How come Trump is so loved by his base?
What did he ever do to (or for) them?
I watched a bit of the rally on TV and it was fascinating, honestly. They're exorcisms, a public airing of resentment shared by the entire gathering Trump is manipulating the crowd while being part of it.
I'll add to this by saying Trump is a master at divisive rhetoric, with lines like I did a great job I closed the borders no one else could have done that, but they never give us credit. They being the Democrats and us being the constant aggrieved and resentful followers who feel their way of life (white, Christian, patriarchal) is under constant threat by the educated elites.
Trump has placed himself in the role of martyr for the bygone era of the strong white middle class man by shouting above the folks he doesn't like. His supporters find great relief here. With Trump as their mouthpiece, they can hide behind their lack of education/compassion, tolerance under a big Red Hat.
Rodney Killian
Books are meant to make us squirm
I am a retired English teacher, and there were many times that I had to stop and reflect on the list of books that my students were to read.
I knew that some of the books were going to make some of them uncomfortable, but isn't that the job of an author? In my opinion, if we read a book and it causes us to question an issue, makes us uncomfortable, causes us to squirm and think, then the author has done his or her job.
I understand that a decision to include books on a reading list is at the school level, not the county level. It seems like a particular teacher was attempting to spread her own beliefs on her students, instead of allowing them to make their own decisions.
As a teacher, it is not up to you to decide what you will teach; it is often up to you to decide how to teach a particular topic. I find it a little interesting that the two books that the teacher removed from the reading list deal with the African-American experience. Perhaps this topic made her squirm and think?
There are many things that are going to make us question an idea or issue. That is a part of growth and development.
Mark Grantham
Lookout Valley
Students can handle more than we think
It's unfortunate that some young people in Signal Mountain find themselves on the short end of literature.
It seems the writings in question offer exposure to aspects of our culture found to be offensive by some. An age-old fear of the written word has apparently influenced decisions by administrators, instructors and parents.
Such exercises remind me of a favorite "baseball book" (a reference actually used by a student some years ago), by J.D. Salinger. Language used by the author's characters has elicited offense for generations, yet the work has been widely accepted in educational settings.
Perhaps the involved parties here could accept that young people are quite capable of discerning the cause and effect of language in our society, something we probably should expect of them.
Daniel Durant
Signal Mountain