Letter
contributedTo the Editor:
The February 9 diatribe letter that sought to link democratic socialism with a litany of names (among them Marx, Hitler, Stalin … but,
what, no Kropotkin?) belies its author’s demagogic bent. It seems to my reading, in the various mentioned sources, what is being labeled “smart
development” is only a double-speak term for white entitlement.
Facts were rare in the letter – for example, the modern, Centralized-Traffic-Controlled Metro North branch line between South Norwalk and Danbury is hardly a one-track spur line. Its capacity for service is seriously underused and more trains on the line would benefit us all.
Instead, what I read was a treatise on fear: that the character of the community would be changed. Our community is constantly and desirably changing. I don’t want to live in a town which seeks to replicate the racism of the twentieth century nor the classism embodied by the 2010s.
To see issues of developmental demographics only in terms of how much profit one can milk from one’s own house is to miss the larger vision of
shared community.
For many of us, our diversity is our strength, not a threat. To welcome diverse others into our community ensures that we will continue to be a desired place to live and work and raise our families, as Ridgefield has been. I know, for many people who are like myself but unlike the author of the cited letter, a little more diversity will surely strengthen our town more than weaken it.
The Rev. Dr. Randolph W. B. Becker
Sunset Lane