Dear Editor,
In light of the recent tragedies, I am writing this letter in regards to my concerns with people’s thoughtless comments and statements.
With the electronic media and instant messaging available today, people need to consider the fact that comments and opinions can instantly reach a huge audience. It can be argued that everyone has a right to know news, but isn’t it more important that a victim’s loved ones not receive devastating news from Facebook? Or worse still, have to endure the torture of hearing multiple versions of events that are purely guesswork and gossip?
Children may have the excuse of growing up with this technology and using it without thinking about the consequences, but what about the adults? These people should have the foresight to know how painful it could be to read about a family member’s pain when you don’t even know his/her condition. Every family deals with loss and grief in their own way and should have the right to choose when and what information they want to share.
For those individuals who choose to comment or message details or opinions about the recent tragedies, I hope you never have to endure the same pain the victims’ loved ones have suffered. Children need to learn that there may be consequences to their remarks and the only ones to teach them are the parents and adults around them. Please learn to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
Danielle Beeson
