[Vision2020] Civility is a two-way street

[Joe Campbell]

[This is a response that I posted to Roy Atwood's column in today's Daily News.]

I'm sorry, Roy, but I take issue with this article.

Do you read Ed Iverson's columns? They are offensive. Do you read Dale Courtney's website? It is offensive. Have you looked at Doug Wilson’s Blog and Mablog lately? It is offensive. Perhaps you don't see the offense but there is a continual series of offensive remarks directed toward gays, lesbians, feminists, liberals, progressives, hippies, etc. Just because you do not fit into these categories and these comments do not offend you does not mean that they are not offensive to others. If you want people to respect you in spite of their beliefs, you have to act in kind.

Dale Courtney has comments of mine, taken out of context, which suggest that I am in favor of abortion. That is a lie and I've told him and others, including you, but to no avail. If you google 'Joe Campbell' Dale's website is the first thing that shows up. I have folks writing me letters once a week asking me what's up. It is likely that my career has been harmed because of this misrepresentation.

I commend Tom for visiting Wilson. A while ago I visited you and it was after that visit that I realized that you could care less if Iverson, Courtney, and Wilson offended my friends or me. I have not visited you or anyone else from Christ Church since. Now you are asking others and me to care whether Christ Church businesses suffer boycott. I am sorry to break the news but civility is a two-way street.

Prior to the school levy election Dale Courtney paid for an anti-levy ad yet the ad was attributed to a dead man instead of himself. This is beyond all civil bounds.

During the election a member of Christ Church held up a sign calling three candidates 'bigots' simply because they noted a need for conditional use permits for boarding houses. (Something that one of the GMA candidates also recommended, by the way.) If I buy a house, I'd like to know if I'm moving in next to a boarding house yet without conditional use permits how on earth would I know this? Doug Wilson and others called them 'bigots' -- and you yourself, Roy, suggested in an open letter that the boarding house amendment was inspired by prejudice against Christ Church. Critics are bigots. Such an approach is uncivil.

I agree that we all need to be civil I just wish that members of Christ Church, like yourself, would look in the mirror and see the need for more civil action on their part. Otherwise, I don't see that much will change. Certainly if someone from your church has the right to hold up a sign calling candidates 'bigots' just because they passed a needed ordinance that was financially unfavorable to members of Christ Church, other people have the right to boycott businesses owned by members of Christ Church. Should either be done? No. But I don't see why I should take much action is preventing the latter if you don't take any action in preventing the former. Civility is a two-way street.