Bigotry

The Times' casual editorial attitude regarding Catholic bashing ("Sister Mary Ignatius Isn't Happy," Sept. 13) prompts a comment. The writer notes "There's no question that 'Sister Mary Ignatius' takes a brutal, satirical look at Catholic dogma, and some will be offended by its approach." Having studied the script of the play, I would agree entirely with this evaluation and point out that, by definition, to satirize is to hold up to ridicule or scorn. Ever since "Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You" opened in an off-Broadway theater in 1980, decent and fair-minded people from all sectors of society, including public officials and legislators around the country, the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith as well as the American Jewish Committee, have condemned this unremitting travesty of Catholic ritual, tradition and values, with its particularly cruel caricature of Catholic sisters.

Re "All of Us Must Fight Bigotry," editorial, March 10: I applaud The Times for speaking out against bigotry. As an American Muslim, I continue to hope each day that the law enforcement agencies in America protect the rights of American Muslims and people of all religions. We should all work together with human relations commissions to bring about understanding of different faiths and ethnicities. As Americans, we should stand united and not let hate-mongers, right-wing extremists, vicious talk radio show hosts and evangelical fanatics divide us. Rashid Alam's case and cases similar to it will remain an example to all humans of what hate and ignorance result in. Overall, peace and tolerance toward all humankind should be promoted instead of hatred and bigotry.

Former Whittier Mayor Victor Lopez, currently an active member and founding father of the political organization Whittier Citizens for Better Government, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times this past May 30. The quote is as follows: "We have a lot of Latinos coming in with crime, graffiti and gangs. We need fences to keep the balance between low and middle and high incomes." Mr. Lopez, Head Start, organized sports, more parks with recreational programs, pre- and after-school programs, nutritional meals and things that build self-esteem and eliminate idle time for our youths are needed to help curb crime, gangs and graffiti--not the bigotry of you and your friends.

The novel "Wingshooters" is a searing, anguished novel about racial bigotry in a small, insulated Wisconsin town named Deerhorn, where people who were born there tend not to leave. These hard-working, mind-our-own-business townspeople have to contend with a biracial outsider, 9-year-old Michelle, with a Japanese mother and a white American father, who has been left with her paternal grandparents and never retrieved by her cold mother and feckless father. She comes to love her grandparents, especially Charlie Le Beau.

You don't have to be an expert. Just alert. And if so, you probably made a mental note when 25-year-old Atlanta Braves relief pitcher John Rocker blithely ticked off his now-infamous . . .er. . . reservations to a Sports Illustrated reporter about why he would never want to pitch for a New York team. You probably filed it under Marge Schott, Fuzzy Zoeller, Reggie White, Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder or Al Campanis. It's happened before. No doubt, it'll happen again.

Congratulations to Jan Stephenson for winning the 2003 John Rocker Award for excellence in bigotry. Peter Chen Torrance

I think William F. Buckley (Commentary, March 25) is wrong in saying the behavior of the police in the King beating is inexplicable. Bigotry is at least part of the explanation. What it is is inexcusable. WALTER D. DOUGLAS, Colton

Of course there is black bigotry, and Asian and Latino and Indian--every race has such a history. The most subtle form of bigotry now is perpetuating the myth that it was started by, and is limited to, white Europeans. This is done by such things as the 1989 poll you cited asking Anglos which minority they least favored. When there are polls of "minorities" asking them which groups they least favor, then we will be able to try to curb the bigotry in all of mankind. It all goes back to prehistoric times, tribalism and the fear that the group could be easily destroyed.

According to Prof. William Helmreich ("Less Clout Means Fewer Enemies," Commentary, Feb. 21), the Jewish community should take heart in knowing that the anti-Semitism of political candidates isn't salient to most voters; and recognizing that fact, Jews should reconcile themselves to having "little influence as a group on the outcome of elections." Helmreich's arguments are not only contradictory within themselves, they are insulting, inaccurate and betray an abysmal ignorance of bigotry and how it works.