Sadly, as many recent events show, our “free” society has become dominated by insults and verbal bullying, particularly by those who have the resources to spread their vitriolic message loud and proud. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has become a cloak for discourtesy, lack of respect and expressions of hate. We don’t have to look any farther than the electronic sign on the northwest corner of West Front Street and Madison Avenue to find evidence of that. I had hoped that the city of Albert Lea was a true 21st century community that had outgrown the medieval concepts of court jesters and village idiots. To use contemporary vernacular, “My bad.” While I have no stake in the ongoing feud represented on that sign, I know enough to believe that this type of attempt at public shaming says far more about the accuser than it does of the subject of the message.

Michael Schoepf

Albert Lea