Ageism has no place in Acton

I was disheartened by the logic underlying two recent letters to the editor (“Animus over middle school naming feeding baseless attacks on leaders” and “Anger and misinformation fuel hostility toward our school and elected leaders”). Of course, there is no place for violence or for threats of violence against town leadership. I join the authors in their condemnation of these recent acts, including the violent effigies, and I suspect that most of the town does as well.

Inexplicably, however, both letters cite the advanced age of those whom the authors associate with their opposition. One letter bemoans the “same dozen or so senior citizens” who attend School Committee meetings regularly, while the other asserts that a “group of older residents pushed for the name ‘Ellen Garrison.’”

With the notable exceptions of recent effigies specifically and violent speech more generally, I happen to disagree with the original authors on most issues. I am 41 years old, and I have one child in the public school system. The lines of disagreement cannot be drawn so cleanly, with young families on one side and our older neighbors on the other, and our town’s democratic systems are not strengthened by such reductive categorizations.

I’ll speak for myself here: I am particularly moved by the generosity of that “group of older residents” who give voice to many of the causes I believe in, when my status as a working mother makes it difficult for me to canvass or to attend public meetings.

The original letters get one thing right: Violent speech has no place in Acton.

Neither does ageism.

Sarah Munro

Lowell Road