Our View: We’re Better Than This

The recent election seems to have given some people permission to let loose their worst instincts. We’re seeing it at the national level, and locally as well, unfortunately.

On Facebook recently, a Harwich resident posted a video (since removed) of a 14-year-old who was out selling holiday wreaths as a fundraiser for his Monomoy High School robotics team. The boy is Black, and a commenter wrote glibly, “another illegal for trump (sic) to send back come January.”

Monomoy Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter drew attention to the incident in an op-ed in last week’s edition, and additional investigation revealed that the boy is, in fact, a native-born citizen, and that nothing happened when he rang the Harwich home’s doorbell; nobody answered, and the boy’s mother, waiting in her vehicle along the driveway, thought nothing of the situation. 

Posting a video of a non-incident, perhaps under the assumption that a Black teen was a threat, is unfortunate; the resulting comment was reprehensible. As Carpenter pointed out, both were a violation of our local community values.

 Some may see nothing of concern in this incident and may see our highlighting it as an instance of “woke” media sensationalizing an offhand comment. But put yourself in the shoes of the ninth grader targeted by the Facebook post (which has since been deleted). How would it feel to know someone in your community has put a target on your back, not knowing anything about you (such as whether you are a native-born citizen or a legal immigrant)? How would other students of color in the Monomoy District feel? This is a prime example of how social media is contributing to the degradation of public discourse in this country.

 We commend Carpenter for highlighting the incident and not simply minimizing or brushing it aside. It will hopefully embarrass the homeowner who posted the video and the commenter whose snide remark reveals a complete lack of empathy or understanding. Unfortunately, we doubt this will be the last such incident, and we must all remain vigilant over the next four years. Like Carpenter, we must call out instances of racism, ignorance and intolerance. We are better than this.