A little kindness please

I regularly read the Olympian’s Letters section. I was appalled with the content and tone of David Kunkel’s letter titled “Even idiots get to vote” published on July 31, 2016.

I thankfully acknowledge Mr. Kunkel’s right to point out that the great state of Oklahoma denies the franchise to individuals adjudged incapable of understanding complex public issues. Washington’s Constitution mandates a similar limitation. Setting aside the wisdom of these laws, why did Mr. Kunkel have to use the hateful term “idiot” in his letter? And why did Mr. Kunkel belittle the Oklahoma Legislature’s efforts to craft legislation that deprived as few people as possible of the right to vote? These two slights were bad enough, but then Mr. Kunkel went over the line by conflating mental incompetency with Democratic politics. I believe The Olympian violated generally accepted journalistic ethics by publishing the final sentence of Mr. Kunkel’s letter.

To be sure, Mr. Kunkel is mentally competent: but I do question his humanity and understanding of current American politics. If he had either, he would not use the word “idiot” to describe the mentally challenged and he would never worry about how Oklahoma will vote in November. Oklahoma has voted for every Republican presidential candidate since 1968, and there is no indication that 2016 will be any different. Washington, on the other hand is different: we don’t disparage our citizens, regardless of their mental capacity, and we will deliver our 12 electoral votes to Hillary Clinton!

This story was originally published August 10, 2016 at 2:07 PM with the headline "A little kindness please."