Stop the bullying

Re. Staff should be ‘fired, jailed’ (Castanet, Feb. 3)

I am responding to the article highlighting emails calling for (Kelowna) city staff to be fired, alongside city council’s reminder that we are all adults and should behave as such.

When did civil discourse turn into bullying? When did distorting facts and publicly shaming unelected officials become acceptable civic engagement? It is obviously easier when anonymity shields accountability and people feel free to spread speculation and misinformation behind aliases and screens.

Having some understanding of how municipal decision-making works and the policy and procedural limitations that exist, I also wonder how people can justify vilifying city staff, the unelected professionals, for simply doing their jobs?

I ask, could they perform that difficult role? Could they manage not only the demands of the job, but the intense scrutiny and hostility that accompanies public service, especially these days, when opinions arrive louder than the facts and decisions made on the basis of policy and in good faith are met with unfiltered bullying and personal attacks?

I also wonder when slander and libel enter the conversation? Why does there seem to be so little concern when misinformation spreads as unchecked fact? Are letters to the media fact checked when they contain false statements?

I hope that, in time, there will be consequences not just for distorted facts but for outright lies that appear on line, as the justice system catches up with the pace of the digital age.

Let's stop the bullying and reconsider critical thinking, verifiable facts and mutual respect as we fairly evaluate and criticize the work of others, including city staff and elected officials.

It's more effective and reflects on the critic—and our community—far more positively than the alternative.

Maybe the odd “thank you” for a job well done would also be in order.

Chris Lapointe, Kelowna