The Columbus Dispatch

Treatment of referees sign of how we have lost control of our own behavior

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I read about how the referees were treated in Grove City (”More must be done to protect referees”).

Coupled with school board meetings with screaming parents who won’t listen to the establishe­d rules, the assaults on airline flight attendants, rhetoric on social media (and I know there is more), I have to wonder what is wrong with us as a society right now.

Peaceful dissent is part of our history, but bullying people whose job is to enforce regulation­s already set in place is not. At what point did we lose the ability for rational discussion when there are differences in opinions? When did we lose the ability to rationally look at another’s point of view? When did we lose the ability to weigh the importance of the disagreeme­nts we may have with one another?

Perspectiv­e is important. Are we able to separate what we sincerely believe and the beliefs of others? Do anyone else’s beliefs matter?

We might express concern about the government, immigratio­n, the debt ceiling. All of these issues are important, but we need to look at how we deal with the things we can immediatel­y control — ourselves.

Holly Richard, Columbus

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