Jan. 7: Total lack of judgment, and other letters to the editor

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Lack of judgment

Margaret Wente defends the members of the Class of DDS 2015 Gentlemen as hapless pawns of "young male group behaviour" who have now fallen prey to a "witch hunt" (Dalhousie's Dental Hysteria – Jan. 6). Spare me. They made their own decisions and they were bad enough ones to potentially end their dental careers.

I understand the university's attempts at mitigating the suicide risk, but extending the process only slows the progress of the rest of the class through their own final year of school – already overwhelmingly stressful. Anyone, of any demographic, who spews forth violent hatred toward any other group has no place in a profession that requires dentistry's level of caring and trustworthiness. Their futures are not necessarily "destroyed" – they'll just be different.

Anita Jain, DDS, Vancouver

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As a mother of two university-age men, I think I can speak to that particular demographic. Absolutely, some of them can behave in ways that are juvenile. This should in no way be a defence – it has the ring of the old "Boys will be boys" defence of days past.

The young men, and they are young men, of the Dalhousie "gentlemen's club" behaved grossly out of step with the collective conversations that are happening all around them in society.

I will agree with Ms. Wente to a point. When you are a juvenile and you engage in juvenile behaviour, you need to be corrected and guided. But university-age men are no longer juveniles and therefore should not be treated as such. Whatever their fate, I remain completely baffled at their total lack of judgment.

Paige Cowan, Toronto

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Ms. Wente concludes that "Despite all that misogyny, women seem to be doing just fine." I would worry less about such men's colleagues and more about their patients.

Surdas Mohit, Gatineau, Que.

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Congested

André Picard's point about extending the hours of primary-care practices in order to divert people from emergency rooms (Don't Blame Flu For ER Congestion – Jan. 6) is common sense, in times of flu or otherwise.

As a registered nurse in a family practice setting, I perform "telephone triage" through multiple daily calls to my patients. This results in keeping the majority of patients at home with expert advice on treating their symptoms (including red flags) and assessing which patients need to be seen urgently.

This nursing service provides continuity of care to patients, it fosters confidence that they can care for themselves at home and it frees up the ER.

Jane McLeod, Toronto

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Back in the 1950s, when I was undergoing my medical training in London, we used to moan about never having time off at Christmas. Our superiors told us, rather unsympathetically, that if we couldn't take it, we shouldn't have joined. We came to understand that a medical career involved service as well as making a living.

David Amies, Lethbridge, Alta.

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Green silks

I was disappointed to read that one of your best reporters and writers, Adam Radwanski, will be wasting his talents covering the horse race of federal politics. He should be writing about significant issues of public policy. The nuts and bolts of electioneering is way too much "inside baseball," and in the big picture, of little importance to engaged voters.

But if we have to live it, why leave out the Green Party (Readiness For The Writ – Jan. 3)? If nothing else, including it would help legitimize its status as a viable political contender.

Brian Green, Thunder Bay

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Never simple

Thank you for Sandra Martin's column (Let's Talk About Death – Jan. 2) targeted at all the death-denying folks who instead prefer to refer to "passing" instead of "dying." You did omit one of my favourite, or should I say most annoying, namely "She lost her husband," to which I feel like replying, "Would you like me to help you find him?"

You have made me wonder what I would like said in my own obituary. Probably something like "Patricia died on this date. She is grateful to everyone who enriched her life while on this beautiful Earth. She hopes you will take good care of it. She loved and was loved by many wonderful people. If you wish to remember her, please be kind to someone who needs it."

Patricia Houston, Victoria

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Ms. Martin says we're "prudish" in the way we talk about death and then goes on to say we're all misguided for continuing to talk about it in language that's even mildly poetic.

When we grieve, we do not want to be reminded of the physicality of the loved one's death. We are well aware that they have biologically expired. Poetic language, invoking comforting memories of the deceased, is a way we honour them. The words to describe this go far beyond what can be conveyed by frank language.

When my mother died last year, so did a part of me. But she remains alive in me, and the language I use to talk about that is deep from my heart. The words are never simple.

Paul Salvatori, Toronto

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Other rights

Humans and animals have rights, but not all the same rights (I, Orangutan – letters, Jan. 6). This reminds me of a debate after the 1972 publication of a collection of forestry articles, edited by Christopher Stone, titled Should Trees Have Standing.

Trees do have standing – legal standing, that is. Many municipalities have tree protection bylaws. Old-growth forests and other unique environments may also have legal standing to protect them.

Reiner Jaakson, Oakville, Ont.

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Bemused and irritated by Stanley Cunningham's letter, I turned to a later page, where I found a picture of a group of men beating each other with sticks. Ecce Homo!

A.L. Doyle, Toronto