Change your mirror
Imagine aliens dropped in on Coeur d'Alene and, wanting to know about its denizens as quickly as possible, turned to the Opinion page of The Press to see what they'd gotten themselves into.
What might they conclude, analyzing all those letters to the editor?
* That the local humanoids tend to be really angry.
* That few speak for many.
* That most criticize without offering a better idea.
* That they can't spell. Oh, wait - that's the editor.
* That most of the opinions have to do with civil rights (anger), government in general (anger), decisions of a black man in a white house specifically (anger), and paying it forward (OK).
While the Opinion page is a cornerstone of local free speech and will remain so, a sanctuary for joyful tidings and bitter pills alike, even a visitor from Kepler 452b could soon attest that the page is not always an accurate reflection of the majority of people here. Summertime guests and other visitors constantly remind us that the real Kootenai County looks more like this:
* Most people seem to be happy and considerate.
* Most are respectful of people who are different from them; look different and maybe even believe different things.
* Because life here is so good, the natural beauty so breathtaking, the four seasons so spectacular, the amenities so robust for a population so small, the vast majority of people would have no reason to be angry or unhappy - let alone take the time and trouble to rant in writing.
So how do we better reflect what people in Kootenai County really think and believe, and how they act? By getting more citizens to speak up.
Newspaper research shows these pages have broad readership, yet a tiny percentage of those readers ever takes the time to express an opinion - and often, it's the same handful of writers wearing the same opinions dressed up in new adjectives and nouns.
Consider this your formal invitation, Mr., Mrs. or Ms. Happy Bystander, to participate in healthy community discussion and constructive criticism via the written word. Email your letters to the editor to mpatrick@cdapress.com.
Most people will be glad you did. So might a few aliens.