I completely support Frederick U. Fierst’s guest column of Dec. 9 calling for the dissolution of Northampton’s Arts Council. He wrote more elegantly and diplomatically than I can. I abhor censorship. Freedom of speech means just that. Disagreement is a chance to learn and grow. Northampton has always been a place that invites dialogue. It has in the past.
Dishonoring the work of artists, jurors, and ultimately, interested attendees is shameful. I, too, refuse to support any events sponsored by the current Arts Council.
Don’t get me started on how I imagine censorship of the Silver Chord Bowl or First Night would be promulgated. The charge, too, must be rewritten. I am no expert on the writing of charges for teams or committees, but the charge as it appears says nothing about censorship. In my opinion, it must.
Art builds bridges, not walls. It appalls me that there are school boards in Texas and other places calling for the banning of books with which they disagree, hiding behind such terms as triggering and discomfort. Let’s not let Northampton become the politically correct equivalent.
Barbara Wurtzel
Northampton