Hey, woke left and fragile right: We’re all imperfect humans, and you need to grow up

Let’s get serious about issues

I’m not sure which I’m most repelled by: arrogant, hypersensitive wokeness on the left or whiny hypersensitive fragility on the right. My advice to those who dislike being tagged with those labels is to grow up.

This world and the humans in it are imperfect, and nobody’s idea of perfection is going to have smooth sailing. We have real work to do, and we’re wasting precious time and energy posing publicly as true believers from the hyper wings of both political parties, more concerned about the number of followers than the hard work of better laws.

We need more public servants serving all of us and fewer public influencers serving the woke and fragile among us.

- Bill Lanford, Haltom City

A welcome change of pace

It was very refreshing to read Ryan Rusak’s column Thursday announcing the addition of new conservative columnists. (9A, “Star-Telegram adding conservative columnists”) Many of your readers, including me, welcome some enlightening conservative views.

The Star-Telegram has long been branded as a left-leaning newspaper, so refreshing conservative opinions are long overdue.

- Angela Benvenuto, Arlington

Moving the punditry goalposts

I’m pretty shocked to read that the Star-Telegram is adding more conservative columnists. This may be about adding or appeasing a vocal set of your existing readers, but it isn’t about a “dearth of conservative content about state and local issues.”

Cynthia M. Allen pummels us weekly with a conservative column mostly aiming to minimize the need for pandemic precautions. Who has been her “liberal” local counterbalance? Marc Thiessen bombards us constantly with his staunch right-wing opinions.

It seems you also might be classifying anyone who has a moderate or middle-of-the-road view as “liberal.”

- Daniel Scarborough, Hurst

Count me in for the new voices

I welcome the decision by the Star-Telegram to include more conservative voices in the conversation. The inability of journalism schools to produce modest reporters seeking to report news and features without glaring partisan activism has been a colossal failure of academia.

It seems all journalism grads since the late 1990s have been preconditioned to think that their jobs are to evangelize the world to their professors’ far-left world. Or be the next Jim Acosta.

I applaud the Star-Telegram’s efforts to diversify its op-ed pages. Now, if only the sports columnists could stay in their lane and not veer into politics, we’d have something. Good luck from a longtime reader and subscriber.

- Ed King, Alvarado

There is more than ‘right-left’

Why doesn’t the Star-Telegram consider adding some centrist opinion writers? And stop making the issues “left versus right” or “us versus them.”

Nicole Russell’s column blaming President Joe Biden for the rising cost of living did not mention the rise of natural gas for heating and electric costs from last year. Rising property costs have everything to do with the current Texas ultraconservative agenda, not with the current White House.

I hope the Star-Telegram will begin new conversations that have merit with true thought, facts and research behind opinion columns.

- Julie Withers, Fort Worth

This mail flyer changed my mind

I vote for conservative Republicans and was considering supporting Tim O’Hare for Tarrant County judge. But I received an O’Hare mailer and, after reading that Donald Trump and Ted Cruz have endorsed him, I decided to support Betsy Price for county judge instead.

- Dr. Harold L. Smith, Arlington

Let’s get real about McCarthy

In response to Clarence E. Hill Jr.’s discussion of whether Mike McCarthy should remain the Cowboys’ head coach, (Jan. 24, 1B, “Jones not backing McCarthy, but is change needed?”) consider the ridiculous number of penalties on the team in its playoff loss. Penalties such as the ones the Cowboys made come down to coaching. McCarthy failed – not just in this game, but all season.

Sean Payton, come on down. We’d love to see you here in Jerry Jones-land.

- Lynn Miller, Granbury