I have been a resident of Davis for the past eight years and have always been very proud of this community. However, the recent public discourse surrounding the cancellation of Emerson Junior High’s production of “A Christmas Carol” has left me deeply saddened and disappointed.

More than anything else, I feel that what Davis has excelled at is being a group of residents who acknowledge and respect the differences among us. This does not mean that we will always agree with each other, but it does mean that belittling, demeaning and dismissive remarks should be avoided and not cheered on by other residents.

In my opinion, Bob Dunning’s recent column (Oct. 10) in The Davis Enterprise and the ensuing comments on The Enterprise website were exactly that. Instead of taking the opportunity to provide a thoughtful commentary on the issue and elucidate the reasons why the district should pursue other solutions, Bob instead chose to provide a rather vitriolic slew of arguments that took the basic form of “Don’t you have better things to do than be offended?” and “You are being overly sensitive.”

In essence, these comments are code for “We are the majority, we know what is worth getting upset about, and we will tell you (the minority) when we deem it appropriate for you to be upset.” Is this really the best we can do as a community? Is it possible that before jumping to “they are trying to steal Christmas from us,” we could all pause for a moment and try to hear each other out in a respectful manner?

I personally agree with the decision to continue to stage the play despite the ill timing. However, I found Bob Dunning’s comments to be unnecessarily divisive and ultimately counterproductive in terms of fostering an inclusive community.

Cynthia Pickett

Davis

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