[RP TownTalk] Tone and Expectations

[kathy galleher]

Dear TownTalk

I
would like to respond about the tone and direction of the discussion in last
week’s TownTalk. I also felt dismayed by the increasingly hostile and impolite
tone of the exchange.  I really
appreciated the moderator for stepping in when he did. In impersonal media like email, it
can be hard to remember that we are talking to real people who are neighbors and
community members.

Like Mark, I  was surprised
by the expectation expressed by a couple of posters that TownTalk is a forum for
getting our questions answered by town officials.  Metaphorically, I see this as an electronic version
of a town square, where the questions posted are essentially ‘called out’ to
any who happen to be passing by in the square.  A great forum for some kinds of questions “Hey, anyone tried the new
Mexican place?” or “What do you hear about the Pet Store?”  But other questions (“What is the town code
on fences?”) are not great for the town square, and better addressed by contacting
the offices of town officials directly.

I
see what took place last week like this: Someone comes into the  Town Square, calling out their medical symptoms (“I have a runny nose, a fever, and headache- Anyone know what
this means?”). A doctor in his office near town square overhears this and was nice
enough to call out his window, “Sounds like you have a cold!”.  Each day after that, the person continues to
come to the town square, calling out follow-up questions and symptoms (“Could
it be swine flu?”  “Do I need antibiotics?”)  rather than making an appointment to see the
doctor, or coming to the free monthly “Ask a Doctor” meeting.  Receiving  only
an occasional response from the doctor's window, this person becomes angry, begins to protest against
him in the town square, and starts to accuse the doctor of incompetence and
malpractice, citing AMA standards of patient care and threatening to file a
complaint against his license.Whose
behavior is unreasonable here: the doctor, or the person in the square?

I
realize the conflict could be caused by differences in perception.  If someone believed that asking
questions in the town square was the same thing as calling the doctor’s office
to speak to a doctor, I understand why they might expect immediate answers and  be upset if none came.  But I am just inviting those who expressed
anger at the Mayor’s lack of ‘transparency’ and responsiveness to take a fresh
look at the situation from a by-stander’s point of view and consider an
alternative perspective. I also want to say, I don’t mean any disrespect to those who I am challenging. I disagree with you, and I know you are my neighbors too. Whether we see this situation in the same way or
not, we are still part of the same community. Thanks for considering my point
of view.
Sincerely
Kathy G.


      
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/attachments/20090822/704b855e/attachment-0002.html>