Fear to Speak Out Makes ‘Them’ Smile

“They,” whoever “they” may be, must go to bed at night smiling. Why not? “They” have planted fear in many hearts, and that fear breeds silence and to them that is golden. “They” have made expressing one’s thoughts and ideas like playing Russian roulette. Cross the line of whatever “they” dictate is acceptable, and, well, “you know what might happen.”
Guess that’s what it was like when someone with initials A.H. became chancellor of Germany in 1933. With goons strategically placed here and there, “trouble makers” could be quieted, and society stood by in silence. Anyone who has visited the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. would probably puzzle, “How could they have let this happen?” Surely, many would add in the same breath, “But it can’t happen again. Surely it cannot happen here.” Don’t be too quick to agree with the latter statement.
Last week, Publisher Art Hall revealed what he has learned from some potential writers of letters to the editor. Some of them, who have in the past written well-researched letters, have lately shunned the idea. Those folks have expressed their reason: fear of threats, intimidation and being chastised for their positions on social concerns.
When we lose the ability to freely express opinions, our grand society is in grave trouble.
Part of the blame can be ascribed to television shows that seem to offer a forum to debate issues, but which become nothing more than shouting matches. I don’t listen when that happens. I simply turn off the program onto something more genteel. If the speakers lack sufficient words to properly expression their views, up goes the volume, as if that would add validity to their point.
Spout Off, vilified by numerous elected officials and embraced by many ordinary citizens, offers a golden opportunity to express real concerns in the public forum without such fear. There are times when I puzzle about those who want to contribute to the discussion, and are too timid to sign their name to an uncontroversial topic.
Take one received last week, handwritten on two lined pages of notebook paper from Wildwood. It would have made an excellent letter to the editor, yet for some odd reason, its author sought to remain among the wall flowers of Cape May County.
Its subject: flooding. As non-controversial a topic as one could find. So why remain camouflaged in silence? It was far too long for a Spout Off, which we limit so as to give everyone a fair shake.
I cannot print the submission in its entirety, but the short version goes: Since the 1980s, Wildwood has allowed paving with impervious material over much of the land surface. When rain falls, or tides rise, the water, which used to filter through lawns and in natural channels to the ocean and back bay, now stands in the streets. He also noted that the North Wildwood beaches used to be far smaller than they are today, that once a fishing pier extended into the sea from the boardwalk. I did not understand the correlation between smaller beaches and the fishing pier, but it would seem the bigger the beach, the better the storm protection offered.
Finally, the writer advocates planting more trees and grassy areas. So why not put a name and hometown there? Who could fault someone with that line of thinking? Still, there must have been a stunning sense of fear that kept the writer from placing a name and hometown on his thoughts. Why?
Flooding is but one problem the people of Cape May County face. With every high (moon) tide, there is water in some street of barrier island back-bay communities. It needs to be addressed, so public discourse is needed. That is not the only dilemma we face. There are others, which could evoke good, solid responses from our fellow citizens. To name just a few issues that scream for discourse:
• Public transportation throughout the county.
• Solid economic base to attract young families and give our college graduates reason to remain here.
• Concerted public effort to eradicate rampant illicit drug use, especially among young adults.
• What can reasonably be done to decrease the tax burden on property owners?
• A truly unemotional review of consolidation of municipal services.
Should Cape May County citizenry hope for a brighter future all the above and more must be addressed. Lacking free and open discussion, we will remain mired in antiquated ways, continue to watch passively as the population dwindles, and those who remain are saddled with enormous tax bills.
Those who have ideas must be free to express them without fear of retaliation by those who remain anonymous and toss brickbats.
Silence is not golden, especially if it has been born of fear for expressing one’s precious opinions in the forum of letters to the editor in this newspaper.