Poteat speaks the truth while others only whisper

TO THE EDITOR:

Jacob Christopher’s opinion piece complains that elections are boring, candidates uninspiring, and voters disengaged. Writing a column about why you couldn’t be bothered to vote is a strange way to criticize civic apathy.

It is disturbing that a reporter who covers courts and education — institutions created and sustained by elections — would treat voting like an inconvenience not worth the effort.

Citizens rely on reporters to inform and encourage civic engagement, not rationalize indifference.

Democracy isn’t entertainment. It rarely involves “Rock ’Em Sock ’Em Robots,” egged houses, or spectacle. It usually involves standing in line, filling out a ballot, and choosing among imperfect candidates.

That may not make for thrilling copy, but it beats writing about why you stayed home.

Lines about tackling elderly women, “wrinkly yoga,” and “flimsy sheet of no real decisions” come across less as humor and more as contempt for ordinary civic participation, including older voters who reliably show up.

And if voters must be “chronically online” to learn about candidates, perhaps The Paper should ask why its own reporting hasn’t filled that gap.

Fortunately, your March 2 issue also contained one of your best opinion pieces.

Bill Poteat’s column reminded me of the old story of the vain emperor tricked into believing he wore magical clothes invisible to fools.

Not wanting to appear foolish, everyone pretended to see them — until a child spoke the obvious truth: the emperor had no clothes.

That is what your Editor Emeritus has done. At a time when so many voices whisper privately but remain silent publicly, he said plainly what most people, deep down, already know — that loyalty to one man has replaced loyalty to principle, the Constitution, and the rule of law.

The column’s reflection on the earlier days of Burke County politics, when Democrats and Republicans could disagree but still respect one another, was a useful reminder that our political system once depended on character and restraint.

Sometimes the most valuable service a writer can provide is simply saying the obvious truth out loud. In this case, our emperor has no clothes, and Bill Poteat had the courage to say so.

PAUL RASMUSSEN