To the Editor:
Re “Liberals on Their Excessive Horse About ‘Wealthy Males,’” by Nicholas Kristof (column, Aug. 31):
Thanks, Mr. Kristof, for as soon as once more opening eyes along with your column about Oliver Anthony’s track “Wealthy Males North of Richmond.”
I’ll admit to being a kind of “liberals” able to dismiss the track with out listening to it. After studying the column I did take heed to it, and I acknowledge it as persevering with the custom of protest songs that many in my technology embraced wholeheartedly within the ’60s, expressing the frustration of the working class in its battle for the dignity and respect all of us crave.
It’s time that these of us who’ve had the privilege of upper training and rewarding profession paths put ourselves within the sneakers of those that have had neither. We have to acknowledge the ensuing widespread anguish and despair as a failing of our society, and embrace our personal duty to proactively work towards therapeutic these widening cracks in our democracy earlier than it’s too late.
Barbara Wilson
Altadena, Calif.
To the Editor:
Nicholas Kristof writes, “Liberals are correctly attentive to racial injustice however have a blind spot about class, pushed partially by unfair stereotypes that members of the white working class are invariably bigots.”
It strikes me as considerably ridiculous to make use of stereotypes about liberals so as to accuse liberals of indulging in stereotypes.
I’m a member of the white working class, a highschool dropout who has spent a long time preventing poverty, dependancy and the impossibility of surviving on minimal wage. I even have very liberal political opinions.
Dwelling a life beset with fixed monetary worries doesn’t afford one the appropriate to bask in bigotry any greater than dwelling a lifetime of success and luxurious does. Bigotry and reliance on stereotypes bloom in lots of socioeconomic courses and stations in life.
Tor Larsen
Melbourne, Australia
To the Editor:
I commend Nicholas Kristof for reminding us in regards to the excessive inequalities produced by the present construction of the capitalist financial system, however the important thing to Oliver Anthony’s sudden success isn’t a basic critique of capitalism however the path of his anger northward.
Whether or not supposed or not by Mr. Anthony, this makes “Wealthy Males North of Richmond” a handy distraction from the profound inequalities that characterize a lot of the Southern states.
Ought to anybody be inquisitive about the way in which wealthy males (and ladies) south of Richmond use the levers of political energy to complement themselves and impoverish the poor, Black and white, I like to recommend the beautiful July 2022 Opinion visitor essay by Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein, with the net headline “Alabama Takes From the Poor and Offers to the Wealthy.”
Alas, I doubt {that a} track with that title would soar to the highest of the charts.
Barbara Weinstein
New York
The author is a professor of historical past at New York College.
When Medical doctors Assess a Politician’s Well being at a Distance
To the Editor:
The New York Occasions has seen as match to print the opinions of docs concerning the medical situation of a politician whom they haven’t examined: Senator Mitch McConnell, the minority chief. After all, a proviso is provided that they’re rendering opinions based mostly on observations and haven’t accomplished an examination.
Within the meantime, the American Psychiatric Affiliation continues to ban psychiatrists from giving such opinions, based mostly on the Goldwater Rule. Nevertheless, many psychiatrists have opined on Donald Trump’s psychological well being, believing that it’s unethical to withhold info indicative of dangerousness.
Lots of the psychiatrists who courageously contributed to the 2017 guide “The Harmful Case of Donald Trump” imagine that subsequent occasions have demonstrated the validity of their claims.
Certainly, Mr. Trump continues to indicate proof of what many (not simply psychiatrists) recommend is a extreme character dysfunction, together with his refusal to just accept that he misplaced the 2020 election.
And if in reality Mr. Trump really believes that he gained the election, then maybe he suffers from an much more severe dysfunction. It’s time for the American Psychiatric Affiliation to drop or revise the Goldwater Rule.
Fredric N. Busch
New York
The author is a medical professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical Faculty.
Time for Ukraine Talks
To the Editor:
Re “Ukraine’s Forces Attempt to Punch Second Gap in Russian Traces” (information article, Sept. 6):
When will the U.S. cease fueling its proxy conflict with Russia? As your article suggests, Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive will doubtless require “a number of extra months” and “heavy casualties on each side.”
Vladimir Putin’s obvious recourse to North Korea means that he wants extra weapons. President Biden might have already achieved his said objective of degrading the Russian army.
With Ukraine additionally working low on ammunition, now could be the time for worldwide mediators to start shuttle diplomacy. The target must be to safe first a cease-fire after which a long-term peace settlement. Persevering with arms shipments to Ukraine can solely delay that course of and value extra lives.
L. Michael Hager
Eastham, Mass.
The author is a co-founder and former director basic of the Worldwide Improvement Legislation Group in Rome.
Censorship in Prisons
In truth, prisons and jails actively stop individuals from studying and writing far more than they encourage it. 1000’s of books are banned in particular person states; New York alone has banned 5,356 separate titles.
I’ve tried to begin studying dialogue teams in prisons and have been met with pink tape and bureaucratic stalling. In my work, I’ve discovered that studying and writing should not largely understood by jail authorities to be helpful however quite are met with suspicion. That is true even though each studying and writing are demonstrated to scale back recidivism.
On Sept. 14, the exhibit “Return to Sender: Jail as Censorship” opens on the EFA Challenge House in Manhattan. There, guests can see the ways in which prisons and jails stop individuals from the educational, self-expression and creativity that studying and writing provide.
Moira Marquis
New York
The author is senior supervisor of the Freewrite Challenge, a part of the Jail and Justice Writing Program at PEN America.
To the Editor:
“In an Clever Exercise for Getting older Our bodies, Failure Is an Choice” (Science Occasions, Sept. 5), about senior ballet courses, completely delighted and resonated with me. As an 88-year-old, I qualify for “an clever exercise.”
Rising up in Manhattan, a balletomane from my childhood, I used to be decided to be a ballerina from the age of three. Life intervened; this didn’t occur. So along with attending performances, I’ve began taking ballet classes for the sheer love of the artwork.
The fantastic thing about motion with music and the grace of the positions, even with all of the attendant imperfections, are merely thrilling for me. Happily New Haven has a superb ballet college — New Haven Ballet, the place I take classes — that’s welcoming to all ages.
Paula Armbruster
New Haven, Conn.
