To the editor:

Two articles caught my eye this week. In the Atlantic Monthly, James Fallows wrote about the American idea of "inclusion, expansiveness, opportunity, mobility, the open-ended struggle to make the nation a better version of itself." After travels and conversations throughout the country, he concludes that despite the national tone of chaos and discord, a very different view of the country emerges at the local level. Tolerance, civic engagement, investment in local schools and libraries, conservation and innovative small business are all thriving. His basic theme was to look around you, talk to your neighbors, (when possible) disregard the polarized and rancorous national messages, and to push ahead locally in support of the goals of our Constitution.

The second was our neighbor’s letter to the editor on the “Hate Has No Home Here” sign, one of which sits in our front yard. Mr. Fuller offers a thoughtful explanation and defense of the first amendment and our constitutional obligation to permit all forms of speech, even those which strike us as hateful. However, the rationale for these signs that he found on a national website struck us as unfamiliar. So we loaded up the family van with four middle-schoolers and asked Barrington residents — all strangers to us — what the signs on their yards meant to them.

“Like the safety pins worn in the UK after the ‘Brexit’ vote, I use this sign to identify my house as being a safe haven for people who are in danger or in distress.”

“I’ve been feeling sad, frustrated and isolated due to national politics and the combative environment that we are in. I used to see these signs and smile, so I found one and it helps me feel connected to people with similar values.” {Did you know, these signs came in packs of 5 or more and that neighbors purchased and shared these with one another?}

“I got this sign right after the Presidential election to say that we don’t believe in the negative language that we’ve heard from the leadership of the country. We welcome everyone to join our civilized society, regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender or who they love.”

“We want people to know that our house is a safe haven for discussion, for peace, love and for differences.”

In 2016, our own local political campaign pitted incumbent Jan Malik against newcomer, Jason Knight. As national groups entered the scene with mass mailings and ads, the tone grew increasingly heated, polarized and downright nasty. But on election day poll watchers for both campaigns chatted easily with one another and watched with pride as our neighbors Knight, Malik and Gould shared jokes, banter and mutual respect. 

Our family’s approach during these divided times is to listen more and talk less. To avoid the national rhetoric and sit whenever possible with folks whose views are quite different from our own. Tolerance, compromise, and consensus are at the heart of our nation, hopefully on the editorial pages of our local newspaper, and the reason why we have this sign on our lawn.

Stephen Buka

Barrington