A riot speaks a thousand words but one voice speaks millions

You might think that the Sun Day’s black masthead this edition is in memorial of George Floyd’s death but you’d be wrong…or only part right…because in reality it’s memorializing the loss of voice.

As most of you who read my columns know, I don’t generally offer an opinion on any matter, as I don’t want to influence anyone’s perception of the newspaper and threaten its objectivity. The Sun Day demands objectivity of its staff and has zero tolerance for personal opinion in its news stories and fact reporting (columns are an exception). This objectivity even extends to the Sun Day’s advertising representatives and even a little bit to the advertisers, as they’re not allowed to “buy” editorial space—directly, indirectly, or otherwise. But every now and then something occurs, and I feel it both necessary and my right as a journalist to say something.

I think in 2020 I’ve seen more civil unrest in the span of just a few months than I’ve nearly seen in all my life. First there were the lockdown protests, then the protests against the lockdown protests. Now a cop in Minneapolis kneeled on a man’s neck, killing him, and we have the George Floyd protests and/or BLM (Black Lives Matter) protests, which in many areas, are dangerously close to riots. Or they are full-blown riots.

Yes, we are currently living in a world of global unrest, an unrest I think has been building for a long time (at least since long before the pandemic and George Floyd came along) and only one thing I’ve heard recently taps so accurately into the reasoning behind this uprising, if you want to call it that.

“A riot is the language of the unheard.”

That’s Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous quote, and while I don’t agree with the violence and looting, I understand the concept. But the two words that stick out to me most (as a journalist and as a person who is passionate about The First Amendment) are “the unheard.”

I have spent my entire career as a journalist upholding The First Amendment because I firmly believe that everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE, good or bad) deserves to be heard. A person’s voice is an inalienable right. His or her most powerful right. And when that right is taken away, you see unrest.

It only takes living with a three-year-old to know this is true.

I’m not comparing humanity as a whole to a three-year-old, but there is a point here to be made and ultimately a promise I’d like to extend to our readers.

Three-year-olds often must feel unheard. They’re poor communicators or their parents are distracted or both. Whatever the reason, when a child is not heard, they riot. Or have a tendency to in their own way. Basically, they act up. They’re being unheard and they don’t like it…one bit.

That’s what is happening right now. People are being or have been unheard and they don’t like it. And I don’t blame them. Of course, as I mentioned above, I don’t agree with the way some of these protestors are expressing their frustrations (and I’m fully aware that it’s the speakers responsibility nearly as much as the listeners to find a way to be heard), but I do sympathize with the frustration and motivation behind their actions. I know what it’s like to be unheard. I’m sure most of us do, which brings me to my point.

While I don’t expect to see many protests or riots from Sun City residents, I want to assure each of you that the Sun Day is an objective place to be heard. It’s a place to amplify your voice. I can’t promise we always have the room to publish every submission or say we never overlook something newsworthy, but our doors are open. We ARE here to listen. We are here to help your voices be heard.

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