Ridgewood NJ, a new Cato national survey finds that self‐censorship is on the rise in the United States. Nearly two-thirds—62%—of Americans say the political climate these days prevents them from saying things they believe because others might find them offensive. The share of Americans who self‐censor has risen several points since 2017 when 58% of Americans agreed with this statement.
Clearly we have seen this in action even on a local level in Ridgewood. Name calling, bullying , “filtering” , silencing , group think , conformity, blind obedience ,right think , Facebook excommunication, boycotts and trying to get people fired has become part of life in Ridgewood . https://theridgewoodblog.net/in-ridgewood-its-free-speech-for-some-but-not-for-others/
I have always loved our country for the opportunities it provides. I am the child of parents who did not come from wealth but came from blue collar workers, a first generation American roofer on my dad’s side and a sea captain on my mom’s. From an early age I was pushed to succeed, to learn and to work hard. I stumbled along the way, almost failing out of high school at one point but managed to turn myself around becoming the first woman in my immediate family to graduate from college and transitioning into the person I am today. My life has not been an easy one. I have overcome many obstacles and failures but the things that always stayed with me were my work ethic and my willingness to learn from my mistakes. I have held every job a person could, from being the neighborhood babysitter to the shrimp de-veiner girl at a fish market to a successful lawyer and elected official. I have had money and I have had no money. I have traveled to and worked in other countries and have seen first hand how much we take for granted in our own country. I see the anger and hatred that people currently have and it candidly confuses and saddens me. Should our country work harder to ensure everyone is treated equally regardless of skin color, sexual preference, religion, gender, etc.? Absolutely. Have awful things occurred against people of color or in the name of religion throughout mankind’s history? Yes. Should we have more open and real dialogue on current issues involving race and religion? Yes. Are most people in today’s society racist, bigots, anti-Semites, Nazi’s, white supremacists or any of these items? No. I have been in public office for 5 years and I have prided myself on listening with an open heart to differences of opinion on all topics and issues. I am not someone who views issues as black or white but rather sees most issues are inherently grey without a right or wrong option. But this is the first time in 5 years that I fear for the future of our society as well as my own safety. We must stop the ramping up of hatred and labeling everyone who may not agree on every issue as racist, bigoted, Nazi, snowflakes, Antifa, etc. In the current climate it is dangerous and will result in violence if we continue down this path. I speak with hundreds of people each week. Almost everyone I meet or speak with falls on a bell curve with respect to their own beliefs. While not everyone will agree on all issues I find that most people ebb and flow on certain items depending upon their own life experiences. Very rarely do I encounter those who are the outliers that the press tries to make us believe are the norm and not the exception. Let us make a vow as Americans to respect one another, to bring back the ability to engage in meaningful dialogue on even the toughest of issues, to agree that people have the right to have a difference of opinion and to stop the labeling and name calling. Our country and our children deserve better from all of us
Ridgewood NJ, Insulting people’s intellectual range, calling people idiots, inventing insulting names for people who have different opinions and calling those people’s opinions outrageous – all in one paragraph – doesn’t craft a winning argument for being “above the fray” or better than the average Blog reader… And if you indeed are a very devoted and vocal supporter of the current Council majority, I don’t think it reflects well on them either. You are not doing them any favors by being so nasty and quickly reduced to the level of name calling.
Why can’t anybody just discuss the issues anymore? Agree to disagree? I have strong opinions too but make an effort not to engage in that type of behavior. It is just unnecessary and unproductive. I think if you can’t hold it together, in public or in writing, people can probably sympathize with that feeling but maybe you should reconsider participating until you can pull yourself together. This thread of comments was not uncivil at all until you took it in that direction.
It goes to the very core of the problem when even Reverend Jan Philips at the beginning of the public comment session in a public meeting accused Ridgewood residents who were about to speak as GRANDSTANDING, when almost noone had had a chance to speak .Worse yet Reverend Philips, chairs the Civility Meetings, leading critics to only assume the whole civility process is nothing more than an attack on free speech and an attempt to silence dissent.
The Ridgewood blog is often the target of these Orwellian attacks of news speak where time and time again supporters of the council majority come on the blog name calling , bulling ,attacking and threatening posters always desperate to break the veil on anonymity that protects residents .
