While my own sociopolitical views are far from columnist Jay Fleitman’s, I had chosen to simply write my column sans any specific critique of his or any other of the paper’s columnists in the spirit of freedom of speech. Then Fleitman wrote a column about how “alienated the conservative, Republican and Libertarian members of this community are from this newspaper” in referencing the failings of the Daily Hampshire Gazette.
He expressed particular animosity toward readers and writers who hold Donald Trump responsible for the escalation of hate crimes on the heels of the massacre at Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. He was somehow offended by these expressions of grief and anger as he referred to those writings as “hateful ideas.” And he said that “the Gazette contributes to an atmosphere of divisive politics” because of its liberal leanings. In another column, Fleitman implied that Samantha Bee should be held as accountable for calling out Ivanka Trump as Roseanne Barr for her overt racist comments. This is a frequent complaint from Fleitman. The right is not treated fairly.
Holding people in power accountable for doing harm is not hateful, and it is not akin to being racist. Holding people accountable for supporting Donald Trump is moral coherence. A madman is residing in the White House, and he lies and commits destructive acts on a daily basis. He fans the flames of hate at too many rallies as he gins up the participants. David Brooks, the conservative New York Times columnist, is on our side, for goodness sake!
Recently, a letter writer came to Fleitman’s defense as he bemoaned the effect Fleitman’s opinion columns have had on his own business. And Dave Ratner was invoked again for his visit to the White House and its repercussions. The writer claimed these men’s businesses are snuffed out due to their politics. He said attacks on them were “malicious” and “mean-spirited” by those who respond with concern and critique.
I have questions. What are the so-called conservative points of view? (I say so-called because the term conservative has morphed into many things over the years, and its very meaning is argued by people all over the political spectrum.) Most of what I have read in those columns and from letter writers in the Gazette are comprised of rhetoric where the “conservative” feels somehow victimized by progressives, but I have yet to read simple platforms of belief. Can it be that there is no platform? I would like to know.
The idea that left-leaning people are dangerous mobs is ludicrous. The idea that people who are right of center suffer by living here is absurd. Calling out injustices is not equivalent to committing them. Fleitman has the right to say what he thinks, and people have the right to react. After all of this time, I am still waiting to learn about his conservative platform.
My progressive platform includes economic, social and environmental justice. I believe that people seeking asylum here are brave and that they are fleeing untenable circumstances — not that they are “illegals” who mean us harm. What is the conservative point of view? I believe in equal rights for people of all identities. What is the conservative point of view? I believe in a separation of church and state. What is the conservative point of view? I believe that insurance should cover women’s reproductive choices, including birth control, especially since there seems to be no controversy about men controlling their bodies or using erectile dysfunction medication. What is the conservative point of view? I believe that tax loopholes for the wealthy and for profitable corporations should be eliminated. What is the conservative point of view? I belief that health care, housing and having enough to eat are human rights (as do most people in most industrialized countries). What is the conservative point of view?
I believe in strong regulations to control how we tend to the environment — our air, land and water — so we act as responsible stewards and inhabitants of this planet. What is the conservative point of view? I believe that a military-based economy is doomed as it perpetuates justified violence and perversely created conflicts. What is the conservative point of view?
To those countless friends of Fleitman’s who feel oppressed living here, I say this: I would be harmed for being who I am in 85 percent of this country. I have lived in places where bigotry is normative and where people who are not white, heterosexual and Christian are in potential danger every day for simply being who they are. The “conservatives” in this region, on the other hand, only have to bear hearing from progressives as we seek more justice, love and kindness — and as we hold people accountable for not supporting equality in all forms.
J.M. Sorrell is a social justice activist, a health care advocate and a wedding officiant who knows that her columns will not yield business from the far right.