The climate change denialists and anti-fluoride lobbyists have been using The Independent as a battleground for their respective crucial issues for years now, and we’re still getting at least a letter an issue about the decaying state of the world or, as some would advise, our teeth.
I’m not suggesting that these aren’t important issues that divide the community. I’m saying that more care be taken to selectively mute those who fail to bring new ideas or perspectives to light, rather than week after week of brief elaboration on one or two pieces of “evidence” that, you might not be surprised to hear, have very little effect on the opinions of the populace.
To our fluoride/climate contributors whose gargan-tuan superiority complexes force them to abstain from silence, there are better outlets for your opinions. I would suggest that if you have access to an internet, you maintain a blog. Why, I’ve had 289 views over seven posts on my blog, and while that’s a small figure, it’s exactly 289 more than the number of people who care about the repetitive, absurd contributions to our beloved paper regarding the well-trodden issues we’re so frequently exposed to.
And to the general public, I beseech you: if we can write more letters about other things, perhaps we can displace the fluoride argument and the concerning droves of scientifically incapacitated idiots who refuse to believe that the environment needs protecting.
Expand that “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down” into something with direction and context or write a review of last night’s episode of Home & Away. I don’t care – just get writing.
The cases have been heard, people. You aren’t swinging any more opinions in either direction.
So, for the good of the community, please stop. We have more important things to write about, like how the volume of the neighbours’ Maltese Terrier interferes with my Labrador’s psycho-logical stability and council simply must put a stop to it.
Name withheld
