Letters / This is not scrutiny, it’s abuse
Shetland has long prided itself on being a community where people know one another, where differences are discussed robustly, but with a basic level of respect. That is why it is so disheartening to see the tone of the online commentary in the election campaign shift in a hostile direction.
Candidates standing for election and those supporting them, are increasingly subjected to remarks that focus not on their policies or their record, but on their gender, appearance, and personal lives. This is not scrutiny, it is abuse.
There is a wider context that should not be ignored, the language and attitudes seen in these comments do not arise in a vacuum. They echo a coarsening of public discourse seen elsewhere, often amplified by more extreme voices online. If left unchallenged, that tone risks becoming normalised here too.
This matters, it discourages people from putting themselves forward, narrows the range of voices in our local democracy and diminishes the quality of debate for everyone.
We all have a role to play in setting the standard, online spaces may feel informal, but they are still part of our public life. The way we speak to and about one another there should reflect the kind of community we want Shetland to remain.
Disagreement is not the problem, abuse is.
If we value participation, fairness, and respect, then misogynistic commentary cannot simply be dismissed as “just the internet”, it must be challenged, called out, and not given a free pass. At election time, we have the opportunity to reject the kind of politics that thrives on division and hostility. Your vote matters, please use it!
Zara Pennington
Scalloway
