Letters to the editor Nov. 28

Community public decency

I recently attended the presentation done by David Sedaris at the wonderful new venue in our community. I had no idea of who Mr. Sedaris is, but a very brief Google search told me that he is a very well-known author, writer and speaker. Well, I thought, this will be an enjoyable way to start my acquaintance with the Wachholz Center.

Unfortunately, I was very disappointed by the speaker’s choice of material. I had no idea that I would be subjected to a dialogue that, in large part, was crude and boorish. Why would such an intelligent and gifted man CHOOSE to descend into such lowly behavior? I felt his material was more appropriate for a seedy nightclub in some big city and certainly not for such a jewel as our community now has.

Is the Wachholz Center staff not held to a standard of care given the high profile it enjoys? I wonder if a general goal of the center is to uplift, inform, enlighten and educate? If that is the case, then this presentation badly missed the mark, perhaps with the idea of “entertaining.” Certainly, other people were laughing.

This event has raised two questions in my mind. One, should a public venue of such high caliber be expected to have higher moral standards applied to its’ choice of presentations?

Two, does our wonderful freedom of speech culture have to give way to denying any community standards of common decency? I believe that what one may think or say in private may not always be well suited for public distribution.

I have the same position regarding the F* Biden flags that I have seen in our community. I don’t care what your politics are, but why must the rest of the community be subject to the poor taste shown in displaying such disgusting things.

Is community public decency something to be embraced and pursued, or a thing of the past?

— Rex Harris, Kalispell