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Editor:
One bit of information I learned years ago was that history repeats itself. Now it may not be in the exact setting, but if one looks carefully at similarities, we can, as they say, learn from it. I would like to present three scenarios from my childhood and compare them to what we have today and see if there is a lesson to be learned.
When I was about five years of age, my favorite television show was the Roy Rogers Show. One of the commercials on the show featured Pink Pudding, which Roy pitched as the greatest. Well, naturally I implored my mom to pick me up some, next time she was at the grocery store. Good old Mom got some and brought it home. It was, without a doubt, the worst tasting item I had ever eaten. Lesson 1-- beware of believing or disbelieving information based on whose mouth it comes out of. It seems today as if we take statements as being true or false, wise or folly, sound policy or disastrous steps based solely on the source of the information. Maybe we should give each idea an opportunity to stand or fall on its merit, discuss and disseminate the thought, and make an educated decision.
In 1960, the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the New York Yankees in the World Series, winning four games to three. Although the Yankees outscored the Pirates by a total score of 55-26 in the series, they did not argue the final outcome, claiming they should somehow have won because of the overall run differential. They understood the rules before the series began; that whichever team was the first to win 4 games would win the championship. In a similar situation, everyone understood on Nov. 8, 2016 that whichever presidential candidate received 270 electoral votes would win the election, not the candidate scoring the most runs, oops, I mean getting the most popular votes.
Finally, somewhere around the time I started high school, I remember a teacher putting a sports headline on the blackboard for us to read. We were asked to give our initial reaction to the statement and then to go back and re-read for understanding making sure we realized what was really said. The headline read 'Soviet horse finishes second, American horse next to last' I am sure if you follow the same directions we were instructed to follow, you will notice what my fellow students and I did, that it is important to understand the viewpoint of the author. While the headline is true, is the headline 'American horse downs Soviet horse in derby' any less true?
Could we maybe all just accept the results of the recent presidential election and try to walk hand in hand even if we don't see eye to eye? Thanks for thinking about it.
Glen Windram
Leetonia