politicians should understand that power can attract insults,” Chris Nelson, Opinion, Feb. 22.

Perhaps Chris Nelson is just being provocative when he argues that politicians should just suck up the nasty, rude and crude insults they receive. He believes that such behaviour is democracy, and yes, it sometimes crosses the line.

In my view, Nelson is off base in normalizing aggressive behaviour that in no way contributes to a society where viewpoints and individuals are respected, even when they disagree. The brave politicians and employees who are making known the kind of abusive behaviour that transpires in their workplaces are enabling all of us to make it clear that sexist, racist, homophobic and other discriminatory attitudes and behaviours are not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

Their disclosures can give hope to school children subjected to bullying who believe they must suffer in silence. These insults on social media or in person are the foundational attitudes for other harmful actions such as domestic violence and assaults on minorities.

Women are often the targets of such misguided attempts at control.

Surely, Nelson would not suggest that it is acceptable to silence women or vulnerable members of our society with sexist and racist taunts that can escalate into physical violence.

Mary Valentich, Calgary Social Workers for Social Justice