MEEKER |“Playground Politics” are back with a vengeance It first became visible in the larger public meetings involving local issues. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for it.
The size of the community didn’t appear to be as much a factor as a general disinterest toward collaborating with each other on issues in our communities, with no tenable link to a reason why they had no interest in making things right with anyone who shared a differing opinion. Rural and urban public arenas displayed the same lack of enthusiasm for working together. The negative undercurrent has been generated by hatred and fear.
Even the least publicized events feel the effects of community divisions.While the phrase invoking schoolyard behaviors by adults in public places continues to be on point, it is the complacency that is displayed shortly after a meeting is held,that discourages change.
So many of us, who come to expect that kind of behavior in public, may walk away from attending more than a few public meetings at all. The constant question being asked, “what can one person do?” reflects the distraction created by this type of behavior. It diverts the focus and attention away from matters at hand, taking valuable time away from the people in positions of power to solve our problems now and in the future.
By DOLLY VISCARDI
