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A flag flies over the Heartland Co-op grain elevator in Dallas Center, Iowa.Charlie Neibergall/The Associated Press
Misplaced rage
David Shribman wants readers to empathize with rural U.S. voters and understand their anger (What’s Really Fuelling Rage In Rural America, April 5). He also justifies the rural suspicion of big government in the South by invoking the evils of Reconstruction after the Civil War, but says not a word about former president Richard Nixon’s Southern Strategy, designed to appeal to racial bigotry and prejudice.
Many of these voters were fine with the benefits of big government policies as long as they applied mainly to white people. Having compassion for one’s neighbors is fine; the trick is to also have compassion for those who are not like you.
He also blames “coastal elites” for their contempt for rural pain. He ignores all the liberal non-coastal urban areas that don’t fit his stereotype. He ignores that it was largely rural voters who voted for politicians whose policies are, to a considerable extent, responsible for their plight.
Fredric Weizmann, Toronto
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Too sensitive?
Maybe the letter writer who feels she has to defend her Canadian status whenever she is questioned about her origins is being a little oversensitive (On The Basis Of Race, April 5).
She is, perhaps, forgetful of the inherent kindness and politeness of Canadians, who, for the most part, are genuinely interested in other people and, seeing someone from an origin obviously different from their own, show an interest in his or her background.
I have lived here for 50 years, having married a Canadian. My still-present English accent often elicits interest and a conversation on travels and experiences often ensues. In other words, such exchanges could lead to unexpected conversations and a chance to learn from each other.
Alison Kyba, Guelph, Ont.
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It is not true that “white Canadians” are not asked where they come from. I arrived in Canada decades ago but still speak English with an accent. I don’t notice it, but others ask me not infrequently whether I am Dutch, German or Scandinavian.
Such questions are invariably friendly, although in my early years my more egregious linguistic or cultural missteps occasionally amused or annoyed people I met. Reactions like these are not a reflection of inherent white privilege but an inevitable part of coming to a new country.
Bernd Baldus, Toronto
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Mocking tradition
Cathal Kelly is an exceptional writer and his opinions on sport are typically spot on. However, he displayed a remarkable lack of insight into why the Masters tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club is so important to the players and followers (When An All-Star Field Is Just Garden Variety, April 5).
The Masters is unique in its ability to honour tradition and its past champions. The Masters has created activities that recognize the past, including the past-champions dinner, the par-three tournament, the honorary tee-off, the management of its patrons (no shouts of “Get in the hole” here) and an unfailing attention to detail in all things golf-related.
Mr. Kelly also seemed to mock some of the finest present and past golfers in the world − including Dustin Johnson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Mike Weir, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jordan Speith and Justin Thomas − for no apparent reason.
Stuart Wright, Trenton, Ont.
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Love it when Mr. Kelly takes aim at some revered sports events and icons and skewers them so humorously, such as he did with his piece on the Masters. His observation that the tournament invites doddering, long forgotten, former Masters winners to embarrass themselves year after year is bang on. It also seems to me as kind of cruel and demeaning on the part of the organizers.
Brings to mind a variation on the definition of a gentleman. In this case, a gentleman is defined as a once great golfer who could play in the Masters, but doesn’t. There are a few of them.
Jim Arnot, Ottawa
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Mr. Kelly’s column demonstrates again his mastery of subtle irony in the tradition of Balzac and why he is one of the best working sports writers — or just writers, period .
His wry wit has had me falling out of my chair with laughter more than once, but characterizing the field at the Masters as “a grand, Bruegelesque scene of everyone who’s mattered for the past quarter century meeting in one place” is brilliant.
Many of Bruegel’s subjects sported funny caps, too.
James Murphy, Toronto
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In praise of the arts
The People for Education report resonates with parents, educators and the arts community alike (Arts Education Funding Unequal Across Ontario’s Schools, April 3). The arts are essential to Ontario’s curriculum and need to be supported accordingly. The arts empower youth, especially at-risk youth, to succeed in school, in work and later in life. Canadians know this and 85 per cent believe that investment in arts education assists in the emotional and intellectual development of children.
Creativity is a necessary skill for many in the work force: Managers, researchers, software developers, and even cultural workers require creative skills. These skills are the backbone of many Ontario jobs and are drivers of innovation in the Ontario economy.
The province needs to deliver the arts curriculum consistently. It also needs to set achievement and development guidelines to ensure the arts are prioritized and complement STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) goals. Our kids deserve STEAM.
The People for Education report mirrors our paper entitled Connections and Resilience through the Arts. It is also time to update the arts education curriculum to ensure it better reflects Ontario’s evolving and pluralistic reality, including a respectful incorporation of Indigenous knowledge and worldviews.
Bruce Pitkin, Ontarians for the Arts, Toronto
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Trickle-down trouble
Chris Spoke, founder of Housing Matters, argues that the best way to obtain affordable accommodation is to build for the elite. (If Toronto Wants Affordable Housing, It Should Build More Luxury Condos, April 4). The idea is an old one: Units left vacant by rich buyers will filter down-market to the middle class, who in turn leave more affordable housing to lower-income households. Supposedly, the benefits as well as the housing trickles down.
It sounds plausible. The problem is that it doesn’t work. Research shows that the chain of moves triggered by a new unit at the top end of the market is very short, often with just one link: the lucky owner of the new mansion or penthouse suite.
Getting more affordable housing is a conundrum, but filtering won’t solve it.
Richard Harris, president, Urban History Association, and professor in the school of geography and Earth sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton