NEWS: Garbage in, garbage out

As a lifelong resident of Coeur d’Alene, I think I speak for many when I say, I wish I could flip back the calendar a decade or two. A time when people held doors for each other, visited in line at the DMV and made their kids mow the lawn. We held our politics closer to our heart and managed family dinners where we had differences of opinion. I could go on and on.

With local elections coming up on May 21, there’s a lot of mudslinging and views being published. Depending on your comfort level with technology, you may be getting the majority of your news from the local paper, major TV networks like CNN, Fox News or MSNBC. You might be on X (FKA Twitter), Facebook or listening to the various national voices through Spotify or Apple podcasts. The options are endless for information. At the end of the day, we’re still neighbors.

Because of our little devices and keyboards, everyone has an opinion and we now fear our neighbors for they might hold some ideology that differs from ours…they could be the enemy! They could be a liberal democrat for heaven’s sake, or a white Christian nationalist. We fear if we mingle with someone with a different view, people might find out and label us, so we retreat to our homes and narrow our list of friends. What if we talked less and asked more? Do a self-examination. Are we doing more harm than good? Our kids are watching and I’m pretty sure they’re not impressed.

LISA AITKEN (CARLSON)

Coeur d’Alene