A little respect for opposing ideas and the people who hold them can go a long way

Re: “Democracy in peril from the left,” Feb. 11

Paul McLennan advocates a schoolyard way of dealing with bullies. “One punch in the nose.” He says it worked for him.

Now, a bully, according to the Miriam-Webster online dictionary, is “a blustering, browbeating person; one who is habitually cruel, insulting or threatening .... ”

Reading further in Mr. McLennan’s column, I see he describes people who do not share his political opinions as “sore loser lefty crybabies having a little tantrum...”

I should think that qualifies as blustering, insulting and even cruel language. Read the rest of Mr. McLennan’s column, or his earlier writings, for much more of the same.

So who is the bully? And how to deal with such bullying?

I’m not a big, strong ex-RCMP peace officer like Mr. McLennan. In my experience, punching an opponent most often leads to retribution, revenge and a sore nose of my own — or worse.

But the political world is a contest of ideas, not of muscles or insults.

Especially in a public forum like the News, a modicum of respect for opposing ideas, and for those who hold them, can contribute to a useful discussion. That’s not very trendy in the Twitterverse so dear to President Donald Trump, but it would certainly be a welcome addition to Mr. McLennan’s future writings in the News.

David Gue Medicine Hat