Civil Discourse Forum

a cane. My parents are the type to tell me to “walk it off,” even though a cane would help me a great deal with my pain. Do you have any suggestions for some words to use when bringing up the subject with my parents? Is “Hey, this thing helps me and I’d like to use it, even if you think it’s only for the elderly” sufficient? GENTLE READER: Actually, Miss Manners has two words for you: walking stick. Time was when a walking stick was considered a chic accessory for both ladies and gentlemen, unrelated to any usefulness it might have provided. Take a look at antique sticks -- some have built-in compasses, flasks, watches, powder compacts or, if people get really annoying, swords. You could start a new fad. Miss Manners is not encouraging you to attack your parents. But they do need a good talking-to about your mobility being more important than ridiculous -- not to mention ageist -- concerns about what others think.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am female, but I have an androgynous name often associated with a dog or a male. I work with the public, and many times I am confronted with rude questions, such as, “You’re named after a dog?” “Did your parents hate you? Why are you named that?” “What is your real name?” and so on. I struggle to find an appropriate answer, as I do not want to sound rude, but am tired of people insulting my name. GENTLE READER: “Yes, my given name is Pooch” followed by a pleasant but defiant smile that says, “You got somethin’ to say about it?”

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

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Series on “civil dialogue” continues at LCC By Alan Rose

An experiment in community civility is underway with a fivepart series “Community in the Crossfire: Seeking Civil Dialogue in Uncivil Times.” The forums are a nonpartisan exercise in exploring divisiveness in our community and modeling respectful dialogue by bringing together people of different viewpoints to debate some of the community’s most pressing and divisive problems. A group of concerned local citizens partnered with Lower Columbia College to host the series. Each 90-minute forum, moderated by retired Superior Court Judge Stephen Warning, features four panelists. The third series will take place Thursday, Sept. 22, at 7:30pm in LCC’s Health and Science Building along Maple Street, behind the Longview Library. The forum will also be available through Zoom using the link on the series’ web site: civil-dialog.com/ and will be recorded and broadcast later by KLTV on Channel 29. The forum will focus on homelessness and explore ways to address the problem. The panelists will be former Longview Housing Authority board member Jo Brewer, Niki Favella, property manager for Catlin Properties; Love Overwhelming counselor Ha’im Sharif; and Joseph Govednik of the Kelso Business Association. Retired LCC psychology instructor Michael Strayer will provide context and an overview to the issue. The first forum explored the causes of political divisiveness and suggestions for overcoming it, and the second forum addressed how to protect the environment while building the economy, and ways to get past the jobs vs. environment tension that has charged public debate on recent industrial proposals. Both forums can be watched on Youtube and on KLTV with links at civil-dialog.com. The fourth forum of the series, focusing on the decriminalization of drugs, takes place on Oct. 6. The focus of the fifth and final forum, scheduled for Oct. 22, has yet to be determined. More info: www.civil-dialog.com.