I was dismayed to read the hateful, paranoid piece by Curtiss Reed Jr. To see all that is wrong with this piece, simply swap the phrase “white man” for “black,” “Hispanic,” “Muslim,” or any other word that identifies a group of people.
In Reed's mind, if one member of a group of people commits a horrific crime, it is necessary to suspect every person of that group to be a criminal in waiting and even to fear them when you don't know them or anything about them.
This is exactly the type of paranoid, vapid thinking that racists and hate-filled individuals engage in: One is a terrible criminal, so that means all of “them” are bad, even when just trying to live their daily lives.
How Reed remains the executive director of some organization called “Vermont Partnership for Fairness and Diversity” defies logic; it is clear Reed has no interest in any partnerships, fears diversity, and has zero interest in fairness, since he stands in judgment of others without cause.
I am grateful to The Commons for printing Reed's piece, because hate is hate, regardless of the skin color it is directed at or coming from.
Reed should apologize, take some time for thoughtful reflection on himself, and strive to overcome his very troubling worldview.