Fear and Silence by Joseph Quigley of the Mayerthorpe Freelancer Hits Home Right Here in LSAC
This article is talking about the people who are afraid to voice their opinions.These people could be people who live in our County. They could be Ratepayers, Business Owners, Previous Councilors, County Administration or Staff. Their positions could be from the labor position all the way to the top chair, the President. All these people may have one thing in common. They may have very real concerns but for one reason or another they are afraid to voice their opinions.
It's time that they all feel that they can stand up and understand that if they don't voice their opinions, no one will ever be aware of them.
Unless the Candidates and Existing Councilors that are considering running in this next election are made aware of the issues and made to understand how you feel, how can they possibly address these issues in council meetings and in the forums that are soon coming.
Everyone needs to Stand
Up and Voice their Concerns and Opinions no matter if your opinion is thought to be Right or Wrong it doesn't matter, as You Need to be Heard.
You need to do so in order for the youth that will be representing our County in the future, (the same youth that will have to bear the consequences of the decisions that are taking place in our county today) , feel confident that they are empowered to do something to make things better.
They do have a voice! We all do!
By voicing your opinions, you can make changes. That's called the "Democratic Way". We have to ensure that this "Democratic Way" is not lost in a bunch of bureaucracy that a select few chose to implement on the rest.
Stand Up and Be Heard
By Joseph Quigley Mayerthorpe Freelancer
Friday, April 7, 2017 1:08:59 MDT PM
Protest and government critique is a fundamental part of our democracy. But too many in our communities remain afraid to speak out publicly against the actions of their governments and it ties the hands of local journalists (File photo)
In many ways, journalists are only as good as the information we’re provided.
Our role in society is to expose the truth, shed light on things unknown and hold the people in power to account. We have to work to build trust and relationships to get information that may be hard to find.
But too often, we run into a brick wall of fear from those unwilling to expose things going wrong in our communities. It makes our jobs much more difficult and stymies positive change in our municipalities.
Too many people in Whitecourt, Mayerthorpe, Woodlands County and Lac Ste. Anne County are afraid. They are afraid to talk openly about the problems they see. They are afraid to say anything that might paint these communities in any light that isn’t bright and beautiful. They fear being misrepresented in their words. They are afraid of the unjust consequences of speaking out to injustice or wrong-headedness from their leaders. They fear ostracization, criticism or a loss of opportunity as a result of speaking out.
I sympathize with those afraid to raise their voices high about problems they see. I have seen how often those that criticize get dragged into the dirt or mysteriously become silent. In larger cities, it can be easier to raise your voice in protest, secure in knowing there’s a lot more noise to drown it out. But in smaller towns, where everyone knows everyone, that can be a lot more challenging.
It would be good if our region could change to have a more open discourse. On the surface, it exists, with municipal governments regularly encouraging conversation. At a glance, it might appear that people are always free and unafraid to speak their mind.
Yet in my line of work, I still run into a wall of silence too often. Groups ask for funding, but rarely if ever directly tell their governments — or the public — that governments do not fund them enough. Too often, municipal problems arise, but are resolved behind the scenes and then the solution is inevitably presented to the public as if there was hardly a problem in the first place.
I have written on this issue several times before to little avail. The social structures that lead to people’s fears of speaking out are embedded deep and the resources of our newspaper are small.
If this is ever going to change, it is going to take courage.
People being courageous enough to shout loudly about the unseen problems in our communities. Courage to risk their reputation to try to create positive change. Courage to keep standing against the mudslinging that follows.
There are plenty of courageous people in our communities who should be celebrated. But our municipalities are still rife with problems and we need more people willing to stand up and talk about them publicly.
It is a lot to ask, when journalists can only offer a megaphone and a sympathetic ear in return. To some extent, we are part of the problem, when people are burned and feel misrepresented by us. I can only say our newspaper will always strive to be accurate and fair, with no desire to misrepresent. We will stumble, our legs constantly crumbling, but we will do our utmost in service of the truth.
The Whitecourt Star and Mayerthorpe Freelancer will keep fighting to uncover and highlight the issues of our communities, whatever the criticism and threats we take for doing so.
But that fight would be a lot easier if the public would stand with us.
WRITE ON JOSEPH !
ACTUAL LSAC RATEPAYERS PHOTO FLASH BACK TO DECEMBER 23 2014
I am a rate payer in LSAC,so received a letter about the RV tax,but I understood it differently,if you are a land owner with No residence you cannot park an RV there so you could party,
ReplyDeleteit's good to see this post at this time when the federal gov't wants to curtail democracy to the point we might as well live in a total dictatorship.
ReplyDelete