To the editor:
Re “They’ve been my friends for years. Trump tore us apart” by Art Cullen (opinion guest essay, February 8):
We have to thank Art Cullen for beautifully portraying one of the tragedies of the Trump presidency. This loss of friendship is a divide that is often forgotten in the broader perspective of politics, reducing the Trump effect to red and blue states, Republicans and Democrats.
Karen reminded us that the ugly effects of the Trump era are becoming more fragmented, chipping away at even lifelong friendships before the rifts widen beyond healing. Of all the former president’s despicable excesses, this is perhaps the most unforgivable.
paul saylor
bronx
To the editor:
Art Cullen says he has lost friends over political differences. He describes himself as “woke.” He doesn’t say who ended the friendship, but in my experience and that of my friends, people on the left are far more likely to avoid and shut out friends and acquaintances with conservative views than vice versa. expensive.
“If you vote for Trump, I can’t talk to you anymore!” I’ve heard things like that many times after pointing out just what Donald Trump has done. Several Good thing – not that I support him. In my experience, the left is horribly inept at accepting different points of view.
Justin Cohen
Cedarhurst, New York
To the editor:
Now people’s perspective has changed.
For most of my life (and now 80 years), I believed that the vast majority of people were fundamentally good. At least they were pointed in the right direction, even if it was rough at times.
But with Donald Trump infiltrating our lives and brains, I no longer hold such positive assumptions about the rest of humanity. Now, my basic position is that if you have an abiding love for Donald Trump, you are a deeply flawed human being.
He poisoned the well and made me question basic human nature. If there’s one thing I’m more furious about than anything about Mr. Trump, it’s that he stole my rose-colored glasses.
I now look at so many people with jaundiced eyes that I no longer see them in the best light, colored by my beliefs about their hardness of heart and shallowness of thought. There is.
They don’t deserve such criticism. And I don’t deserve to have my recognition of our innate goodness stripped away.
But this is the lasting and terrible legacy of a man who did nothing but divide America and make it a weakened nation.
Robert S. Nussbaum
Fort Lee, New Jersey
To the editor:
Thank you to Art Cullen for his sensitive and insightful guest essay. He eloquently described his heartbreaking loneliness and resulting grief, the true legacy of the former president. I lost friends, but I also lost the joy of reading newspapers, listening to the radio, and watching the news on TV. News about Trump 24/7.
And he loves it. In my opinion, he didn’t really care about helping our country or his supporters at all. He just wants to be the center of attention.
Chandler Rosenberger
Suwanee, Georgia
Is the gap between red and blue getting too wide?
To the editor:
About “Toby Keith was an enigma wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a flag” (opinion guest essay, February 10):
In his eulogy for country singer Toby Keith, Michael Patrick F. Smith notes that Mr. Keith performed for both Barack Obama and Donald Trump. His crossover appeal conveys something broader and even heartwarming.
Our research consistently reveals that Americans have more in common than you might guess from what’s happening in the nation’s capital or on social media. For example, our new Connection Index national poll shows that 76 percent of Americans think there is good in people who disagree with them, and 71 percent have friends who disagree with them. The survey shows that 57 percent think the “culture wars” are overblown.
No wonder Keith’s fan base ignored the clear division between red and blue.
Will Johnson
Chicago
The author is the CEO of Harris Poll.
Boring “mean girl” metaphor
To the editor:
Re “Mean Girls has lost its bite. Girls Haven’t” by Jessica Bennett (Opinion, February 3):
Having served as principal of two girls’ schools, one on the East Coast and the other on the West, I not only disagree with Ms. Bennett, but also question the authenticity of some girls’ schools as a national trend.
For 26 years, I have observed the exact opposite with my students. They are thoughtful and caring, deeply involved in their world, and constantly finding ways to communicate with each other and their teachers while tackling complex problems with nuance and compassion. got it. They care about racial inequality, climate change, gun control, and politics, and they seek ways to communicate with each other while finding ways to bridge cultural and political gaps.
I graduated from an all-girls school in 1965, and even back then, as always, there were factions and brutality. However, I have lived for a long time and have seen many of my classmates and former students grow into smart and caring women.
I’m tired of the mean girl trope. This is because it reeks of deep-rooted misogyny that pits girls against each other. My professional life spent with girls has been a joy and an honor. In fact, I would like to place all of my hopes for the future of this divided country in their hands.
priscilla sands
Los Angeles
Vote for people who solve problems, not people who complain
To the editor:
It seems to me that we are taking very poor measures in selecting civil servants. We have selected candidates who demonstrate the highest skill level at complaining and blaming others. We picked some crazy things.
I suggest that the qualities we should choose should be those that are more beneficial to the people, the nation, and the nation.
It’s better to vote for people who can solve problems. His two skill sets, complaining and blaming and problem solving, don’t really complement each other.
Next time you attend a candidate forum, ask how much time candidates spend on each approach to governance. Then we can decide who we want to lead us. Personally, I won’t vote for someone who just complains about other candidates and can’t think of a way to solve problems that everyone is experiencing.
Dan Sisler
Ellensburg, Washington.
backyard skating rink
To the editor:
Re “Let’s go ice skating.” In the Backyard” (Real Estate, February 11):
Would you spend $12,000 on a backyard skating rink? Good Lord! In the 1930s, my father used a garden hose to build his skating rink on a vacant lot next to his house on Notre Dame Avenue in Hudson Falls, New York. Cost: $0. Although the ice was a little rough, us kids had a great time skating and playing hockey.
jack buchanan
new york