Traverse City Record-Eagle

Opinion

August 5, 2012

Letters to the Editor: 08/05/2012

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Be wary of 'experts'

Dr. Ritchie's July 26 opinion piece asserts, among other things, that bullying can be controlled if the bullied child would just fight back. This is important because when the child is a man he will still meet bullies and how he dealt with them as a child will set the pattern for his behavior as an adult.

Ritchie responded to a bully by "punching him in the jaw." Good for him, but if the child is in third grade and the bully is in sixth grade with several friends that strategy is plain stupid. Size matters. Adults have the police and the courts available to control physical bullying.

Dr. Ritchie tells us he is a Ph.D. clinical psychologist. I have known many of these folks. I have even been accused of being one myself. I'm not. My clinical colleagues always have a variety of opinions on any topic you can pick.

I would suggest, though, that when someone writes about others who hold a different view as "so-called experts" it is time to be a tad wary. Remember the one who writes about other "so-called experts" is also putting himself forward as a so-called expert.

Henry E. Klugh, Ph.D.

Traverse City

The writer is Dana Professor Emeritus, Alma College.

Donate to a real cause

I appreciate the Record-Eagle for printing Julie Chai's letter of June 29, "Fireworks not patriotic." I would have liked to have seen it in bold print on your front page — adding to it the dangers of exposure to fires during this dry season.

There are so many professionally done fireworks free for public viewing. Donate your well-earned money instead to any veterans' and/or charitable organization, a real cause for celebration of this wonderful holiday.

Rita R. Schuster

Eastport

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