HopNews
Dear Editor,
As American citizens, we all have the right to vote for the candidates we believe are best suited for office. If there is a candidate you do not support, that is your choice — simply vote for someone else.
What I do not understand is why some people feel the need to go on social media and publicly attack candidates with cruel, hateful, and personal comments. Political disagreement does not justify bullying or treating others with disrespect.
The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of HopNews. Letters may be edited for clarity, grammar, and length.
It is perfectly acceptable to disagree with a candidate or their views. That is part of democracy. But there is a difference between respectful disagreement and personal attacks. Candidates are giving their time and energy to serve the community, and whether you support them or not, they still deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
Before posting hurtful comments online, whether you use your real name or hide behind a fake one, people should stop and think about how they would feel if they or someone they cared about became the target of that same kind of public ridicule. One day, it may happen to them.
We can express our opinions without tearing people down. We can disagree without being cruel. Our community deserves better than the hostility and negativity that too often dominate social media today.
Sincerely,
Bravo Punky
Absolutely right!
You wonder why people act like this? You only have to look at the current president of the United States.
Despite being given the opportunity to address concerns publicly, Punky responded with “No comment” when HopNews asked her three years ago about cyberbullying involving her friend, Darlene Hayes.
https://hopnews.com/public-officials-react-to-hayes-controversy/
To be clear, HopNews was under different management three years ago.
Wasn’t Nancy Drawe on HopNews a few months ago telling a fellow citizen to “shut up” after they spoke about kindness during a public School Committee meeting? This LTE feels pretty ironic coming from her.
https://hopnews.com/lte-cant-hear-you-nor-do-we-want-to/
I don’t recall anyone saying “shut up” on HopNews. Can you give us a link to it or a timeframe?
Included in the response above.
But first comment in this article.
https://hopnews.com/lte-cant-hear-you-nor-do-we-want-to/
Hopkinton Resident, now I see it, thanks. I’m trying to keep name calling and personal attacks to a minimum. It’s sometimes hard to know where to draw the line. -Paula
Perhaps you should start having folks give their real names and provide you w an address. Lots of folks can cyber bully by using a fake name on this page.
To be clear, I never told her to “shut up.” I asked if someone could shut her up after watching my friends be repeatedly attacked online. Not exactly the same thing.
Whoa, Punky! Bullying or stating facts? This article reeks of sour grapes because your HDTC candidates failed to sweep town election because people started to pay attention and do their own research rather than blindly vote down ballot. Hopkinton got this election exactly right this time around. Proud of this town for rejecting HDTC BS finally!
First of all, you have absolutely no idea who I voted for. Secondly, nowhere in my letter did I endorse or criticize any specific candidate, so your comment really doesn’t make sense. My point was about how people treat one another online, regardless of politics or which side anyone is on.
pretty sure you and your friends wrote the book on cyber bullying. Where were you when Ashley Fogg was figuratively tarred and feathered by your besties?