Yet, I am hopeful because, day by day, according to Nicholas Kristof, the world is getting to be a better place. As President Trump displays the ugly underbelly of American culture, other nations, unencumbered by racism at every turn, are emerging as world leaders. In time, racism will no longer have a payoff for those who hold it dear, and we will move on to other preoccupations.

INGRID FURLONG

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA.

To the Editor:



Ibram X. Kendi notes that Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Johnson said racist things at various points in their lives. But the important thing is that both men overcame their earlier sentiments to eventually free the slaves (Lincoln) and sign comprehensive civil rights legislation that included protection of voting rights (Johnson). In both cases, these men decided that they loved the ideals “liberty and justice for all” with such conviction that they overcame their inner demons. Then they acted on their conviction. It is important what they did, not what they said.

NEIL CAREY, ANNANDALE, VA.

To the Editor:

Ibram X. Kendi did an incredibly succinct job of highlighting the disconnect between racist ideologies and the perpetrators of these ideologies who refuse to admit to participating in the first place. Senator Richard Durbin’s take on President Trump’s comments about Haiti and Africa as being “hate-filled, vile and racist” is well founded. As presidential scandal after scandal cycles through the news like clockwork, we are drawn to the conclusion that Mr. Trump is the worst thing to happen to the Oval Office in American history.

Granted, his presidency is definitely high on that scale. But when we take a step back and look in the greater context of American politics, we see a troubling trend. As Mr. Kendi reminds us, eight presidents owned slaves while in office. Lyndon B. Johnson said the N-word repeatedly, and even Abraham Lincoln was guilty of bigotry. Racism, and repeated denial of such beliefs, have been an integral part of our government since its founding, as much as we might try to deny it.

EMILY GETNER, CHICAGO

To the Editor:

As a cultural anthropologist and educator, I accept the premise that ethnocentrism and racism are universal human traits. Given this, it is simply natural that at one level all of us are racists and all of us have certain innate tribal tendencies. However, at the same time human beings have the capacity to understand that skin color is not a legitimate or even practical means of measuring or comparing individual human worth, character or potential. This assumption lies at the heart of modern democracy, the American Constitution and an efficient global economy.

If indeed at one level all of us are born with racist tendencies, feeling a natural preference for those who look like us, then what does it mean to be called a “racist”? Unfortunately, it is a descriptor that has been used so often in recent years that it has lost its meaning. The fact is there is a condition in some Americans, including our president, that runs much deeper than simple “racism,” a condition that causes them to debase people of color with impunity. It makes individuals seem oblivious to the regressive nature and sheer cruelty of their actions.

Yes, this is racism, but also something much more serious. It is what I would call “pathobigotry,” a mental condition born of one’s own feelings of inadequacy that drives one to degrade and consciously discriminate against others who are different as a means of bolstering one’s own sense of self-worth.