Thoughts on letters to the editor and anonymous posts

By Lethbridge Herald on January 19, 2022.

Editor:

When I was wondering what I should do after retirement, I thought of writing. I asked a friend for advice. He was a managing editor of a national magazine. He nixed the idea of a book.

He said: publishing a ‘book’ may be good for your ego but it’s not easy to attract readers when you are unknown and it is your first publication. The “letter to the editor” is better. It will enjoy a much bigger audience. It costs you nothing: he said.

 “Do you want people to know what you are thinking or spend money to produce a book few people read?” People read letters because they are short. 

Letters come right after horoscopes, comic strips, and sports. If a book, the first print of a novice writer is usually one thousand copies. It takes years to sell all of them. Hundreds may stay on a shelf collecting dust. 

I started to write letters. ‘Letter to the Editor’ enjoys readerships of thousands instantly even in a small city like Lethbridge. A Chinese saying has it, “It’s better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a cow.” 

We love to see our words in print: they flatter our ego. When the readership of print media is declining, I wonder if more space should be given to public participation to retain readership of those who still read printed words on paper. 

You never know: some great talent may emerge and change things, like Junius of 18th century England. He was a letter writer and a fearless critic. He targeted movers and shakers of society lashing out at aristocracy, clergy, monarchy, and political leadership. 

He wrote 78 letters to the publisher of the “Public Advertiser” between 1769 until 1772. If Junius was indeed Thomas Paine as some people suspected, a letter writer can change history. Paine drafted the “Declaration of Independence” of the United States of America after he left England. A leather-bound copy of the collection of all the “Letters of Junius” is my prized possession. It was published in 1826.

Speaking of public participation, though it is apparently popular, the ”Roasted and Toasted” page of the Lethbridge Herald often infuriates me. There are gems among them to be sure. 

But hiding behind anonymity, there is so much partisan tribalism, unabashed lies and misinformations. I admit that, however, “Roasted and Toasted” represent the reality of Lethbridge: good, bad, and ugly. I should pay more attention to them, especially the generation who submit those ranting votes more than those who don’t read print media.

 I wish at least there was an option to attach signatures to their ranting, especially when referring to individuals. If you want to attack a person, you must be decent enough to identify yourself. Hiding behind anonymity is cowardly, irresponsible, and unfair.

Tadashi (Tad) Mitsui

Lethbridge