So the message is simple you get what you give , lack of respect breads lack of respect .
threats:
70.192.73.161
We can only hope that a tree falls on the little apartment that houses the server for this website….and puts us all out of our misery. Civility will return to the village once this forum of hate and intolerance is taken down.
70.192.64.104
I guess we’ll have a lot of residents pulling candidate packets to make a run at a seat….or do the malcontents just enjoy being keyboard bullies???
Rurik Halaby
Rurik@halaby.net
173.209.21.130
The guy with the bowtie is the Curmudgeon-in-Chief, founder of Curmudgeons for a Better Ridgewood, CBR, not to be confused with Citizens for a Dead Ridgewood. I can think of many vocalantis, rhymes with vigilantes, who qualify for Sasquatch.
If James sends me his email, I will be happy to send him photographs I took at Schedler, showing what a dump it is.
If Council Members Knudsen and Sedon were to pause for a minute and think of Ridgewood’s long-term interests and not just pandering to their base base, they would work positively with the Three Amigos to turn Schedler into something we can all be proud of and one that many Ridgewood Residents can enjoy.
Rurik Halaby
Rurik@halaby.net
173.209.21.130
Here we go again, the Pravda’s nasty campaign against perhaps the sincerest and hardest working member of the Village Council. Repeat a lie enough times and you hope it becomes the truth. You want to define nasty? Listen to the vocalantis, rhymes with vigilantes, with their viciousu guerrilla campaign to tke over control of the Council and then taking us back to C
Rurik Halaby
Rurik@halaby.net
70.212.5.69
James, have you no shame? Coming up with any BS idea you could muster, with little respect for your readers intelligence? And while you are at it, why not argue for the fact that Schedler needs to be protected since a susquatch was recently seen there. Susquatch? Look it up.
Anonymous
67.86.184.189
Friends of a bio-dump. What a creepy, crap-ridden place Schedler is and they want to preserve it inviolate? All of a sudden this neighborhood nobody even knew was part of Ridgewood is run through with dedicated environmentalists? Not likely–they just like having a place where they don’t have to worry about cleaning up after their dogs, and they want to avoid extra road traffic coming through their neighnorhood. Nothing more than that. No saintly motives, that much is for sure.
Insulting people’s intellectual range, calling people idiots, inventing insulting names for people who have different opinions and calling those people’s opinions outrageous – all in one paragraph – doesn’t craft a winning argument for being “above the fray” or better than the average Blog reader… And if you indeed are a very devoted and vocal supporter of the current Council majority, I don’t think it reflects well on them either. You are not doing them any favors by being so nasty and quickly reduced to the level of name calling.
Why can’t anybody just discuss the issues anymore? Agree to disagree? I have strong opinions too but make an effort not to engage in that type of behavior. It is just unnecessary and unproductive. I think if you can’t hold it together, in public or in writing, people can probably sympathize with that feeling but maybe you should reconsider participating until you can pull yourself together. This thread of comments was not uncivil at all until you took it in that direction.
Ridgewood NJ, Freeholder and Assembly races heat up while the Republican team is out listening to the public the Democrat Majority is out name calling.
FACT : In the last 13 years taxes have been raised 115 times by nj state legislators. Yet career politicians like Tim Eustace and Joe Lagana believe that they are doing a good job. Are you kidding me? On November 3rd it’s time to make a change. The old way just doesn’t work. Lets get rid of these two career politicians and bring an outsider in to hold the democratic led Assembly accountable and improve transparency. On November 3rd elect Mark DiPisa for Assembly along with your Bergen County Freeholder candidates John Mitchell Daisy Ortiz Berger and Ken Tyburczy along with the rest of Column one. They will work to reduce taxes bring jobs back to New Jersey and eliminate wasteful spending.
How do you learn what would be best to spur business growth and create good paying private sector jobs in Bergen County?…
…You meet with business people that are in the trenches. My Freeholder running mates and I took advantage of this opportunity at an event set up by my buddy and fellow Rotarian, Matt Libien. Thanks so much Matt! — with Norma Wellington, Del McLennonand Sabra Waxman at Solaia Restaurant.