Letter to the editor

Over-generalizing

Steve Paulson April 1, 2020 From the print edition
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Does one person of a certain identity represent all people of that identity? Of course not (“Conservation justice,” February 2020). In his interview, Sergio Avila affirms that truth when he describes the misstep of generalizing about people. Unfortunately, Avila went on to generalize repeatedly about “white people.” What about those of us who seek knowledge (not necessarily science)? What about those of us who seek a better understanding of ourselves? Or of friendship? Or of beauty? Or of God? I’m sure Avila is doing good work for the Sierra Club. But I hope he meets more kinds of people, more kinds of environmentalists, and more kinds of conservationists, so he can do less generalizing. The stakes are so very high, and we all need to work — and walk — side by side

—Steve Paulson, via email

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