It All Comes Down to Respect -- and it Must Start Here

For a guy who makes his living in, around and all over the Internet, I do not always enjoy what I read there -- or what I feel compelled to write about.

Being a veteran newspaper journalist now transitioned into an online reporter and editor, I know the important obligation I have to be fair, objective and respect the opinions of others. Of course, that last part is tested in this Internet age, when others' opinions can flash back at you with the click of a mouse. Menifee 24/7 thrives on its interaction with our readers, but let me tell ya, it's hard to keep up with you folks sometimes.

My biggest complaint in monitoring the comments on our website and Facebook page is the lack of respect shown by so many. I learned this long ago in the newspaper business, but it's just in my face more now: Too many people want to jump to conclusions, to criticize others, and simply to look for the negative in everything.

In short, respect is fast becoming a forgotten word.

Usually I see it most in our little world of Menifee -- boundaries outside of which our news coverage rarely travels. But considering the events of the last week, it is impossible to ignore the lack of respect shown by so many people to so many others across our nation.

The fatal shootings by police officers of African-American men in Louisiana and Minnesota were the latest examples of a lack of respect during such confrontations. One can't tell from cell phone videos alone what exactly happened in those instances, but it seems obvious there was a lack of respect on one or both sides.

In the murder of five police officers by a lone gunman in Dallas during what was planned as a peaceful protest, the motive was one man's lack of respect for police authority. Some in our country are focusing solely on the injustice of that tragedy, angering others who feel the events of earlier in the week are being forgotten. Emotions are running high.

So what are we to do? What can we do across this country to ease racial tensions, to help promote better relations between people of all color and law enforcement?

We certainly should start by thanking our public safety officials for what they do. Are they perfect? No. Are there good cops and bad cops? Almost certainly. There are good people and bad people, right? The struggle between good and bad is fought on many levels, every day. But as has been said by so many in the media the last two days, we must not judge an entire occupational or ethnic group on the inappropriate actions of a few -- whether you're talking about police, African-Americans or anyone else.

We must take time to think before we act. Now you might reply that a police officer has perhaps a second to think before reacting in crucial situations. The same could be true of the person being questioned or detained. I'm not really talking about that.

I'm talking about the kind of thinking that becomes ingrained in us because of our beliefs, our prior experiences, and our level of respect shown toward others. Whether it's a white police officer detaining a black man or a comment made on an Internet forum, our mindset going in determines how we react, even in a split-second decision.

So as we mourn the loss of those killed by police officers and the five officers killed in the tragedies of last week, let's start on our small scale of Menifee to educate ourselves, change behavior patterns where needed, and consider the feelings and beliefs of others before we open our mouths, make a stupid move or spit venom from our computer keyboard.

It has to start somewhere.

Doug Spoon is editor of Menifee 24/7. He and his wife Kristen have owned and operate the hyperlocal news website since 2013.