Response to letter ADVERTISING Response to letter In response to “Oh, the trauma” by Michael Kingston (Your Views, Tribune-Herald, Nov. 18): He wrote about safety pins handed out at University of Hawaii at Hilo “for students traumatized by the election.”
Response to letter
In response to “Oh, the trauma” by Michael Kingston (Your Views, Tribune-Herald, Nov. 18): He wrote about safety pins handed out at University of Hawaii at Hilo “for students traumatized by the election.” He makes fun: “The sharp pin goes into the skin, drawing blood, creating a traumatic event … a cascade of PTSD reactions.”
On Nov. 14, “Safety pins show support for the vulnerable,” was printed in the New York Times. Fears are growing within groups, such as immigrants, women, LGBT, minorities, handicapped, etc. One response is the safety pin. It means you’ll show support. “If you wear a hijab, I’ll sit with you on the train” … “if you’re a person of color”… “if you need me, I’ll be with you.”
My niece joined a march in Philadelphia. A man on crutches was determined to be part of the crowd. The idea of the safety pin is, “I’ll walk slowly so we can walk together.”
My husband and I stopped along Highway 19 to watch the filming of “Jumanji.” We stood by a stranger. As we talked, she quietly told us she’d repeatedly faced sexual abuse by her father during her childhood. Memories and fears were overtaking her again. The idea of the safety pin is: “If you need me to listen, I will.”
What’s Mr. Kingston’s point? Worries and fears were raised by words spoken and actions seen during this election campaign. What’s wrong with a safety pin? It shows, “I’ll stand with you … I won’t walk away and ignore you.”
Ingrid Nishimoto
Ninole
It’s indoctrination
Given contemporary news reports about safe spaces, trigger warnings and other pampering mechanisms at U.S. college campuses, I was generally not surprised to learn (Your Views, “Oh, the trauma”) that some post-election collegiate trauma centers include therapy puppies, soft desserts and coloring books.
More surprisingly, though, was the news that “every person has a human right to not experience the violence of being around someone who thinks or votes differently.”
Wow. Perhaps this idea can only germinate in a society in which U.S. history is an elective course for college history majors (Nov. 20, George Will commentary). Perhaps, also, it is an idea that can only flourish in a country in which its college professors are awarded the same tenure normally reserved for federal judges and the pope.
It is behind this academic wall of security that the indoctrination of our youth can proceed unimpeded by historical enlightenment.
Skip Sims
Ninole
