Re: "Sorry Liberals. Bigotry Didn't Elect Trump"

To the editor:



David Paul Kuhn (Sorry liberals. Bigotry didn't elect Trump, NYT 12/27/16) cites numerous statistics to bolster his claim that bigotry, while more prevalent among Republicans, was not a cause of Trump's victory. He further suggests that to evoke such an explanation is to engage in stereotyping.

Bigotry, like implicit bias, impacts decision making often outside our conscious awareness. We are all vulnerable. The studies reported by the author do not eliminate bigotry as a 'cause' of Trump's victory. 

As hate crimes are on the rise and Trump continues with his divisive rhetoric we blind ourselves to the appeal of an 'us versus them' mentality at our own peril.

It is naive to conclude thatTrump won only because of bigotry. Trump won for many reasons. Appealing to man's - and woman's- more base instincts was one of them.



Respectfully 


Larry S Sandberg