To the Editor:

I read your editorial, “Diversity makes our nation stronger,” and to be honest, I couldn’t get past the first few paragraphs. You wrote “We know that the term ‘political correctness’ has become a shorthand for criticizing liberal views on sensitivity for such things as racial or gender differences.”

To me that is your personal assessment and in my opinion a negative and biased view of people, especially on the right, who may use those words. It infers that people who call things “politically incorrect” are intolerant to the views of those on the left.  

The words “political correctness” to me means that sometimes people say things in ways to make it more palatable; for example, instead of saying “illegal aliens” most on the left say “undocumented workers.” I think we both can agree how we choose to word or phrase things make quite an impact on the image one conjures up when examining or considering them.  

I do agree with you, however, that diversity makes our nation stronger.  What we must remember, however, is that also includes diversity of thought, including differing political views, even if we do not like or agree with them.

I think now is also a good opportunity to remind your readers of the definition of tolerance that being: “a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, beliefs, practices, racial or ethnic origins, etc., differ from one’s own; freedom from bigotry.”

Speaking of tolerance, we need to remember that it is a two-way street, meaning those on the left cannot demand those on the right tolerate their views if those on the left are not doing the same (tolerating conservative views) and vice versa.

Finally, I am very disappointed that you, at the end of your editorial, included that joke about Americans speaking only one language. I heard that joke 30 years ago when I was attending an international graduate school. All the American students, including myself, were fluent in at least one other language.

Millions of Americans are fluent in many different languages and quite frankly, that joke is old, offensive, and it perpetuates a falsehood about the American people.  

Catherine Cunningham

Voorheesville

Editor’s note: Last week’s editorial was responding to a letter that said “political correctness has destroyed” the new historic markers in Altamont, since they are written in Spanish as well as English. We see no harm in having two languages on the markers and concluded, “The world is wide and wonderful — why not embrace as much of it as we can?”