Our Viewpoint

In recent years there was an uproar about schools not teaching how to write in cursive anymore. A method of communication like landline phones and hand-written letters that is disappearing.

It feels, however, like we're losing the basic skills of face-to-face communication. When I started writing this, I told my mom it feels like I broach this subject a lot. But it's worth repeating.

It's not unusual in 2024 to go to a school board meeting or a city council meeting or a town hall meeting (all three of which I have attended in the last week) and have discussion get to the point where voices are raised, gavels are rapped or communication shuts down altogether. At last week's Thompson Falls City Council meeting, Mayor Rusti Leivestad told participants several times that the council would not be answering questions in public comment but just listening. She held to her statement and when she felt the public comments got out of hand, abruptly ended the meeting.

No meeting should end like that. We as residents and members of other communities and people in public office should be able to have productive dialogue. We should not walk into public meetings and immediately feel an air of tension from any side.

Residents deserve to be heard, that is not a question. We elect people to represent us and speak for the people. However, productive conversations with good listeners need to be more common. It should never get to the point where a council member and a resident are snapping back and forth at each other and calling each other rude. If you've ever had a conversation with a frustrated toddler, you know it won't go anywhere.

When former Ledger owner Tom Eggensperger was on the City Council, he would consistently get calls, emails and visits from residens in his ward. People would express concerns, ask questions and let their thoughts be known. Then during council meetings, he would say what he was hearing from residents. I believe that there has been a breakdown in communication from all angles, except on social media. Sometimes I wonder if the things that people write on social media platforms would ever be spoken face-to-face. I'm guessing it's a lot harder to be so critical when you're in the same room as someone.

It's the duty of city council members to reach out to residents in their respective ward to gather thoughts on issues, but we also have a duty as responsible residents to reach out to our city, county and state representatives if we have questions or concerns. If you say something in a group on a social medai platform, there's no guarantee that the target of the comment or the person who can be part of the solution will see it. When someone comes to me with a conflict or issue, the first thing I ask is if they have talked to the other person. It's a good place to start.

The degredation of communication is becoming more evidents in various parts of life. Eventually people will either get tired of it and stow away in their own little world, or we will all get back to being good listeners, addressing conflicts and trying to come together to find solutions for the good of our schools, towns or county.

— Annie Wooden