As someone who is curious by nature, I find it surprising that some people are deeply afraid of hearing views from persons who hold views different from their own.

As a person who is to the right of center, I may not often agree with what I read in The Buffalo News or hear or see on CNN or MSNBC but sometimes in listening to those with whom I disagree I understand better why they believe what they do, and that there may be some truth in what they believe. This helps to broaden my understanding of them and their world.

This is why I find the disinviting of author Jack Cashill by Fredonia’s Darwin R. Barker Library so disturbing. It probably does not rank with occurrences where persons invited to speak on college campuses have to hide in a broom closet for their own safety when protestors, who do not want anyone to hear what they might say, attack them. However, that does not make it any better.

To begin, you have to love emails that start with “We believe that the diversity of perspective is crucial in creating a rich and informative dialogue at our library events.” It then concludes with “recent developments have led us to reevaluate the suitability of your views and opinions for our diverse audience.”

I have to wonder what sort of person can write a two-sentence email where in the first sentence they praise diversity of perspective and in the second sentence they say they want to protect their diverse audience from that diversity of perspective. I have more respect for those who hold tight to what they believe even if I disagree with their beliefs than someone whose beliefs are dependent on which way the intellectual winds are blowing on a given day.

This email was recently sent by the director of the library disinviting author Jack Cashill from a book signing and discussion of his recently published book “Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight from Americas Cities.”

Cashill, who along with his wife has spent the greater part of 35 summers in Chautauqua County was recently asked by a librarian if he would be willing to give a talk and book signing at the Barker Library regarding his most recent book. He said in an article in American Thinker that he “happily” consented” noting that he had been going to the library for years and that additionally his wife has donated to the library.

It obvious that Cashill was surprised by the disinvite and said in his article that he later heard from a library trustee that “… Very soon after our website posting…we began to receive numerous correspondence ranging from general disbelief to adverse protestations from the local community.” This person then added “Oddly, all of this response came from women” or as Cashill calls them ELFs for Educated Liberal Females.

Regardless of whether they are ELFs, as Cashill describes them or men who slipped through, they are people who likely are fearful of any possible challenge to their beliefs or unsure if their beliefs are really valid.

Better that these persons should have sat through Cashill’s presentation and at its conclusion challenged him on his views on the material in the book or his views in general.

Many of the problems in our country today have grown out of the fact that so many of us, including me on occasion, reach for our noise-canceling earphones when someone we do not want to listen to starts speaking about something we do not want to hear or discuss.

I have the sense that the word dialogue is not heard as much as it once was because dialogue now often means a shouting match. We have to get over that.

Thomas Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com