Head games
I read Heather Miller’s letter about wearing an “illegal helmet,” and want to share that the exact same situation happened to me the first year The Oval opened (“Put on your thinking helmet,” January 8). I asked to speak to a manager or a person in charge when I was asked to leave the ice. After a long wait, I was given a business card for the city’s manager of recreation. I followed through with two actions:
1. I returned my helmet and purchased an approved helmet.
2. I left a message on the phone of the manager on the business card. I never received a response back.
I need to express to this person the absolute absurdity of their helmet policy. No wonder their yearly report on public skating rink accidents is higher at The Oval! —Colette McNeil, Halifax
Making the call
Sounds like there are shitty call centres and good call centres (“The depressing world of call centre employment,” The City story by Dylan Hackett, January 15). Just like any other job. If you want an easy paycheque, go work for the government. —posted at thecoast.ca by Take a Step Back
Sticks and stones and dental students
Freedom of expression is a right not limited to speech that makes us all comfortable. It extends to all comment, however irrational, outrageous or offensive.
By contrast, there is no right not to be offended, although aggrieved parties must always be free to construct counter-arguments for whatever they find objectionable. Indeed, those who are simply voicing their objections to recent Facebook comments by some Dalhousie dentistry students are doing just that.
But amid all of this controversy, it is important not to confuse words for deeds. While universities have every right to expel or otherwise sanction students who vandalize campus property or fail to meet academic standards, and the justice system has every right to throw rapists and other sexual predators in jail, it is troubling when punishment is sought for mere expression, however repugnant.
Furthermore, what are we to make of a multitude that is so emotionally fragile that mere expression by others sets off a paroxysm of rage which erroneously equates words with deeds and demands that offending parties be prosecuted (and persecuted) accordingly? Perhaps it is time to swing the pendulum back to a point where “sticks and stones [may] break [our] bones, but names [and freedom of expression] will never hurt [us].” —Kris Larsen, Halifax
The Bitch is whack
While I love that my Love got into The Coast this past week, I did not Love that it got filed as a Bitch (“Decent cop,” Love The Way We Bitch/Love by Drove Responsibly The Rest of The Way, January 15). Maybe it was my button-pushing, maybe it’s hard to think of police and love in the same sentence, but I wanted Decent Cop to know the post was meant to have a heart on it. —Still Driving Responsibly, Halifax
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2015.