COMMENTARY| Bethel: Too much hate | Opinion … – Bennington Banner

Its time Bennington stood up against hate. The world is boiling over with it. Dont we all wish we could stop it? The world cannot tolerate it much longer. Innocent people are being killed everywhere.

This isnt the world I grew up in and this isnt the world the next generation should grow up in. This isnt the way government was supposed to work. This isnt the way modern countries should deal with each other.

I know there is little we can do here in the State of Vermont to solve the problems of Israel and Palestine, or to give more than moral support to the war to preserve Ukraine. Governments are going to continue to spin out of control, no matter what we do here in Bennington.

Still, we cant just sit and stew, in the face of hate crimes, the racist attacks on Jewish, Black, Asian people or any race or nationality, and the rising tide of hatred that spews forth out of the media.

When the murder of George Floyd led to the Black Lives Matter movement, Bennington took a stand. It allowed painting on a roadway to support Black Lives Matter. That was no small gesture. Its rare to see principles displayed that way, and it had an impact.

Its time Bennington stood up against hate. Perhaps the process could begin with a strongly-worded resolution by the select board. We then can find ways as a community to underscore the public need for tolerance.

Vermonters have always been known as a tolerant people. Still the whitest state in the Union, Vermont was a leader in the abolitionist movement and has welcomed peoples from all nations into our communities.

But even here in Vermont we sometimes see signs of hate. Those who are afraid of people who dont look like them, who practice a different religion, will sometimes lash out with hate with ugly words. Thats just not acceptable it cannot and should not be tolerated.

Vermont has laws against hate crimes. They must be enforced. They must be matters of regular public discussion. We must show our disapproval publicly, but also we ought to look within. As adults we must find ways to keep this hate from spreading to our children.

Like others, I think about my own prejudices, which have changed over the years. Some of what I once thought what everyone around me thought was wrong. Even now, I have to be careful what I say and what I think. Everybody seems to be so sensitive lately. Sentences sometimes come out backward.

Ive been told that human beings are the only animals that hate. It cant be that we, as the supposedly most advanced form of life on the planet, have evolved to hate each other. It's not as if that was some kind of advance rather than a weakness something that is entirely impractical in addition to being unacceptable.

Each of us should be honest enough to admit our prejudices. And each should be willing to change if necessary. Thats not as nave as it sounds. Was I ever wrong about anything? Of course I was. Everybody has been wrong sometime. When what I thought turned out to be a mistake, I changed, but I never gave up my basic values.

Those values include a basic, sincere tolerance for others, especially those who are not like me, who come from different cultures, different families, different ideas. Thats what we are taught as a basic part of being an American. And a Vermonter.

We can say loudly and clearly we will not tolerate hate. Why cant we all live under the Golden Rule, treating others the same way we deserve to be treated. I believe that is a good place to start.

Mike Bethel is a resident of Bennington. Opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.

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COMMENTARY| Bethel: Too much hate | Opinion ... - Bennington Banner