I was saddened to see — in an ad in last week’s CVN — the resurrection of the era of mudslinging toward Mud Bay folks. We, in Haines, have repeatedly insisted on civility in our public discourse — rejecting the use of generalized words of intolerance aimed at particular individuals and groups, as in the ad’s reference to “Mud Bay liberal types” (who are somehow bent on destroying our community).
Such name calling exceeds the acceptable limits of honest community debate and disagreement on issues. If the writer wished to argue that he prefers the conservative candidates over the liberal ones, that’s fine. Then, the term “liberal” (or preferably “progressive”), by itself, would have been sufficient. It doesn’t benefit anyone to add misleading words that suggest there’s this one part of town that’s filled with bogeymen.
Indeed, Mud Bay is not the sole habitat for progressives in Haines. They are all over the valley — downtown, Lutak, Mosquito Lake, Highlands Estates, Beach Road, Small Tracts, everywhere. Let’s face it, there’s a diversity of political persuasions throughout Haines (including Mud Bay). And what’s the benefit of embracing the baseless myth that the people of the Mud Bay neighborhood contribute less to our civic life and prosperity than people who live in any other part of town?
I call on Mayor Hill, a fellow Mud Bayer, to speak out for a moratorium on the inappropriate use of the adjective “Mud Bay.”
George Figdor