I was on my third sip of morning tea when I choked over the first sentence in Richard Pearen’s letter (Disdain no surprise, July 6).
It read “Is it any wonder that we view politicians with disdain?”
This is one of those many throwaway phrases which gently brainwashes people into believing it to be true. It is alarming that such sentiments are increasingly found in our public domain these days, in social media content and tossed with gay abandon into Editorials and a wide array of journalists’ articles, also beloved of some of the Talking Heads on TV and radio. The lure of these phrases is so subtle that even the VMS headline writer did not quite realise that Mr. Pearen’s letter is in fact about possible future methods of Proportional Representation voting in B.C.
Politics is one of my passions. Over 50 years I have lived through the eras of the few politicians who were overly ambitious, self-serving, dishonest or venal. Although we hear much about them, they are the very few. Most federal, provincial and municipal politicians are decent, hardworking and honest people who diligently give of their time and expertise, and who genuinely try to see the bigger picture, beyond their own backyard, in an effort to achieve improvement in the lives of their fellow citizens. Governance, at any level, is unbelievably complex and carries a heavy responsibility.
Few people want to be involved. So let’s try a new approach. Let us try to support the efforts of our politicians who are trying their best to govern (whether we agree with their opinions or not), and stop denigrating them so carelessly.
Alyson Witts