Freedom has responsibilities

To the editor: “What a Conundrum… It was a terrible nightmare, the most horrible one you could imagine”, is how the email started. As I read on, I became sad, angry and scared. It was a very offensive and hurtful joke that ridiculed people based on their ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, etc. We all get spam and those emails from around the world but this was one from someone in my own town! We all have the right to freedom of speech and can express our opinions. Every individual is certainly entitled to agree with the context of the joke and I assume many people did because it’s been widely distributed thus far. I found the joke to be anti-American, hateful and discriminatory. America is a place where all peoples are created equal. Instead of ridiculing people for their differences, we should understand one another and show tolerance. I strongly support our freedom of speech, but with our freedoms come responsibilities. Hate speech is intimidation and can also lead to violence. As Elie Wiesel said, “To remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all.” In deed, silence is the welcome mat for hate in our community because it’s an affirmation of that message by everyone including the offenders and the victims. So, please join me in saying “Not around me” and hit the delete key if you get that hateful email or another one like it. Someday the joke may be on you. Robert Veneziale, Ph.D. Board of Directors, Tri-State Unity Coalition Milford